Business to the Buddha

Category: Business to Buddha

  • Where is growth?







    The mobile was ringing, suddenly phone was picked and the statement – wait! Mumbai Indians needs only 5 runs to win in last 6 balls. I said ok Sir I will call you in five minutes. The turmoil of thoughts continued in my mind. What am I thinking, what are the questions in my mind, so many things how do I connect all these dots etc. Mumbai Indians eventually won, Prof Mankad informed me in next five minutes.

    We started talking – the market is steady, if not bull than not bear too. Indian Prime minister and Finance minister both are making statement that “We are going to grow at 6.9% if not at 8%”. Still, there is some uncomfortable feeling. I told Prof Mankad, “Sir I am not convinced. Further to it I said – news is Facebook is licensing the AOL patents – owned by Microsoft now – for close to 550 million. Next thing which I forgot to ask him was – news of bribing in Mexico by senior executive of Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart was running behind growth – sometimes in 90’s – and got in this trouble recently when the case was surfaced. I further added that Italy and Spain are showing -ve growth (to be precise signs of recession), where is growth?

    As always these questions were simple to answer for Prof Mankad. What he said very closely resembled to my thinking of inclusive growth. He said – hold your horses, the questions are right, this growth is notional and specific to IT and finance industry, largely to few services industries so to speak. The questions are pertinent, sir said. If I remember correctly he also informed me that Italy not only Spain has declared recession, French election would surely put more light on the already tough Euro crisis. Sarkozy is likely to lose, and then there are more elections coming up in Europe e.g. Germany etc. Political parties in Holland have agreed on austerity measures. Growth would happen and thus recession would be arrested only once we see growth in all the industries otherwise we are in a bad shape. It is not possible to say that we are growing at so and so rate when only one or two industries are showing signs of growth.

    This reminded me of my most loved theory of the Buddha – Interdependent Co-arising. I have written on this often and the current situation shows us yet once again that we are all connected, nothing can be isolated and growth is a collection of small growth in each industry. Each industry is a building block for the overall movement of the engine of economy world across (with few riders). No China can survive without US or Europe, no India or Philippines can grow its service industry until there is overall growth in the demand of service industry in developed nations.

    Where is growth? There would be growth when we all learn that we need to think about each other and help each other grow – we are all interdependent and we would successfully grow only when we grow together.

  • When the Buddha dies, the schools are born







    I wrote earlier about the business of religion, recently found an interesting story on the same and thought to share it here. This story is from a book – ‘The prayer of the Frog’ by Father Anthony de Mello, S.J.. This book has very interesting stories on religion, spirituality and human relations etc. The story I am referring here is from ‘The prayer of the Frog – Volume 1, Page 95, Part – Religion

    The resurrected philosopher
    An ancient philosopher, dead for many centuries, was told that his teachings were being misrepresented by his representatives. Being a compassionate and truth-loving individual, he managed, after much effort, to get the grace to come back to earth for a few days.

    It took him several days to convince his successors of his identity. Once that was established, they promptly lost all interest in what he had to say and begged him to disclose to them the secret of coming back to life from the grave.

    It was only after considerable exertion that he finally convinced them that there was no way he could impart this secret to them and that it was infinitely more important for the good of humanity that they restore his teaching to its original purity.

    A futile task! What they said to him was “Don’t you see that what is important is not what you taught but our interpretation of what you taught? After all, you are only a bird of passage whereas we reside here permanently.”

    When the Buddha dies, the schools are born.
    ***
    These small stories are so interesting that I would refer to them again in future.

    When I say business to the Buddha, I mean teachings applied in real life (including Businesses) and not interpreted/misinterpreted by someone (priest) for the common public.

  • We need pessimists!







    I was thinking about the middle path and two types of people came to my mind – optimists and pessimists. I went back in the memory lanes. As an innovation consultant, I was a part of a Summit on Innovation. Few of the workshops in the summit were on “Culture of innovation” in organizations. Everyone agreed that we need diverse team for innovation, however, everyone agreed that we need to engage only energetic and optimist members in teams. I asked myself; Why are we categorizing people as optimist and others? Does innovation require labeling people and then creating teams? In other words why we – as innovation consultants – are agreeing not to have diversity in team? Even in systematic innovation drives, we need people of different thinking styles and opinions.

    I asked myself let me define ‘pessimists’, to see if my questions make sense in team composition for innovation efforts? According to Merriam-Webster online dictionary, pessimist is one who has an inclination to emphasize adverse aspects, conditions, and possibilities or expectation of worst possible outcome. Pessimists are those who negate or say no to anything because of their experience, knowledge, logical, old understanding or mere negative thoughts. Does it mean that they shouldn’t be a part of any team on say innovation efforts? I have heard somewhere – if an optimist makes an airplane, pessimist makes a parachute. Pessimists could be extra-cautious and introspective people, isn’t it?

    We need pessimists!
    Why we need pessimists too in innovation drives?

    In fact, pessimist is needed at places, because he/she may help improve solution with a “no” for many solutions. For example extra-cautious people help device seat belts in cars, safety values in pressure cookers, exit strategy in project/business plan. This “no” trigger teams to look beyond the horizon and ideate. Pessimists are the people who can be a great part in defining the problem and creating more challenges around the problem by questioning and negating. They endow the team with a new dimension to assumptions. It is well said – a problem clearly defined is half the problem solved. So do we not need pessimists, in defining problems? Pessimists can be a good help in exercises like heuristic redefinition and forward and backward thinking of the team because when they drive their thought process they also have an eye on the rear view mirror. I have heard – “Ideas of pessimists have saved more lives then ideas of optimists”, do we not need a balance in innovation teams?

    Pessimism is one face of a coin, other is optimism and a coin cannot exist without two faces. A good leader and an innovation team is one where best out of pessimists is utilized for improving its performance. Isn’t it right that we need pessimists… too!
    Copyrights KRD Pravin

  • Microsoft plans to make its Operating System Open Source!*







    With Ashar and Vineet

    Microsoft is considering making its operating system (OS) business open source. Microsoft started it operations in 1975 and had become formidable in desktop computers operating system market between late 90’s and the first decade of 21st century. During that time it captured more than 80% market share of operating systems. Microsoft is one of the companies which has fought maximum number of patent infringement cases over last two decades. Microsoft’s last five years strategy also suggests that this move could have been decided in 201I when it started allocating its resources of OS business to other lucrative business propositions.

    The plan of Microsoft is motivated on various factors, including but not limited to – reducing popularity of the OS amongst the partner companies such as Dell, Lenovo and HP reducing market share of Microsoft in OS worldwide, reduction in profits from OS businesses due to huge investments in patent infringement cases and availability of other more lucrative businesses opportunities.

    Over the years Dell, Lenovo, HP and others have started providing different options to purchasers. This has caused huge dent in the market penetration of Microsoft. With the advent of Cloud Computing in late 2000’s, it was evident that there are going to be large scale changes in the OS and OS businesses worldwide. The shift started with the Google’s OS Chrome and other electronic devices such as mobiles, iPad and Kindle. In late 2000’s many mobiles and other devices started replacing Desktop and laptop for day today office and personal applications. Internet on the move and office applications on mobiles created tough competition for Microsoft. The smaller competition from Linux based Open Sources was another trouble for Microsoft. Different flavor of Linux and Android based OS has already taken substantial lead in different parts of the world.

    Microsoft has fought many patent infringement cases in past each causing almost 300 million dollars to the profits of Microsoft. The numbers grew slowly from none in 1997 to more than 40 in ten year and this growth of number of patent infringement cases continued resulting in expenditure of over 12 billion in late 2000’s. This statistics forced Microsoft to look back at its strategy which eventually happened in 201I, now slowly Microsoft is moving away from the USPTO and other patent offices for few of its software products.

    Analysts suggest that this move of Microsoft will cause immense turmoil not only in IT industry but also in software patent (IP protection) industry. Other IT companies producing identical software would not be able to protect their IP eventually they may also follow the suit and the domino effect will eat up the software patent industry.

    Microsoft has already redeployed its resources towards development of other products. It is also considering development of more entertainment based product under the leadership of new CEO Donald Murphy, who largely has been involved with games and other entertainment based products for a long time of his career. Additionally, the money not pumped in the patent infringement cases would be used to sustain its open source development and the Bill & Melinda Gates foundations.

    *WELL THIS WAS A 1st APRIL BLOG… Do not take it to your heart. Some numbers are facts as per 2005-10 however this blog is a work of fiction. The year 201I is no year as such. 201 is number whereas last digit is ‘capital-i’. Name of the CEO ‘Donald Murphy’ is also a work of fiction – Donald from Disney’s character Donald (relating to Games and Entertainment) and Murphy (character from Happy Feet – movie on Penguins. Penguins which is related to Linux).

    What if this becomes a reality?

  • Pulse polio and dependent co-arising







    Its been three weeks I did not write anything on blog. I felt as if I am not doing justice with my blogging. However, I was too busy with work and therefore could not fulfill this commitment. This passion when put on hold by professional responsibilities, I can understand how difficult would it be for us to think of some lesser important things which may hamper our personal life. Well, whom to apologies for this – to myself?

    Since 1995-96 India is on a mission – Remove Polio from India. I remember I – as a student – had to participate in a speech on the same in 1995-96. Daughter of one of my acquaintance herself went to a stall of Pulse Polio mission and got administered these drops (she was quite adventurous!). This mission is still running, apparently every year February to April the activities are quite high. Last Sunday my niece was administered these drops. This initiative made me think.

    I remembered my MBA class of economics. In that class Prof asked – what if I alone have a Fax Machine in the whole world? There is no use of such device when one cannot send or receive faxes, right? I tried extended this concept of network effect on the Polio issue. Even if a child is left without treatment for polio chances are that the decease may extend to coming generations. I could also connect this network effect and treatment of polio to interdependent co-arising. Needless to say, Polio virus would not see if a child is born rich or poor, belongs to which caste, color or religion. Therefore, the important thing is – we need to help each other as a society and get rid of things such as Polio or let us go beyond Polio – corruption, greed and selfishness etc etc. Because we are all connected to each other.

  • Humans are social animals







    Have you ever asked a question to yourself – why? Why am I doing it? Why am I running from pillars to posts either aimlessly or with an aim. Once the aim is achieved – what next? Every strategic question stems a WHY in the mind of management also, right?

    So the question, why? Leads organizations as well as individuals. This question has led me to think about far in the future how we (individually, socially and economically) might evolve, as well as how I see things should/could happen. This is where I see the collaboration would play a bigger role. Look at crowd sourcing, look at open source. My assumption is – in a given day – maximum downloads in the world are happening from Android market place. That is again a collaboration – a freemium service (free+paid).

    *If I talk about some more technical stuff – at times companies make their intellectual properties ‘public’ without a patent, for example SQL. It was invented at IBM however was kept open (not patented, of course you may argue on the possibility of software patent in 1970s etc etc). Also you may argue that it was a mistake.*

    A couple of years back I wrote articles on format wars and the failure of Betamax (and of HD DVD). Have you ever seen there are times when you have to stop fighting and start working together? There may be times when a company has to collaborate because of its dependence or loss in the market place. The fact of the matter is – at times collaboration is forced and in other cases by choice. Yesterday I read a news article on The Hindu that RIM (manufacturer of Black Berry) introduced its new operating system (OS) for its BlackBerry PlayBook tablets with additional functionalities, including the ability to run Android-based applications. Nokia with Windows, Blu-ray with content providers and manufacturers, VHS with OEM. I am confident the future businesses would be built on Collaboration, association and aggregation.

    …And as the cliche is – humans are social animals – we would remain social animals and collaboration would be the name of the game. So, for business some “business rules” would go on shelf and some new rules would evolve.

    * Readers are warned that the IBM and SQL part is not a professional advice as a registered patent agent, the example is used as representation of authors thoughts about the future.

  • Interdependent co-arising – a farmer’s example







    Recently Dr Raghunathan shared a link of his interview with Wharton with me We are individually very smart but collectively dumb. The very first paragraph of the interview has an example of a farmer. A farmer whose corn won top awards year after year. When a reporter asked about the secret of his success, the farmer attributed it to the fact that he shared his corn with his neighbors. Why, the reporter wondered, would the farmer want to share his seed when those neighbors also competed with him for the prize? The farmer’s reply was, “The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grew inferior corn, cross-pollination would steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors do the same.”

    I am writing time and again on interdependent co-arising and how it applies to businesses, I think this small story on BUSINESS – a winning business – states a lot about ‘interdependent co-arising’. This example applies beyond India, the long term gain for world economy would be working on the concepts of interdependent co-arising.

    Related blogs on interdependent co-arising

  • Individually smart, collectively dumb!







    Book Games Indians Play cover
    Games Indians Play
    Have you read Games Indians Play! by Dr Raghunathan? Very interesting book with pertinent examples of issues we face, many a times overlook and are facing worldwide. In that book he says – “We are individually very smart but collectively dumb”. I think we are collectively dumb and therefore we are in the economy-related mess we have created.

    I did not know that I would be referring to my new year blog so early in this year. Newspapers of 3-Feb-2012 made me do so. The news was about the 2G scam which had been under scrutiny for a long time now. In my opinion the verdict clearly stated that power corrupts and it gives you confidence that you can get away with murders too (many such cases pending in India)!

    I thought hard – really very hard – to find a solution. I think I will go back to TRIZ (theory of Inventive Problem Solving) to decide conflicts and resolving them. Until I find a one size fit all ‘man made’ solution, I could think of only one possibility. This solution is self restraint, and owning responsibility to make sure we are morally correct.

    This word ‘Moral’ reminds me of my economics and business ethics class of MBA where we discussed moral hazards with Prof Mankad and Prof Arun Ramanathan. I was reading this article on Moral hazards at Wharton. The article talks about authorities and new stringent rules. This regulatory authority will tomorrow need another (other set of rules) and so on and so forth. How long will we create such authorities? Moral hazards would end very easily when each one takes responsibility and become accountable for his/her action. This accountability has to come on each level and for all the actions. The problem lies with a reality that – ‘We are individually very smart but collectively dumb’. This ‘being individually smart’ begets moral hazard. The solution for this problem is one’s own self. Take responsibility own it and be accountable. Perhaps initially we (as individual) will fail but collectively we will start succeeding.

    I am hopeful that once we start from ourselves (individually), each one of us would be able to avoid situations where we would talk about Newspapers of 3-Feb-12 (2G Scam), other scams and the bad shape of world economy. Hoping that we would save our energy to concentrate on something constructive.

  • I have a dream!







    Related blog – Why this title?
    Have you read the book – “I have a dream” by Rashmi Bansal? One of my friends gave me this book and said – ‘it might change your life, read it.’ It is on social entrepreneurship. I am reading the book nowadays, and found ‘author’s note’ very interesting, I am putting the note here.

    QUOTE
    There are two kinds of people in the world. Those who think, and those who feel. The ‘thinkers’ see a child begging on the street and say to themselves ‘that’s not my problem.’ Those who feel, however, will give that child something, if not a coin, at least a moment of compassion. Thinkers believe the world is a neat place, with boundaries. ‘My house’, ‘My family’, ‘My community’, ‘My welfare’ that’s where there the boundary ends.

    But those who feel see the entire world as One. Beggar and bourgeois, sinner and saint. We are all interconnected in ways we cannot understand. And Hence, in serving another, we are only serving ourselves.

    For too long now we – the ‘middle class’ of India – have chosen to be thinkers. We have deadened our hearts and our minds to the poor, the hungry and the homeless and the hopeless. Because that problem is really not ‘ours’.

    And the small minority who feels, it’s doing the best it can. But it is never enough! I see now, a new breed of people. Thinking-feeling individuals who look a problem in the eye and declare war. These people think like entrepreneurs but feels and work for the cause of society. And hence, they are ‘social entrepreneurs’. These are people like you and me, not Mother Teresa. They are using the principles of business, to create a better world. A world where profit does not equal greed. Where people come together for a greater common cause. A world where ‘I’ does not mean crushing ‘them’. Because the bank balance you have here on earth will remain, when you depart. Your Karma you carry forward.

    So no matter what your problem in life is, spare a moment for someone else.

    Spread love, laughter and goodwill.

    The more you give, the more you will get back.
    UNQUOTE

    I see a connection between teachings of the Buddha, these entrepreneurs and what Rashmi is saying – i) greater common cause ii) a world where profit is not equal to greed iii) we are all interconnected and iv) we are ONE world.

    I too have a dream – to see all of us – business men/women – as compassionate and thinking in the lines we – as a single world. This for sure would ensure peace, harmony and economically stable world.

  • Abundance of scarcity







    I was watching NDTV after a long time no no…TV after a long time. Also, NDTV has not been my favorite for a couple of years now. Anna movement gave chance to every news channel, however, only Times Now could make it to my consideration set. So, by chance I was watching NDTV. Well to be precise, I was not watching; by chance NDTV was on and we were talking about something. I gave it a heed because the news was about increase in petrol price in India. Some experts were talking and one said – “India has grown, we are producing more grain, (Precisely, the number thrown was about 250 units to 270 units). So when we are growing, with growth if inflation is high it is fine!…”. The argument was largely – we are growing and so is inflation thus it is fine if petrol price is also increasing.

    I started thinking, if we are producing more than why people die of hunger? If we are growing then why still we are not satisfied? If India of today is better than India of 90s, 80s or 70s why we are still struggling with roads with potholes (even in Mumbai), load shedding (for non-Indians load shedding means power cut in different location because of scarcity of power) and other problems. We are producing more, in fact the argument was we are producing more than we consume.

    We can see that we have enough and more mediums for entertainment (I was watching TV and thats why this came in mind first), enough food (as per the expert invited by NDTV). Surprisingly we do have enough and more Money – in Swiss bank accounts in Indian context and in developed economies hefty bailouts. Still there is inflation, there are economic issues.

    Largely, the basic problem is greed. Because of greed we see scarcity of many things. In fact after reading an MBA case we felt that Diamonds are not rare as we believe. In other words, we are in a world with abundant supplies of required things however we create scarcity of other things (and of the basic necessities). Greed for growth, money and possession. Effectively, we need few things which are in abundance but we live in artificially created scarcity of those. Because of greed abundance becomes scarcity and we live in the world of abundance of scarcity.