Business Lessons from India’s Commonwealth Games

The ongoing Commonwealth Games in India have been truly record-breaking – both within the sports arena and without.  As this is a business blog, let me focus on the latter.

Personally, I think the Commonwealth Games have been good for India. 

Good because Indian sport, at the end of the day, has benefited in a myriad of ways.

Good because India has shown what it can do, literally, against all odds. 

Good because the Games have served as a reality check - for India and for the rest of the (business) world - on the complexities of doing business with India. What are these lessons?

1. Execution, execution, execution.  While I have written about this in a previous blog, the reality is that attention to detail and contingency planning is mission critical.
2. Governance is key. Some commentators have remarked that the CWG is a case study in the difference between Indian public sector ineptitude and private sector prowess. The reality is that this generalisation is simplistic.  Fundamentally, governance and accountability processes need to be water-tight.
3. Media and its management matters.  At no time in the history of the Games have they received so much publicity and column-centimetre coverage, in the Commonwealth and beyond, than in 2010. Thanks to the internet and real-time reporting, a common garden snake is able to morph into a King Cobra in a matter of minutes, if not seconds. Understand the dynamics of new-age media.
4. When traditional solutions fail, improvise (jugaad).  The CWG 2010 is probably the first international sporting event that has involved the official deployment of trained animals (‘langurs’) to ward off other stray animals.  Keep an open mind and think of innovative, ‘fit-for-purpose’ solutions.
5. Some things can not be controlled, e.g. Mother Nature.  When it rains, it literally does pour.  Delhi recorded its most intense monsoon season compared to the last 30 years, bringing with it the multitude of accompanying health hazards.  Anticipate, be prepared.
6. A lot can be achieved in 24 hours.  See linked article. Need I say more? 
7. A great test bed.  In an earlier blog, I highlighted the global challenge of managing complexity.  To borrow a phrase from the popular song ‘Empire State of Mind’ – “since I made it here, I can make in anywhere” could well become India’s new business anthem.

If you would like to increase the growth for your organisation by deepening its engagement with India, do write in at ratika.jain@whiteowladvisory.com.

Is Education India’s next gold rush?

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About twelve years ago, I was sitting in a seminar listening to the Israeli management guru, Dr Eli Goldratt, expound forth on his seminal Theory of Constraints (TOC).  Dr Goldratt shared something very basic but something we often forget - that a chain is as strong as its weakest link.  This thought has stayed with me and it brings me to the theme of this week’s blog – higher education in India. While statistics in the Indian context are astounding, the one’s relating to education are mind-boggling.

• 5: The multiplier by which the budget for education has increased in the 11th Five Year Plan (2007-12), compared to the 10th;
• 14%: Current enrolment rate in higher education; targeted to increase to 30% by 2020;
• 18,000+: Number of universities and colleges in India;
• 600,000: Shortage of doctors;
• 1,000,000: Shortage of nurses;
• 15 million: Annual increase in labour pool by 2015;
• 240-250 million: Estimated skilled workers required over the next 12 years to cater to the incremental skilled workforce demand in 20 high-growth sectors as well as the unorganised sector;  and
• 600 million:  Indians under 25 years of age.

The strain of inadequate educational infrastructure is beginning to take its toll.  A few weeks ago, the World Economic Forum released its Business Competitiveness Report 2010-11.  India had dropped two places to rank 59.  Poorer rankings on education were identified as one of the major speed-breakers.  

Sensing the opportunity, a number of players – new and old - have jumped on to the bandwagon.  Exponential growth in stock prices of educational companies over the past decade bears testimony to the demand-supply dynamics.

Leading international universities have not been impervious to India’s hunger for quality education. Last week, Duke University announced its intent to set up a campus for its business school in India. Like Yale, Brown and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), it is also in talks with India’s Ministry for Human Resource Development for partnering the upcoming 14 innovation universities. 

As institutions jostle for market share, the resulting frenzy has prompted the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) to introduce a new set of guidelines prohibiting educational institutions and programmes from claiming recognition, authorisation, accreditation, or affiliations without proper evidence.   

To my mind, and borrowing from Dr Goldratt’s TOC, embedded in the education opportunity is one more nugget – that of standards and certification.  Indeed, attention to this could easily apply to India’s preparation for the Commonwealth Games.  After all, success in India is not only about what you do but how.

If you would like to increase the growth for your organisation by deepening its engagement with India, do write in at ratika.jain@whiteowladvisory.com .