Taking a step back

Overheard in the Indian School of Business (ISB) elevator: 

"This isn't India, it's the ISB."

In many ways, one of the most refreshing aspects of today has been the ability to take a step back and think about my experiences here from an academic lens, away from the craziness that is day-to-day India.

We ended today's workshop with a discussion on India trends and dynamics.  While it's a bit nerdy to share my class notes on this blog, it definitely helps answer questions I'm often asked regarding changes occurring in India. (Besides: when have I ever been accused of being too big of a nerd?!)

So without further ado, trends we talked about included:

• Growing differences within India's rural population
• Increased hunger for education
• "Sudden Wealth Phenomenon"
• Migration from the villages & youth increasingly disinterested in agriculture
• Migration from public to private health care
• Shift in entrepreneurial mindset from survival entrepreneurship to more creative and long-term
• Coming of age of post-liberalization youth, with 100 million 17-21 year olds in India

And of course, a discussion of the Base of the Pyramid itself, particularly the shift from BoP 1.0 -- "selling to the poor" to BoP 2.o -- one of co-creation and business co-venturing.  Rather than purely focusing on creating a "cheap" or affordable product, a successful venture must create authentic value.  For BoP (and I'd argue, for all of us!), "value" means:

• Productivity improvement
• Ability to create independence and empowerment
• Increased income generation
• Social and aspirational fulfillment

As much as my Type-A personality found satisfaction in these neat frameworks and bullet points, my favorite aspect of today has been the multitude of debates and arguments stemming from the workshop (those who say that Asians are conflict-averse should come to India!)

Among the debates:

How can we truly meet BoP consumers' needs -- rather than trying to sell them folding IKEA tables because their homes look cluttered to us?  And for that matter, what does "Base of the Pyramid" even mean?  Why should it surprise us that base of the pyramid consumers own fridges, have cable television, and have drawers full of gold jewelry? 

And lest the debate turn much too philosophical or ivory tower-esque, the "real" India is still out there waiting, just outside the campus gates.