Jugaad Innovation & its Hype

Being committed to fostering young innovators and transforming educational institutions into hotbeds of market-focused innovation, I have been part of a study circle exploring Kautilya’s Artha Shastra under the mentorship of @Shatabadhani Ganesh for the last few years. More often than not, our discussions veer towards the lack of innovation and research in India over the past several centuries, despite an incredible start in ancient times. These commitments fuel my curiosity about innovation and strategies to enable it in India.

Recently, I came across two intriguing discussions on innovation:

1. An interaction with Jaideep Prabhu, the celebrated author of Jugaad Innovation (LinkedIn). (Thanks for inviting me & @BIC
2. A thought-provoking piece by Sanjay Anandaram, titled "Fostering a Culture of Innovation", published in Swarajya (LinkedIn).

In an engaging conversation with Mekin Maheshwari , Jaideep Prabhu shared his insights on Jugaad and frugal innovation, providing some compelling examples. While the discussion was fascinating, I must admit that I’m not a big fan of Jugaad innovation, especially from a startup perspective. This inspired me to reflect on and capture my thoughts, which I’ve summarized below.

The Limitations of Jugaad Innovation

I strongly believe that celebrating Jugaad innovation often glorifies quick fixes at the expense of fostering deep, systemic thinking. While it may address immediate, localized challenges, it’s not a sustainable model for building venture-scale companies or driving transformative innovation. I’ve elaborated on this perspective in a previous write-up.

In particular, I’m against the celebration of Jugaad on campuses. I would prefer to see our youngsters thinking big, thinking deeply, and pushing beyond being resourceful or street-smart. Instead, we should encourage them to delve into problems with persistence and creativity to develop scalable solutions.

That said, Jugaad has its place. For example:

• Addressing highly localized problems with smart people on the field.
• Crafting solutions under extremely resource-constrained conditions.

In such cases, frugal or Jugaad innovations can offer economical, if not always efficient, solutions. However, Jugaad should not:

• Be the foundation for building scalable ventures.
• Replace the pursuit of big ideas.
• Be celebrated as the starting point for problem-solving.

The Side Effects of Celebrating Jugaad

The overemphasis on Jugaad has several negative repercussions:

1. Diverts attention and support from deserving innovators focusing on deep, impactful work.
2. Foster's pessimism about returns from meaningful innovation, especially in deep-tech startups led by students.

This issue is compounded by the overlap of "me-too" problem statements across campuses. With a limited understanding of industry trends or awareness of ongoing research in other institutions, many ideas remain non-commercializable. This is why our efforts have been directed at helping innovators identify the right problems to solve.

The Need for Depth and Focus

It is the depth of the problem and the robustness of the solution that extract value from Indian campuses. When innovators focus on impactful challenges and refine their problem-solving approaches, they’re more likely to create meaningful solutions. Some of these innovators inevitably master the art of entrepreneurship, and when the right solutions meet the right entrepreneurs, success follows.

Addressing Systemic Challenges

Sanjay Anandaram’s observations attribute many of these issues to our education system. I agree, but the challenges run deeper:

1. Cultural Comfort with the Past: We have grown complacent, relying too much on past glory.
2. Education System’s Shortcomings: I often find it difficult to understand the lack of integrity in the education sector. You cant create innovators when the system takes short cuts for publishing papers/ hacking rankings.
3. Devaluation of Deep Thinking: We’ve neglected the importance of critical thinking, joy in learning, and inventing appropriate incentives for innovation.

There are many more but I will retain those reasons for a future article

The Role of Incentivization

Currently, entrepreneurship is the primary avenue to incentivize innovators. History shows that innovation thrives at the intersection of education, culture, and incentivization. While education and culture require long-term, sustained efforts, incentivization must align with economic frameworks that:

• Recognize not all innovators are entrepreneurs, and vice versa.
• Provide pathways for innovators to contribute beyond traditional entrepreneurship.

A designed entrepreneurial framework can bridge this gap and foster innovation. It is not necessory for all innovators to become entrepreneurs and viseversa but it is really good that happens.

Bridging Innovation and Monetization

A significant challenge in India is the disconnect between innovation and monetization, driven by:

1. Lack of Strong Differentiation: Innovations often fail to stand out.
2. Misalignment with Industry Trends: Many innovations don’t align with current industry needs.

Investing in innovations that overcome these barriers can deliver exceptional returns. Moreover, viewing innovation investments through a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) lens can drive social impact—after all, innovation is the ultimate solution to societal challenges.

Demonstrating Success

To inspire the next generation, we must showcase economic outcomes and safer career paths for innovators. Initiatives at PES UNIVERSITY, BANGLORE or Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) with CoCreate Ventures in have demonstrated that when students see tangible results, they are motivated to get their hands dirty and engage in meaningful innovation.

Conclusion

Innovation in India requires a multifaceted approach—rethinking education, reshaping culture, and redesigning incentives. While challenges persist, targeted efforts to identify impactful problems, foster deep thinking, and align innovations with industry needs can unlock immense potential. With the right support and frameworks, Indian campuses can become breeding grounds for world-class innovations and ventures.