Megachange: The World In 2050

<b>Between the covers</b> The writer Daniel Franklin is the executive editor of The Economist.

Megachange: The World In 2050

Daniel Franklin

(Viva Books, Rs. 495)

This is a guide to the 21 Century that captures the sweeping trends that are changing the world faster than before. Navigating the future can be tricky. The scale of change happening around us is often bewildering and scary. This book offers a positive picture. For all you know, the world in 2050 may be richer, healthier, better connected, more sustainable, more innovative, better educated and with less disparity between the rich and the poor.

Enormous challenges lie ahead, from addressing climate change to feeding the burgeoning population by 2050 and coping with a multitude of new security threats. In its 20 chapters that look at everything from health to wealth and religion to outer space, the book tackles different issues and provides fascinating insights into what the coming decades will bring. The writer Daniel Franklin is the executive editor of The Economist.

Jugaad Innovation: A Frugal And Flexible Approach To Innovation For The 21st Century

Navi Radjou, Jaideep Prabhu and Simone Ahuja

(Random House Business, Rs. 499)

For companies to move forward in a world where competition can kill, innovation is the key directive to sustain and survive. But in tough times such as these, companies cannot depend on the old formula that has sustained innovation efforts for decades — expensive R&D projects and highly-structured innovation processes.

This book argues the West must look towards India, Brazil and China, among other nations, for a new approach to frugal and flexible innovation. The authors show how in these emerging markets, ‘jugaad’ (a Hindi word meaning an improvised solution born from ingenuity and cleverness) is aiding dramatic growth and how Western companies can adopt this form of innovation to succeed.

The book discusses 20 case studies of large corporations from around the world, including Google, Facebook, 3M, Apple, Best Buy, GE, IBM, Nokia, Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo and Tata Group, which are today actively practising jugaad innovation.

This groundbreaking book shows leaders everywhere why the time is right for jugaad to emerge as a powerful business tool — and how to bring jugaad practices to their organisations.