Stuart Crainer of the London Times recently suggested that the “ideas men” of India are the new superstars of the fast-growing Indian economy. These superstars include C. K. Prahalad, co-author of Competing for the Future; Ram Charan, business guru; Amartya Sen, Nobel Prize winner for economics; and Vijay Govindarajan, professor of international business at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business. Across India, students are embracing the study of management and business in the same way they once embraced science and engineering. In March, for example, Harvard Business School opened up its first-ever India Research Center to tap into student demand. Meanwhile, some European B-schools report that 20-25% of each incoming class is now comprised of students from India.

In a follow-up blog post, Vijay Govindarajan offers insights into how and why this enormous flowering of intellectual talent is happening now within India. After all, twenty years ago, he was the first Indian faculty member at Tuck. Now, as Govindarajan points out, “it’s not unusual to see 20% of faculty with Indian roots and connection.” After explaining the various factors that made him so passionate about learning and ideas while growing up in India, Vijay Govindarajan suggests that a “learning ethic” has replaced the traditional “work ethic” for many Indians:

“I think there is a cultural aspect to learning as well. In India, learning is viewed as sacred tradition, and I believe there is a strong “learning ethic” woven through our culture and lives. I am beginning to see this “learning ethic” much in the same way as I view the “work ethic” of the early Protestants. In part it explains the devotion of my grandfather to his students, and it explains why his actions shape my thinking to this very day.”

With that in mind, VG also lists four questions that every manager or executive should consider as they prepare for the transition to the global creative economy:

(1) Am I passionate about what I am doing?

(2) Am I learning — becoming different and growing intellectually?

(3) Am I altering the aspirations of others, helping them to set their sights higher than they previously envisioned?

(4) Do I respect the corporations and executives I work with?

Tags: India innovation VijayGovindarajan

[Image: Vijay Govindarajan]

Last month, Jason Corsello of The Human Capitalist weblog examined three different types of innovation: business model innovation, collaborative innovation and cultural innovation. In a follow-up post that draws on his observations from a recent IBM innovation event, Jason highlights the tremendous amount of innovation occurring at sports network ESPN. There are four major areas where ESPN has truly become an innovator, primarily by responding to the needs and desires of its customers: Mobile ESPN (”This product is unique and every sports fan’s dream”); SportsCenter Home Video; the website ESPN.com and ESPN Fantasy Sports. The ESPN website is especially noteworthy for the pace and scale of innovation:

“Is this site not constantly innovating? Last month they added ESPN Motion, a video sidebar of SportsCenter excerpts. Yes it was annoying at first, but others have followed and I have been forced to adjust my computer settings to adapt. They are always rolling out new products via sponsors and partners (travel with Orbitz, polls with Papa Johns, and contests with KFC).”

The bottom line? “ESPN’s pace of innovation is unmatched in the online world including in that the likes of Google, Yahoo! and eBay!”

Tags: innovation ESPN

[Image: ESPN at the NFL Draft via Flickr]