Check out beedi-man for hidden dabbawalla-model: Prahalad to IIM-K

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The modest beedi-vendor in the village may afford as much a lesson for the management whizkids as the much-lauded dabbahwallah-efficiency model of Mumbai, according to Management guru CK Prahalad. And “create the best practice, don’t worry about the best practice”, was his parting shot, after his convocation lecture at the Indian Institute of Management-Kozhikode (IIM-K).

Citing the dabbawallah-model which won Six Sigma rating and later, a big pat from Prince Charles, Prof Prahalad said that there many other equally study-worthy models, staying unsung just for the lack of research interest.

“For instance, there is the rural beedi distribution network,” he said, pointing out that it was up to the young managers to draw the finer nuances of management from such instances. Prahalad, professor of corporate strategy and international business, is incidently, best known for his `Bottom of the Pyramid’ concept. Equally worth emulating, in the rural empowerment, was the Amul brand, created by a farmer cooperative, he said, later at the media interaction.

“Other than giving subsidies and loan-waivers we have to find a sustainable solution to solve these problems,” he added, commenting on the Rs 60,000-crore loan waiver to farmers.

Prahalad felt that India should look at 2008 with the same concern and urgency as in 1991. The only difference, according to him, was that in 1991, the economic crisis was obvious; in 2008, it is not obvious,”.

He said that the 1991 crisis was an ‘inflexion point’ taking the country into a ‘great therapy’ “Now, I believe there is a new inflextion point. We are financially strong, but underlying the financial success there may be some lurking problems,” he added.