AUTHORS: HERSH HALADKER, RAGHUNATH MASHELKAR
PUBLISHER: PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE INDIA
Exprovement: Exponential Improvement Through Converging Parallels is a business book centred around deriving exponential improvement by connecting unconnected fields together in lieu of incremental progress borne out of clear linkages. The book has received high praise from well-known figures including Mukesh Ambani (Reliance Industries), Anand Mahindra (Mahindra Group), Narayan Murthy (Infosys), and more for its ground breaking concept of revolutionising the way business is carried out.
In fact, Exprovement is a mustread for anyone seeking to cultivate a successful business attitude. The book’s title Exprovement, which basically means exponential improvement, encompasses a variety of intriguing examples including that of Henry Ford’s correlation of his own business with that of the meat-packing industry which resulted in the automotive industry being revolutionised. Another such mention in the book is the story of Phil McCrory, a hair salon owner who ended up developing a tool that today helps us clean up large-scale oil spills. It is through such noteworthy instances that the authors, Haladker and Mashelkar, emphasise the need to look outward and cultivate the practice of a unique perception in order to perpetuate a legacy of innovation. Moreover, the book provides a plethora of case studies from diverse worlds including agencies like NASA and manufacturing giants which provides a deeper understanding of how companies achieve what the authors term ‘exprovement’.
The authors’ pragmatic choice pays off manifold as case studies of consumer goods are automotive items and thus concrete, easily understood concepts that facilitate the reader to see how developments in these instances ended up having applications that extended well beyond these sectors. Thus, Exprovemennt, which focuses on radical thinking, paradigm-shifting and problem- solving, is an excellent read for entrepreneurs, managers, designers, and really any professional looking to enhance their creative thinking skills. Hersh Haladker, an innovation practitioner, is the founder of InstillMotion, an innovation lab and consulting organisation that has worked with multiple Fortune 500 firms across a number of industries to enable the exponential improvement of specific business challenges. Raghunath Mashelkar, FRS, is a pioneer in science and innovation in India and as Director General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), provided transformative leadership. He was also the chairman of the National Innovation Foundation as well as various company innovation boards. He has received 41 honorary doctorates around the world, including the coveted TWASLenovo Science Prize, the Star of Asia award, and the Padma Vibhushan.
