Montreal Gazette - A lesson from India: Necessity is the mother of frugal innovation

Innovation seems to be a prime directive at almost any firm we run into, regardless of industry. How do you get more of it?

In these tough times the answer is no longer to throw money at it. What we increasingly need is frugal innovation, what the Indians call jugaad - an idea whose time has come.

Earlier this year, 30 McGill MBA and BCom students and one professor travelled to India to meet with executives of a number of large companies in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore as part of the ongoing Hot Cities of the World Tour. The word jugaad turned out to be the word of the trip.