When I first read the title, I asked myself how do parallels ever converge? They would then no longer be parallels. My earliest memory of parallels was when I was probably five years old, standing in a railway station and asking myself whether the two rails would ever meet anywhere.
But the concept and approach used by the authors to show the reader the unlimited possibilities of new ideas that can emerge from the use of information and knowledge from one parallel to another is what the convergence refers to. Since the outcome of such convergences lead to exponential improvements, the authors have coined the word Exprovement and hence the title of the book!
When an innovation practitioner (Hersh Haladker), educated at Royal College of Art and Imperial College, London, collaborates with India’s pre-eminent science practitioner, administrator and innovation leader (Raghunath Mashelkar), we can expect the outcome to be most interesting. The book is indeed an amazing take on how unconnected parallels can lead to totally unexpected solutions to problems that otherwise would not have been thought of.
The book has been laid out in an eminently readable format. In the introduction the authors briefly present the idea of Exprovement. They emphasise that parallels for Exprovement can be drawn from anywhere, even the most unconnected industries, nature, abstract ideas, human body, practically from anywhere. They also point out that one should not be stuck with a fixed idea of starting with a “clean slate”. Examples of how Play-Doh as a product evolved out of a failed product for a completely unrelated application (wallpaper cleaning) or how Ford introduced the assembly line system of car manufacture by observing slaughterhouse/meatpacking industry show that one can start from anywhere.
In chapter 1, the authors dwell at length on the difference between Improvement and Exprovement. With many examples they show that Improvement leads to incremental benefits, while Exprovement leads to radical changes. The role of the leadership in facilitating the Exprovement mindset is explained through the example of how the iconic Sony Walkman was designed.
Unconnected parallels
Each of the next 15 chapters provide in-depth information and perspectives of one case study of how most unconnected parallels have converged to deliver some amazing innovative solutions. The writing style of the authors is very attractive and made me immerse myself in the excitement of how new discoveries were made when the Exprovement began to unfold! Out of the 15 case studies, in this review, I would like to write about one which caught my attention more than the others.
Can a Popsicle Ease Global Warming Problems? (Chapter 6), was for me, an amazing read! That, the way a popsicle gives much pleasure to an eight-year-old on a hot summer’s day, by remaining frozen for adequate length of time and melt slowly so the enjoyment lasts long enough, can eventually lead to the design of the Ice Stupas in Ladakh region by Sonam Wangchuck, to provide much needed water for irrigation of lands that have been deprived of water due to the effects of global warming, is an amazing and exciting read indeed!
The authors describe how a curious boy in Ladakh observed that a puddle of water in one location alone was frozen, while in all the surrounding areas the stream flowed freely. He saw that it was due to the shade of a tree falling on the particular place which kept that place alone at a lower temperature and hence it started freezing much earlier in the season. A few years later, the boy, Chewang Norphel, based on his initial observations, built the first artificial glacier in Phuktse village in 1987. He went on to build many more artificial glaciers, earning him the nickname of Ice Man of India and was awarded Padma Shri in 2015.
Wangchuk’s ice stupas
Sonam Wangchuk applied his mind to improving Norphels idea when he realised, on observing an intact fragment of ice under a bridge, that it wasn’t the warmth of the sun that melted the ice, but rather, the fact that direct sunlight fell on it! He then designed a prototype of a structure that would form the ice during the cooler time of the year, in the form of a cone using a network of pipes. The ice then would melt slowly during the warmer season to provide a steady stream of water for much longer time than normal! The locals have named these structures Ice Stupas! What an amazing way to solve the water crisis in that particular part of the world!
While Wangchuck feels more work needs to be done to improve the design of the stupas to make them more reliable, he says ‘in the meantime, we can grow trees where trees would never grow because the land was too dry’.
The book has 14 other such case studies from many different industries, walks of life, ideas and so on. Each of the case studies was exciting to read. Chapter 17 summarises the tools one can use to develop an Exprovement approach and what Dr Mashelkar refers to as a convex-lens mindset to converge the parallels.
The authors have used QR codes, instead of web links for providing additional information on aspects that they are trying to explain. Makes it that much easier to access the required information.
As someone who has spent more than 40 years working with R&D, innovation and entrepreneurship, I found the book most interesting and thought provoking. I fully endorse the recommendation given by Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw: “An inspiring read for every start-up entrepreneur who wants a breakthrough idea”
(The reviewer is an entrepreneur and co-founder, Proklean Technologies)
About the book
Title: Exprovement: Exponential Improvement Through Converging Parallels
Authors: Hersh Haladker and Raghunath Mashelkar
Publisher: Penguin Business
Price: ₹799
Pages: 256
Check out the book on Amazon