There is "Good" Jugaad and "Bad" Jugaad"

There is a lot of interest in the term “Jugaad” in the last couple of years. This term is almost synonymous to “Indian Innovation”. There are also a couple of books that were released which are definitely interesting reading and not mention hundreds of articles in business literature. At the same time, there are also several comments on the same “Jugaad” as something that is not desirable. So is there “Good” Jugaad and “Bad” Jugaad?  Yes, I think so. It is like Good Cholesterol (HDL) and Bad Cholesterol (LDL) we have got used to hearing from our doctors to explain in a layman’s language, in this case for us Engineers. Bad Cholesterol contributes to plaques formation in the arteries restricting blood circulation due to clogging. Good cholesterol scavenges bad cholesterol away from the arteries and gets it to liver to break it down thus reducing the plaque formation. Hence possibility of a cardiac arrest is reduced.

According to Wiki, Jugaad is a colloquial Punjabi-Dogri word that can mean an innovative fix or a simple work-around, used for solutions that bend rules, or a resource that can be used as such, or a person who can solve a complicated issue within a specific context. So let me first elaborate a bit on what is so “Bad” about this. 

Some examples:

• ·         When a jugaad approach is taken only to provide a quick fix to a problem purely because there is short-term pressure.
• ·         When the approach is used to by-pass well documented engineering processes ("bend rules") because the engineers are either not willing to put extra effort to take the recommended approach only keeping in mind finishing the task.
• ·         When this approach is taken to "cut corners" in name of simplifying or using resource constraint as a pretext and in the end delivers a much below quality output.
• ·         Using a material just because it is available at hand which is not supposed to be used to solve an immediate issue

One of the key issues with this approach is that the solutions provided are just for that context and that instant. So it is neither scalable nor sustainable. More often than not, a jugaad fix will be a temporary relief.

So what about Good Jugaad? Some examples:

• ·         To come up with a simple and elegant solution which fits the context "eliminating the bells and whistles"
• ·         Applying a solution from a different context innovatively not getting into the trap of “does not apply here, because we have always done it this way”
• ·         Solving a specific problem with far lesser resources through a "deeper understanding" of the problem and context of usage with efficient team work
• ·         Innovative way of solving problems with the same rigor and scrutiny for longer term applicability

There is bad and good jugaad in our workplaces and we see them every day. Bad jugaad behavior like LDL will constrict the long-term capability of a workplace and eventually lead to the death of the workplace due to “innovation arrest”. So we as managers have to act like Good Cholesterol in the blood stream. We have to discourage bad jugaad behavior and replace them with good jugaad behavior so that we can build long-term sustainable innovation culture within our workplaces.