India, Israel and lessons on innovation

Kris Gopalakrishnan
CEO & MD, Infosys Technologies Limited
January 26, 2008

On the Saturday here at Davos, I sense an Indian flavor in the atmosphere. Maybe because it’s Republic Day in India. Or because everyone here is still talking about the India-themed dinner they enjoyed on Friday.

Yesterday Intel’s Craig Barrett spoke about how companies and countries can use technology for competitive advantage. The discussion then went on to India, how it has created an optimistic environment, and how Indian companies are now the challengers – they are going multinational, they are globally recognized, and they are leading global M&As.

But before we pat our own backs, let’s not forget Israel.

Yehuda Bronicki of Amdocs shared a very inspiring perspective on his country’s information technology scenario. Now, we know that Israel is second only to the US in having the largest number of companies listed on the NASDAQ. Many of them are smaller companies driven by a determined spirit of entrepreneurship, and most important, they have the backing of the government. The Israel story shows that companies, irrespective of size, can compete on a global scale if they focus on innovation. There’s a lesson here for India.

Microsoft’s Craig Mundie made a case for developing an ecosystem where companies can play a proactive role in mentoring talent through initiatives with educational institutions. It reminds me of a fascinating session on Web 2.0 that I attended at Davos last year. One year down the line, it is becoming clear that Web 2.0 can enable collaboration between companies and universities. We see that happening in some way already in India and it will be interesting to see how it impacts the global talent pool.

My interactions at Davos reaffirm my belief that the traditional hierarchy of companies is being replaced by networks. Networks do not obey strict organizational boundaries. We now have partners and vendors ideating together with companies. It is in such a scenario that innovation truly begins.

Comments

[sheiranie]

I did not know NASDAQ had that many Israeli share holders. I want clarification about the saying that "Israel is really USA"- how true is this & how do these two countries differ in their ideology, economy & stand in the middle east? Thank you.

[ibmua]

Thanks for the article.

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