Many more models of this kind remain to be developed. I foresee many changes in the coming years in the way markets may be organized.
(A) Modular design: More and more products will be developed in modular mole giving users the option to combine these in the manner they wanted and that too by sourcing different modules from different suppliers.
(B) Collaborative Product and Service design is likely to become a dominant way of matching the needs of the people with the distributed supply chain.
(C) Low scale markets will be served to large scale distributed networks: Today scale has become the enemy of the sustainability. The needs or demand which is small scale does not get the attention of the leading manufacturers because of the high cost supply chain that they have developed. Niche products can serve niche markets but they can also serve large modular markets by providing intermediates.
(D) Differentiation through development and inclusion rather than exclusion: Today large number of companies serve exclusive client groups and celebrate the exclusivity. In some cases this may be understandable. But the exclusivity in treatment should not arise only through one ‘s economic status but also through social and cultural contributions. A teacher who has distinguished in a primary school or secondary school is no less important than a client who has sold fifty thousand cell phones in a week or a month. Inability of markets to differentiate on the basis of social, ecological, educational or cultural contributions devalues these and only support them through CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) or through charity. This is an obsolete model.
(E) Simplicity in design will rule the minds more and more, it should be possible in a year or two for an old person in India to go a street corner shop and get a cell phone assembled having only three buttons for three children. If he does not want to call anybody else, he does not need more buttons nor a screen. The energy cost will go down so will the cost of cell phone. Somebody else may want a six inch screen to use it for educational purpose and not use it for voice call. Whole range of applications would emerge if the modular manufacturing becomes the rule.
The grassroots innovations will be taught in every school as a way of becoming an inclusive social person. Developing ideas and solving problems individually and collectively would be part of educational upbringing of every child. They would learn to combine 7 Es, ethics, excellence, equity, efficiency, empathy and environment with education though in different proportions in different activities.
Anil K Gupta
