The Daily Idea from Harvard Business Review

 

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November 22, 2013 Engineers Should Focus on Reverse Innovation Historically, innovation has flowed from rich countries to poor countries. But it can work in reverse as well. GE, for example, engineered a portable $800 electro-cardiogram machine for doctors to use when visiting patients in rural India. The cost of an ECG machine in the West? Upwards of $10,000. These types of reverse innovations are what engineers should focus on more. The problems, challenges, and constraints they're sure to face should lead to high-quality, low-cost innovations that they wouldn't have thought about otherwise. SOURCE: Reverse Innovation Starts with Education by Vijay Govindarajan

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