Tent Thinking Vs Taj Mahal Thinking

A Bank wanted to rapidly open branches at a minimal cost. They were not sure which of the locations was most likely to succeed. An Innovation lab came up with the idea of using existing organizations to set up branches: schools, petrol bunks, panchayat halls.

This solution has two advantages

1. It was inexpensive
2. It could be easily dismantled or closed, if not successful

Today, the speed at which corporations are required to grow, involves experiments. An experiment should be inexpensive. In fact, in an experiment, there is no success or failure; there is only a feedback.

This essentially is “Tent Thinking”. A tent can be put up, shapes can change, it can expand or reduce and it can be put down elsewhere.

Taj Mahal Thinking: This involves a fascination with permanence. Permanent structures, people and systems are expensive and difficult to dismantle. Permanent staff is a fixed overhead, which cannot be reduced as a swift response to falling demand in a recessional market. This is the Marble Palace mentality.

Success in today’s scenario goes to those who are swift, dynamic and able to respond to mercurial changes in the environment. Adaptability is the most important quality the Millennium demands. Marble palaces become fixed overheads which are difficult to adapt to any other use.