Around forty years ago, Dr. Venkataswamy asked a question – “Why
can’t eye care service be offered with efficiency similar to McDonalds?” People
found it an odd analogy. How can you compare a cataract surgery with a
hamburger? But the metaphor did help create one of the most efficient eye
hospitals in the world, Aravind Eye Care
System. Framing the challenge is arguably the most important step in
innovation and metaphors play a key role in that process. Here are 3 ways in
which metaphors help in challenge framing.
Makes it more concrete:
Dr. V could have said, “Let’s build world’s most efficient eye hospital.”
Perhaps it might have worked. However, words like efficient and others like
innovative, world’s best are abstract. They mean different things to different
people. When you say – as efficient as a McDonalds – suddenly it makes the
concept more concrete. There is a common image for all the people who are
involved in the venture.
Brings out uniqueness:
While Aravind took inspiration from McDonalds in building process efficiency,
it was significantly different from McDonalds in its business model. Aravind is
a not-for-profit organization in which paying customers cross-subsidize the
poor patients. This was a case when Aravind was eleven bed hospital and it is
the case when the size is several thousand beds. Metaphor can also help in
bringing out the uniqueness of the idea. You could say it is different from
McDonalds in its business model in the following way.
Generates new
questions: Anybody who has been to McDonalds especially in the US would
know that it has drive-through. So, one could
ask, “How do we provide a drive-through for Aravind?” Of course, the question
may or may not be relevant. However, it may take you in a direction not thought
before. In fact, Aravind did end up creating a service where they prepare an
prescription eye-glass in thirty minutes. This idea may or may not have been
inspired by drive-through. But the point is, metaphors can be generative. i.e.
They can help you raise questions not thought before. McDonalds customizes the
taste of its products and services to local taste. You could ask, “How do we customize
eye care to local culture?” This might lead to new ideas.
While Aravind was partly inspired by McDonald, now Aravind
is inspiring other hospitals in India and abroad. I won’t be surprised if
Narayan Hrudayalaya was partly inspired by Aravind. It is does to heart-surgery
what Aravind is doing for eye care.
In short, metaphors make the challenge concrete, bring out uniqueness of the challenge and generate new questions. Thus metaphors help enrich the challenge.
