DomoDomo@INSEAD

Street Lessons of Management

Even before BBI starts, Indian streets are full of life lessons.

Actually, 2 courses seems to be in favour over here: the street version of Negotiations, and the street version of SCB (Shaping Consumer Behaviour).



Meet the Yogi. Just out of Imperial Hotel in Delhi, he selects his potential targets. Me for instance.



He wanted to have a fortune telling session, to which I replied I was not interested at all. To build trust, he proposed a short game. I agreed, on condition that I could take pictures.



On a sheet of paper he asked me to choose from one number and one colour. I chose 7 and Blue. Now guess what: 7 and Blue were written on the back. Now that should have most of us believe in his mystic abilities I suppose. To continue the game he suggests to reveal to me the name of my loved one, my year of birth and when I will make money. On condition that I tick among 100 200 or 300 (Euros) if he suceeds in that. Of course, payable in advance.



I guess I would, if I had those galore. But even then, the whole manipulation (framing, limiting options etc.) just bothered me. That's paying not for revelations (presumably, since you would know if Yogi is right or wrong, you would know the answers by yourself), just for the game play.
And I must add that I wore a great Blue t-shirt that day, and that 7 obviously is the middle option...

In Nego, I was trying to buy some local handicrafts. And all the basic tactics were just thrown out to me. How much would you pay for it (Dilemma between Revealing own valuation and Anchoring low)? Let's divide the difference. Etc. I ended up taking nothing. Am I overanalysing things?
Today the real stuff begins. In Bangalore, meeting serious IT entrepreneurs.

Labels: BBI, P4 Courses

posted by DomoDomo@INSEAD @ 4:21 AM