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Embrace chaos
As CEO of India’s fastest growing retailer, Kishore Biyani was keen to learn what he could from Western management thinking. In expanding his Big Bazaar supermarkets, he emulated the look of Western supermarkets, installing bright lighting, neatly organised aisles, tidy and clean displays.
But he noticed that while customers could easily walk up and down the aisles, they then proceed to walk straight back out the door. So he broke up the displays with untidy aisles, and jumbled products together. He stopped selling polished apples, but left the fruit and vegetables with dirt and mud on them.
As he explains: ‘You must keep Kama (creative spirit) and Yama (control) in proper balance in your firm.’ In his effort to impose order, ...
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