I received my monthly newsletter from Berrett-Koehler publishers yesterday and this book seems really interesting and might be a perfect one to kick off the new year with renewed purpose, drive, and meaning. Here is the description from the newsletter:
Infinite Vision
Why Read It? The Aravind Eye Care System reinvented the rules of business to restore sight to the blind. Based in India, it is the world's largest provider of eye care and delivers results that equal or surpass those of any developed countries -- at less than 1% of the cost. In thirty-five years, Aravind has treated over 32 million patients, the vast majority for free. Those who can pay choose what they pay, and there is no paperwork. Aravind accepts no donations, yet it is highly profitable. Its baffling model is a popular Harvard Business School case study and is admired by Peter Drucker, Bill Clinton, and Muhammud Yunus.
Written by Pavithra Mehta and Suchitra Shenoy, Infinite Vision is the first book to probe Aravind's history and the practices and values that unleashed its phenomenal success. While we bicker and moan about health-care coverage in the United States, perhaps there's a lesson here for all of us.
Read an excerpt from the book here and then buy the book for 30% off here.
There is a compelling video clip on the book page that you should check out here.
I have not read this book, but I am going to pick it up and add it to my December reading list. What appeals to me about this is that I think we all want to help improve the positive impact that our businesses have on the community and we often struggle with how to think about this while having a financially successful business. We sometimes suffer from functional fixedness and can't think outside our business model box. Perhaps this case can inspire news ideas and ways we can help our organizations do good while performing well.
And kudos go to the designers at BK - what a beautiful cover. Makes me want to curl up with the book with a warm cup of tea. Darjeeling, of course.

Comments