Arun Maira was part of Tata Administrative Service for twenty-five years and worked at various important positions in the Tata Group till 1989. He was the CEO of Tata Industries from 1977 to 1979 in Malaysia. He was a board member of Tata Motors from 1981 to 1989. He was resident director from 1981 to 1986 and executive director in corporate office from 1987 to 1989. He played a key part in the Tata Motors’ successful entry into the light commercial vehicle (LCV) segment. After leaving the Tata Group, he worked with Arthur D. Little in the US for ten years where he was leader of the Global Strategy and Organization Practice and managing director of Innovation Associates. In 2000, Arun Maira returned to India and held the position of chairman of Boston Consulting Group till April 2008. He served as a member of India’s Planning Commission from 2009 to 2014. Arun Maira is a thought leader and an author of several books on organizational and societal change. He has served on the boards of several companies, civil society organizations and education institutions. Presently, he is the chairman of Help Age International.
Topic : How to Make the World Better for Everyone
I will share ideas from two books I have written in 2021.
A Billion Fireflies: Critical Conversations to Shape a New Post-pandemic World The Solutions Factory: A Consultant’s Problem-Solving Handbook
A Billion Fireflies explains the “Why” the world is in such bad shape, in terms of environmental degradation, increasing inequalities between rich and poor, and heightening divisiveness within countries and amongst countries. It analyses the fundamental forces that have created this crisis—the clash between capitalism and democracy, the ravages of financial globalisation, and the hangovers of the colonialism of the West and North over the East and South. A Billion Fireflies is an ‘intellectual’ book.
The Solutions Factory is a ‘practical' book. It gives practical advice to anyone who wants to be a catalyst of change that will make the world better for everyone. It is a book about systems leadership, which can be exercised by young (and old) people, wherever they are. It gives tips on how to be an effective leader of change, through stories.
The books complement each other. The Solutions Factory explains how to become a ‘firefly’—how to use your own energy and light to brighten the world for others. A billion fireflies arising will make the world better for everyone.
“Writing journey began in school, where I wrote essays and articles. In the 1990s, while being in the USA, I wrote articles for a journal about the Indian business scenario. Since then, I have been writing books, journals and articles. I read a lot, listen to a lot, and read a lot. I also learn to write poetry in "Haiku", a Japanese type of poetry where we express ourselves in 17 syllables. Due to the pandemic, our and also other countries hit a roadblock. "The Billion Butterflies" discussed the critical situation of Indians who, we forgot, that they exist. But when the pandemic hit, we saw them on roads. These days intellectuals are dictating terms such as vaccine despite Government expenditure on research. We have to reframe the whole scenario and what life is all about. Reframe what defines a good life.”