Infinite Vision: How Aravind Became the World's Greatest Business Case for Compassion (BK Business)

When a crippling disease shattered his lifelong ambition, Dr. Venkataswamy (better known as Dr. V) chose an impossible new dream: to cure the world of blindness. The tiny clinic he founded in India defied conventional business logic and is now the largest provider of eye care on the planet. At Aravind, patients choose whether to pay or not. Millions are treated for free, yet the organization remains stunningly self-reliant. Serving everyone from penniless farmers to the president, it delivers world-class outcomes at a hundredth of what similar services cost providers in advanced nations. Its model is emulated by organizations everywhere from Rwanda to San Francisco. Drawing inspiration from spirituality, and of all things, fast food franchises, Dr.V and his team (which now includes 21 ophthalmologists across three generations of his family) have created a global phenomenon. Infinite Vision is the first book to probe Aravind's history for the distinctive practices and values that unleashed its improbable success. It reveals the power of a model that integrates innovation with empathy, service with business principles, and inner change with outer transformation. It shows how choices that seem na?ve or unworkable, can, when executed with wisdom and integrity, yield powerful results - results that light the eyes of millions Cover......Page 1 CONTENTS......Page 9 THE ARAVIND FAMILY TREE......Page 11 MEET THE FAMILY......Page 12 INTRODUCTION: The Power and Paradox of Aravind......Page 14 PROLOGUE: Climbing Everest......Page 20 PART I: The 5-Minute, $15 Cure: On Efficiency and Compassion......Page 22 CHAPTER 1: Of Burgers and Blindness......Page 24 CHAPTER 2: When Free Is Not Enough......Page 40 CHAPTER 3: This Case Won’t Fly......Page 56 PART II: Do the Work and Money Will Follow: On Sustainability and Selflessness......Page 68 CHAPTER 4: An Eye Doctor by Sheer Accident......Page 70 CHAPTER 5: Get Less, Do More......Page 80 CHAPTER 6: The Power of Creative Constraints......Page 85 CHAPTER 7: You Don’t Find People, You Build Them......Page 105 CHAPTER 8: The Question of the Greedy Doctor......Page 119 PART III: A Vast Surrender: On Innovation and Inner Transformation......Page 132 CHAPTER 9: Humankind Is a Work in Progress......Page 134 CHAPTER 10: Dr. V’s Practice of Perfect Vision......Page 144 CHAPTER 11: Manufacturing a Revolution......Page 158 CHAPTER 12: Maximize Service, Not Profit......Page 170 CHAPTER 13: The Flip Side of a Visionary......Page 178 PART IV: Training Your Competition: On Replication and Self-Awareness......Page 190 CHAPTER 14: If We Can Do It, So Can You......Page 192 CHAPTER 15: Aravind Is Like Kilimanjaro......Page 226 CHAPTER 16: Business, Politics, and Prahalad’s Dare......Page 237 CHAPTER 17: Aravind in America......Page 255 PART V: How Do You Retire a Saint?: On Change and Integrity......Page 262 CHAPTER 18: Same Same but Different......Page 264 CHAPTER 19: All Will Pass from the Earth......Page 271 CHAPTER 20: The Bottom Is Moving Up......Page 283 CHAPTER 21: A Place to Practice Truth......Page 296 EPILOGUE: Death’s Question......Page 311 RESOURCES......Page 316 NOTES......Page 327 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 336 A......Page 340 F......Page 341 I......Page 342 M......Page 343 N......Page 344 R......Page 345 S......Page 346 U......Page 347 Z......Page 348 ABOUT THE AUTHORS......Page 349 CONNECTING TO ARAVIND’S WORK......Page 351 “A must-read for anyone interested in leadership, service, and the building of institutions that release the best energies of the human spirit.” —Jacqueline Novogratz, New York Times -bestselling author When a crippling disease shattered his lifelong ambition, Dr. V (Venkataswamy) chose an impossible new dream: to cure the world of blindness. The tiny clinic he founded in India defied conventional business logic and is now the largest provider of eye care on the planet. At Aravind, patients choose whether to pay or not. Millions are treated for free, yet the organization remains stunningly self-reliant. Serving everyone from penniless farmers to the president, it delivers world-class outcomes at less than a hundredth of what similar services cost in advanced nations. Its model is emulated by organizations everywhere from Rwanda to San Francisco. Infinite Vision uncovers the radical principles behind Aravind’s baffling success. Charged with profound insights and stories, it draws readers to the heart of Dr. V’s selfless vision, proving how choices that seem quixotic can, when executed with compassion and integrity, yield incredible results—results that can light the eyes of millions. “Reveals the power of a model that combines business discipline with compassion. May the wisdom of Dr. V and Aravind shared here inspire many such initiatives for the wellbeing of future generations.” —Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Founder, Grameen Bank “Aravind may be a case study for MBA students, and a model social business, but to me this book told a story, with elegance, clarity and intimacy.” —Fred de Sam Lazaro, PBS NewsHour “In the world of blindness Dr. V has performed a miracle.” —Ram Dass, author of Be Here Now "The Aravind Eye Hospital, based in India, is the world's largest provider of high-quality eye care. It is also one of the world's most incredible and revolutionary organizations - delivering surgical outcomes equal to or exceeding those in the developed world at less than one percent of the cost, treating more than half of its patients free of charge, and taking no grants or donations. Aravind's success is so perplexing it has been the subject of a popular Harvard Business School case study. This is the first book to explore Aravind's history and the distinctive philosophies, practices, and commitments that are the keys to its success. Mehta and Shenoy share incredible stories about how Aravind grew from humble beginnings--founded by a retired ophthalmologist with no money or prior entrepre-neurial experience--to the world-class organization it is today. They explain the mysteries of a model that integrates innovation with empathy, service with business principles, and inner change with outer transformation. And they show how choices that seem foolish and unworkable can, when executed with compassion and integrity, yield powerful results - results that literally light the eyes of millions."--Provided by publisher. "The Aravind Eye Hospital, based in India, is the world's largest provider of high-quality eye care. It is also one of the world's most incredible and revolutionary organizations - delivering surgical outcomes equal to or exceeding those in the developed world at less than one percent of the cost, treating more than half of its patients free of charge, and taking no grants or donations. Aravind's success is so perplexing it has been the subject of a popular Harvard Business School case study. This is the first book to explore Aravind's history and the distinctive philosophies, practices, and commitments that are the keys to its success. Mehta and Shenoy share incredible stories about how Aravind grew from humble beginnings--founded by a retired ophthalmologist with no money or prior entrepre-neurial experience--to the world-class organization it is today. They explain the mysteries of a model that integrates innovation with empathy, service with business principles, and inner change with outer transformation. And they show how choices that seem foolish and unworkable can, when executed with compassion and integrity, yield powerful results - results that literally light the eyes of millions."--Résumé de l'éditeur When a crippling disease shattered his lifelong ambition, Dr. V (Venkataswamy) chose an impossible new dream: to cure the world of blindness. The tiny clinic he founded in India defied conventional business logic and is now the largest provider of eye care on the planet.

At Aravind, patients choose whether to pay or not. Millions are treated for free, yet the organization remains stunningly self-reliant. Serving everyone from penniless farmers to the president, it delivers world-class outcomes at less than a hundredth of what similar services cost in advanced nations. Its model is emulated by organizations everywhere from Rwanda to San Francisco.

Infinite Vision uncovers the radical principles behind Aravind's baffling success. Charged with profound insights and stories, it draws readers to the heart of Dr. V's selfless vision, proving how choices that seem quixotic can, when executed with compassion and integrity, yield incredible results The Arivind Eye Care System treats 2.7 million patients a year in the developing world for blindness and other eye problems and seems to violate every rule of business. Patients pay what they want (if they pay at all, which most don't), it deliv-ers services for one percent of the cost of comparable care in developed countries, functions at many times the volume with a lower complication rate, and is com-pletely self-sustaining. This book is the first to tell its extraordinary story