"Jugaad" Is A Survival Skill - Why It Needs Guardrails, Not Elimination.

“Jugaad” Is a Survival Skill — Why It Needs Guardrails, Not Elimination

“Jugaad” is often talked about like a bad habit.

A shortcut.
A sign of weak systems.
Something that should be eliminated once “proper processes” are in place.

From the outside—especially from environments built on stability and standardization—it’s easy to see it that way.

But jugaad exists for a reason.

It’s not a rejection of structure.
It’s a response to reality.

In environments where conditions change constantly, dependencies fail, and ideal processes don’t always hold, the real risk isn’t improvisation.

It’s improvisation with no visibility. And no limits.

For companies operating in India, the real question isn’t whether jugaad should exist.

It’s how to manage it responsibly—by allowing flexibility where it’s needed, and putting clear guardrails around it.

What “Jugaad” Actually Means on the Ground

In real life, jugaad isn’t about being clever for the sake of it.

It’s improvisation under constraint.

It shows up when:

• Systems are incomplete

• Infrastructure doesn’t behave the way it should

• Approvals take longer than expected

• Third-party dependencies fail

Jugaad is what teams use to keep work moving when the system can’t support perfect execution.

It’s not about cutting corners because it’s easier.
It’s about finding temporary ways to deliver outcomes when the ideal path is blocked.

Why Jugaad Is Essential in India

India is a high-variance environment.

Logistics, regulation, talent availability, vendors—many critical factors sit outside a company’s direct control. Even well-designed plans can get disrupted by things no one predicted.

In this context, waiting for the “correct” process to work perfectly can stop operations entirely.

Jugaad fills that gap.

Without it:

• Operations slow down

• Customer commitments are missed

• Small issues snowball into full stoppages

Teams don’t rely on jugaad because they dislike structure.
They rely on it because continuity matters.

Where Jugaad Actually Helps

When used responsibly, jugaad does useful work.

It:

• Prevents downtime

• Keeps customers satisfied

• Absorbs exceptions systems weren’t built for

• Buys time until permanent solutions are ready

In many situations, it’s the difference between delivering late—and not delivering at all.

That distinction matters more than most dashboards show.

Why Foreign Companies Try to Shut It Down

From a headquarters point of view, jugaad can feel deeply uncomfortable.

It:

• Doesn’t show up in manuals

• Doesn’t follow standard workflows

• Creates anxiety around control and compliance

So the instinct is often to eliminate it. Enforce stricter processes. Tighten rules.

But when systems aren’t yet strong enough to absorb real-world complexity, this usually backfires.

Work doesn’t become cleaner.
It becomes slower. And more fragile.

The Real Risk Isn’t Jugaad — It’s Uncontrolled Jugaad

The real danger isn’t improvisation.

It’s invisible improvisation.

Uncontrolled jugaad leads to:

• Critical knowledge stuck in one person’s head

• Inconsistent quality

• Compliance blind spots

• Risks that surface only when it’s too late

When temporary fixes quietly become permanent, improvisation stops being helpful and starts becoming dangerous.

What Guardrails Actually Look Like

Guardrails don’t kill flexibility.
They make it safer.

Effective guardrails usually include:

• Clear boundaries on what can and cannot be improvised

• Documenting workarounds after they’re used

• Treating fixes as temporary, not “the new normal”

• Reviewing repeated workarounds to find system gaps

The message isn’t: “Don’t improvise.”

It’s: “Improvise—but do it visibly, responsibly, and temporarily.”

Using Jugaad as a Signal, Not a Failure

The companies that handle jugaad well don’t punish it.

They study it.

Repeated workarounds usually point to:

• Broken or unrealistic processes

• Timelines that don’t match reality

• Missing resources or authority

Instead of blaming teams for adapting, smart organizations treat these patterns as data.

Over time, systems improve.
And the need for jugaad naturally reduces.

That’s how improvisation turns into learning.

A Simple Example

A delivery is delayed because a third-party vendor fails.

The local team reroutes the shipment through an alternate provider to meet the customer deadline.

That’s jugaad.

It only becomes a problem if:

• The workaround is never reported

• The risk is never reviewed

• The temporary fix quietly becomes permanent

With guardrails, the customer is satisfied and the system gets better.

Closing Thought

Jugaad isn’t the enemy of discipline.

It’s a response to reality.

In environments like India, short-term fixes often keep systems running when ideal processes fail. The answer isn’t to eliminate jugaad—but to control it, learn from it, and steadily reduce the need for it.

Maturity doesn’t mean zero improvisation.
It means knowing where improvisation is allowed, how it’s managed, and when it must give way to structure.

That balance—not rigid control or total flexibility—is what actually works.