Child leader standing on a precipice: a case study of NextGenInnov8
Publication date: 9 October 2024
Abstract
Learning outcomes
After completion of the case study, students will be able to identify the traits required in child leadership and the ability to apply “The Whole Leadership Framework” child leadership model today, identify and discover opportunities to promote child leadership and analyse its sustainable impact and analyse how innovation clubbed with sustainability will create a competitive advantage with special reference to the innovative ultraviolet-C light sterilisation Suraksha Box.
Case overview/synopsis
Aditya Pachpande was a child prodigy of India, who had stunned the world with his trailblazing attitude ever since the tender age of 12. Aditya’s father, Sandeep Pachpande, a Harvard alumnus, wondered – “My son is ahead of his time. Would institutions ever acknowledge my innovative boy as a child leader? Will my child become a teen chief executive officer (CEO)? Will he ever get accepted?” Aditya leads by example as a student, changemaker, edupreneur, innovator and keynote speaker. He thinks, “Age is just a number”, but has had to shout out loud to be heard. With the nickname “Lecture man” given by his teachers and peers, he went on to contribute in endorsing skill-based experiential and discovery-based teaching-learning that addresses real-world issues and sustainable development goals. A CEO at the age of 11 years, he co-founded NextGenInnov8 Global Solutions Private Limited and NextGenInnov8 Social Foundation. Although achieving these milestones, he had to manoeuvre through several curve balls hurled at him by the system. Not the one to ever compromise on ethics, values and purpose, today he was at the crossroads – whether he should choose social change over-commercialisation of his business, simplicity and minimalism over product perfection, crowdfunding over loans or angel investors, manufacture in China or make in India just to name a few. The unstoppable Aditya, aspiring for acceptance, dreamt that someday, these policymakers and businesses would acknowledge child innovators and not write them off just because they were adolescents. Aditya, standing on a precipice, dreamt along.
Complexity academic level
This case has been particularly focused on postgraduate-early stage-level students pursuing business or entrepreneurial education-related programs.
Supplementary materials
Teaching notes are available for educators only.
Subject code
CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This publication was supported by the Deanship of Scientific Research at Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al Kharj, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The authors place on record gratitude to a child prodigy (age 16) Aditya Pachpande, founder and owner of NextGenInnov8 Global Solutions Private Limited, India. For giving the consent and permission to produce it as a business case study.
Disclaimer. This case is written solely for educational purposes and is not intended to represent successful or unsuccessful managerial decision-making. The authors may have disguised names; financial and other recognisable information to protect confidentiality.
Citation
Sinha, S., Faridi, M.R. and Cheema, S. (2024), "Child leader standing on a precipice: a case study of NextGenInnov8", , Vol. 14 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/EEMCS-05-2023-0161
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited