This is the final in a series of weekly posts discussing themes raised in The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid by C K Prahalad. In chapter 6 the author discusses the surprising ways in which bottom-of-the-pyramid consumers show the ability to embrace change. They tend to adapt readily to new technology, which is breaking down communication barriers and providing billions with a chance to upgrade their lives.
The real test of the development process is poverty alleviation. If development occurs successfully, the pyramid which has the small wealthy elite at the top and the vast masses at the bottom will morph into a diamond, still with a small number of wealthy, but now with a small number of very poor and a very large number of people in the middle class. Our goal should be the rapid change of the pyramid into the diamond.
In his book the author has provided illustrations of a number of different companies which have successfully provided goods and services that have enhanced the lives of the poor. He acknowledges, however, that these are “but islands of excellence in a sea of deprivation and helplessness”. Nonetheless, the statistics indicate that poverty in India is on the wane, and there are hopeful signs that Africa might follow.