SHRM INDIA ANNUAL CONFERENCE –

FIRST, PEOPLE AWARDS, 2012

Case Studies of Award Winners

CONTENTS

1 Acknowledgments 2

2 About SHRM India 4

3 The SHRM India Knowledge Center 6

4 About SHRM India Annual Conference - First, People 2012 8

5 Executive Summary 12

6 Success through HR Analytics

Evidence-based HR practices at BPO Services unit of TCS 16

7 Being Different Together

Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion at Aegis Limited 24

8 Enriching Lives by Putting People First

The Airtel Way of Enhancing Employee Experience 32

9 Differently ‘Peopled’

The Chosen Path to Performance and Excellence at Infosys BPO 38

10 The Answer is Blowing in the Wind

Community Impact at Vestas Wind Technology 46

11 Building a Culture of Volunteerism to Impact Communities

The Mindtree Story 52

12 Future Torchbearers

Journey of Leadership Development at Aditya Birla Group 58

13 Creating Future Leaders Within

Leadership Development Initiative at Ingersoll Rand, India 66

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

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We would like to thank the following organizations for their participation in the case studies.

Tata Consultancy Services BPO

Aegis Limited

BhartiAirtel

Infosys BPO

Vestas Wind Technology

Mindtree

Aditya Birla Group

Ingersoll Rand

ABOUT SHRM INDIA

SHRM India is a part of the world's largest professional, not-for-profit Human Resource association,

SHRM – the Society for Human Resource Management. It has over 265,000 members in 140 countries.

SHRM's mission is to support the HR professional and advance the HR profession through globally

recognised certifications, collaborative communities, comprehensive resources, research, professional

development opportunities, academic alliances and advisory services.

SHRM India provides a platform for thought leadership, sharing of best practices and professional

networking within the Indian and global HR communities, in order to take the profession higher through

continuous and collaborative learning.

The SHRM India Knowledge Center brings together knowledge and expertise in every aspect of HR in one

place, for the convenience of the practitioner. Together, the SHRM India Knowledge Center resources

enable and equip the HR professional of today to deliver in the current work context as well as meet

future challenges. Supported by a bank of over 50 Subject Matter Experts and internal expertise, the

SHRM India Knowledge Center offers cutting-edge resources, across all key and emerging HR disciplines.

These include thought leadership, advisory panels, tools and templates, virtual events and research.

SHRM's comprehensive Online Resources provide rich content on both and

This huge repository of articles, research papers, case studies and related material on

every aspect of HR within the Indian and global contexts constitutes the most current and

comprehensive body of knowledge in HR. The websites also link to social media, provide up-to-date

information on events and are the gateway to the Knowledge Center, virtual events and advisory panels.

SHRM India also offers Professional Development programmes, customised learning frameworks and

skill-building workshops, with a focus on strengthening the core competencies among HR professionals.

These include focused programmes in each of the HR sub-functions like Total Rewards, Staffing and

Recruitment, Performance Management, and Business Alignment across all career levels.

Our Advisory Services offer consulting and customised solutions for corporate and academic institutions,

based upon their business challenges and developmental needs. The core areas of advisory services are

Leadership and Culture, Learning and Development, Performance and Rewards, Organisation

Structuring, Talent Management and Employee Engagement, HR and People Manager Development.

The University Alliance practice of SHRM India provides high quality standards of HR knowledge across

universities in India and supports the HR curriculum with the world-renowned SHRM body of knowledge

built over the course of the past 64 years. The purpose of this initiative is to develop a broad and

consistent channel of HR talent in India.

The SHRM India Forums held in various locations across India are local learning stations, which enable

professional development, networking, exchange of knowledge resources and practices within the

Indian and global HR communities.

SHRM India continuously strives to release the latent potential of worldwide knowledge exchange in the

space of business HR, by constantly expanding and redefining the profession and practice of HR in India

and around the world.

www.shrmindia.org

www.shrm.org

To become a SHRM member, call 1800 103 2189

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THE SHRM INDIA KNOWLEDGE CENTER

The SHRM India Knowledge Center brings together knowledge and expertise in every aspect of HR in one place, for the convenience of the practitioner. Together, the SHRM India Knowledge Center resources enable and equip the HR professional of today, to deliver in the current work context as well as meet future challenges. The purpose of the SHRM India Knowledge Center is two-fold – to Support and Advance the Human Resource Profession. In line with our philosophy 'Knowledge is not enough, application counts,' we offer HR professionals a unique platform to sharpen and build their HR competencies while on the job. Our cutting-edge resources, across all the key and emerging HR disciplines include:

HR Disciplines

Our repository of global and India based articles and research on our knowledge portal provide a go-to resource for HR professionals to update themselves on current and emerging workplace issues and their implications for HR.

Subject Matter Experts

The SHRM India Knowledge Center has a bank of over 50 Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). These leading lights in the field of HR have extensive and diverse experience in the industry, consulting and academics both, within the country and around the world. Our SME Advisory Panels are sources of real time advice and knowledge on all aspects of HR. SMEs also contribute towards SHRM's mission of supporting and advancing the profession by participating in Virtual Events, providing expertise to the 'Ask an HR Advisor' Service, partnering Capability Building, Thought Leadership and Advocacy.

Ask an HR Advisor

HR professionals can receive assistance from our full-time HR Advisors, on any HR issues or questions via e-mail. The HR Advisors draw on the SHRM body of knowledge and research, advice from a bank of over 50 Subject Matter Experts and their own professional expertise.

Express Requests

Express Request (ER) is a self-service, online benefit that allows SHRM members to request and receive information on a variety of important HR topics directly in their inbox. To get an immediate response via e-mail, a member can just click on the topic on which he needs information.

Tools and Templates

The SHRM India Knowledge Center regularly develops reference content on our website for members. This encompasses a collection of step-by-step instructional ‘How-To-Guides’ designed to walk an HR Professional through the practical process of how to complete a particular HR process, Toolkits, Sample HR Forms and Policies and other resources across all disciplines to help HR practitioners address day-to-day tasks, leaving them with more time to focus on their strategic objectives.

Virtual Events

Our Virtual Events, such as online Chats and Webinars, leverage technology to provide expertise to HR professionals across locations at minimal cost. All past Virtual Events are archived on our knowledge portal for easy access.

Research

The SHRM India knowledge portal provides a repository of in-depth and ground breaking global and India specific research conducted either in-house or in collaboration with external Subject Matter Experts. Our research papers provide HR practitioners with valuable insights on current challengesas well as help identify and anticipate emerging areas, future challenges and NEXT practices - keeping them ahead of the curve at all times.

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ABOUT SHRM INDIA ANNUAL CONFERENCE

FIRST, PEOPLE 2012

In September 2012, SHRM India, in partnership with The Economic Times, presented a novel HR conference -

First, People 2012, to celebrate the HR profession and professionals. At this conference in Goa, more than

400 professionals, including students and CEOs, participated in disruptive and interactive sessions that

sparked off healthy dialogue and exchange of diverse viewpoints on nextgen HR. The program included

sessions by eminent global speakers like Curt Coffman and Mark Inglis, and the stellar First, People Award

ceremony for organizations doing exemplary work in HR. The event also saw the launch of two leading

SHRM India publications - Best Practice Case Studies and Future Bytes, a compilation of responses to the

innovative ‘what if’ challenge for experienced HR professionals, and ‘Lever-age,’ the microsite for everything

related to multigenerational diversity. Other activities included a national quiz for students and early

practitioners, a ground-breaking discussion on HR and Social Media and a verbal duel with CEOs in the

Arena, amongst satellite sessions and workshops on music and storytelling.

The SHRM India HR Awards have been instituted as an exemplary platform to recognize organizations

that put people first, deliver future focused excellence in the field of People Management and understand

the importance of human capital as a key contributor to business outcomes.

For 64 years, the Society for Human Resource Management has followed its core ideology of supporting

the professional and advancing the profession. It recognizes the pioneering and innovative people

management practices that impact not just organizations but also business, society and the profession as

a whole.

The first ever, national SHRM India HR Awards focused primarily on HR Practices that would impact the

Enterprise of Tomorrow. The aim was to recognize organizations that have excelled in bringing NEXT into

their people practices and empowered HR to become a Strategic Business Partner. In essence, these

Awards celebrated and acknowledged organizations that work passionately towards raising the bar for

the profession through constant innovation.

A brief description of the various Award categories is as follows:

Excellence in HR Analytics

Human Capital Analytics is the process by which the value of an organization’s people is measured and

improved for the purpose of enhancing overall organizational performance.

Organisations were assessed on whether they used predictive analysis of people data to further enhance

and add value at the business, functional or unit level. Systemically, integrating analytics with

organisation financials also requires the appropriate use of tools and technology, educating stakeholders

and building the competence of individuals in this discipline.

The HR Analytics Award recognized the ability of an organization to incorporate all these key elements in

their Human Capital Analytics approach.

Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion

Diversity and Inclusion is the collective mixture of differences and similarities that include individual and

organizational characteristics, values, beliefs, experiences, backgrounds, preferences and behaviours.

First, People Awards

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It has three primary dimensions –

1. Internal dimensions of diversity, such as age, sexual orientation, race and gender

2. External dimensions of diversity, such as religion, marital status, income and educational

background

3. Organizational dimensions of diversity, such as work location, function, seniority and

management status

This Award, therefore, recognized companies that have adopted and implemented policies and

practices to build and promote diversity and inclusion across multiple dimensions. It sought to reward

the thought process that endorsed the "culture of inclusion" as a business imperative.

Excellence in First People

The First, People approach is based on the premise that people are the primary drivers of customer value

and business results.

Organizations embracing this philosophy have cultures, leadership structures and people practices that

enable employees to deliver high value to the end customer.

They work to create an environment that encourages empowerment, transparency, integrity and

innovation.

Their leadership structures allow for faster and autonomous decision-making at the employee level, with

respect to the client. The result of such an approach is highly engaged employees who are able to apply

their capabilities towards developing innovative solutions.

This Award, therefore, sought to recognize organizations demonstrating these drivers and the belief

that the organization’s philosophy should be centred on employee engagement and loyalty, which in

turn will impact customer satisfaction and not vice versa.

Excellence in Community Impact

The Community Impact award showcased organizations, which have created a significant impact on the

community through their sustainable social initiatives, particularly in the people realm. It sought to

recognize the commitment of these firms to creating a balanced approach between economic growth

and profits, on one hand, and community development related initiatives aimed at creating higher

societal value, on the other.

The areas of impact ranged from the micro level - improving the quality of life for communities that their

businesses are operating in - to driving financial empowerment and enterprise development at the

macro level. The sectors included Education, Healthcare, Agriculture, Energy, Environment and

Livelihood-related training.

The essence of the Award was to recognize the spirit of being responsible as a corporate entity by

contributing to solutions for identified social concerns by utilizing the organization’s own financial and

people resources.

Excellence in Developing the Leaders of Tomorrow

Developing the Leaders of Tomorrow requires a different approach from the leadership development

frameworks that organizations typically use today. The need of organizations is to have a strategic and

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holistic LEADER development approach, which focuses on the future business context including

elements such as sustainability, a global mind-set, value system based on ethics, and accountability.

This Award, therefore, sought to recognize organizations that have been implementing innovative, long

term approaches for identifying, assessing and developing their potential and emerging leaders for roles

in keeping the future business demands and challenges.

Excellence in Social Media People Campaign

The Social Media People Campaign by an organization refers to the effective use of social media

channels, tools and applications for driving key people processes for high impact. The Award, therefore,

sought to recognize companies that have a well-rounded approach towards integrating social media

across talent sourcing, employee engagement, learning, employer branding and so on.

It also recognized initiatives that the organization is implementing through which Social Media is being

used to foster a higher degree of collaboration between cross-functional teams, leveraging the content

created by employees, developing Knowledge Management processes, connecting employees in remote

locations to a common platform which allows for knowledge sharing for business value.

Excellence in Workplace Flexibility

Flexible work arrangements (FWAs) / Workplace flexibility means greater flexibility in the place of work,

the scheduling of hours worked and the amount of hours worked. Such arrangements give employees

greater control over where and when work gets done and over how much time they choose to work,

leading to greater opportunities for employees to be able to enjoy an optimal balance between work and

life responsibilities.

This Award, therefore, recognized organizations that consistently leverage workplace flexibility to create

a more effective and productive workplace, and help the employees to fulfil their potential.

Excellence in Employability Impact

Employability is defined as the skills that make the available talent pool ready for absorption into the

corporate environment. These are the fundamental aspects that almost everyone needs to do almost any

job. These skills help to close the gaps between the campus/academic education and an organization’s

expectations, since the latter is related to the specific knowledge, behaviourial and technical skills that its

particular workplace will require.

In addition to this, ensuring re-skilling of existing talent that may have become redundant due to

technology changes, business environment, organizational changes and so on, and then ensuring

redeployment are also key aspects of the Employability Impact created by an organization. Hence,

Employability Impact Award sought to recognize the organization’s efforts in the area of creating

Workforce Readiness.

When focusing on initiatives related to Employability, some key skill gaps that have been identified are -

thinking and problem solving abilities, communication skills, analytical skills, teamwork and business

proficiency.

Out of the total eight award categories described above, winners were selected only for the first five

categories by the Jury, while for the later three, which includes Excellence in Social Media People

Campaign, Excellence in Workplace Flexibility and Excellence in Employability Impact, no awards were

given due to inadequate participation.11

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The SHRM India Knowledge Center is committed to developing in-depth case studies to share the best

and next HR practices of organizations and promote learning in Human Resource professionals.

Towards this effort, SHRM India has developed case studies on the best practices of the five winners and

three merit - holders of the First, People Awards, 2012. These Awards from SHRM India were judged by

an independent jury panel and process managed by Ernst & Young.

The case studies of the winning organizations showcase best practices that have had a demonstrated

impact on the strategic outcomes of the organization. The HR practices and unique initiatives

highlighted through the case studies on the merit-holders demonstrate their progress on the journey

towards excellence.

These case studies, in the order of the Award category, are summarized below.

Excellence in HR Analytics

Establishing the value of HR through strategic decisions that impact business is an emerging and

aspirational need for HR in many organizations. TCS BPO has set up a high performance culture in the

organization by taking a lead position in the area of HR Analytics through the use of path breaking tools

and predictive modelling techniques that have enhanced effectiveness in decision-making with empirical

support.

Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion

While most organizations are still figuring out the business case for a diversity and inclusion initiative,

Aegis Limited has embarked on a six dimensional diversity and inclusion framework. The unique

initiatives across the six different facets are executed with rigor by understanding the requirements of the

diverse groups, setting measurable targets, building organizational commitment, and on going

monitoring of effectiveness.

Excellence in First People

Bharti Airtel put its employees first by enriching their employees’ lives and enabling HR to perform a more

strategic role. The three cornerstones of Process Excellence, Good Governance and Employee Experience,

which form the foundation of all their initiatives are elaborated upon in this case study.

Award Winner – TCS BPO

Award Winner – Aegis Limited

Award Winner – Bharti Airtel

Success through HR Analytics – Evidence-based HR practices at BPO Services unit of TCS

Being Different Together – Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion at Aegis Limited

Enriching Lives by Putting People First – The Airtel Way of Enhancing Employee Experience

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Merit Holder – Infosys BPO

Award Winner – Vestas Wind Technology

Merit Holder - Mindtree

Award Winner - Aditya Birla Group

Merit Holder – Ingersoll Rand

Differently ‘Peopled’ - The Chosen Path to Performance and Excellence at Infosys BPO

The Answer is Blowing in the Wind – Community Impact at Vestas Wind Technology

Building a Culture of Volunteerism to Impact Communities - The Mindtree Story

Future Torchbearers – Journey of Leadership Development at Aditya Birla Group

Creating Future Leaders Within –Leadership Development Initiative at Ingersoll Rand, India

Infosys BPO’s people strategy revolves around three key objectives – creating careers for life, providing a safe

environment and building employee connect. The initiatives implemented to achieve these objectives are

vigorously monitored for effectiveness, sustained with the conscious will of the organization and

continuously improved through bench marking studies.

Excellence in Community Impact

Vestas’ business is premised on clean and sustainable energy solutions. Its community impact initiatives

are designed to create a sustainable impact by improving the education, health and environment of the

communities in which they operate. The effectiveness of their employee driven initiatives is measured

externally and improved upon constantly.

To sustain the momentum of CSR activities from the time of the organization’s inception, the leadership

at Mindtree have institutionalized volunteerism and philanthropy in the organizational culture with the

objective of attracting the right talent and creating a long-lasting impact on individuals and the

organization.

Excellence in Developing the Leaders of Tomorrow

The key success factor for leadership development at the Aditya Birla Group has been - optimally

leveraging the opportunities and challenges of being a global conglomerate to develop its future leaders.

Involvement of the Board, institutionalizing a leadership coaching culture and a variety of programs and

assignments are some of the critical differentiators that have been emphasized upon in this case study.

The leadership development strategy at Ingersoll Rand is strongly aligned to and driven by the vision and

business strategy of the organization. Adopting a learning framework that matches the requirement of

employees across levels, from early talent to senior leaders, the range of and unique methodology

adopted across programs is the focus of the case study.

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CASE STUDIES

TCS BPO applies this concept in designing its human capital analytics initiatives. It firmly

believes in not only collecting accurate data but also analysing it both, intelligently and

proactively, to solve critical problems. The primary focus is on insights that can be derived to

make business decisions that have a positive impact on the organization or entity. This case

study elaborates on the key human capital analytics initiatives at TCS BPO and how they are

impacting HR, the business and the organization as a whole.

Established in 1968, Tata Consultancy Services offers a consulting-led, integrated portfolio of IT,

BPO, infrastructure, engineering and assurance services. Its services are delivered through its TMunique Global Network Delivery Model , recognized as the benchmark of excellence in

software development. A part of the Tata group, TCS has over 254,000 of the world’s best

trained consultants in 42 countries.

TCS’ Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) unit became operational in 2005. The BPO services

entity at TCS delivers core business processes across more than a dozen industry verticals and

provides relevant and impactful analytics and insights to its clients in running key business

support processes such as Finance and Accounting, HR and Supply Chain Management. TCS

BPO has grown consistently since its inception and witnessed 21 percent revenue growth in FY

2012. Their vision is to be India’s Number One BPO and touch revenues of USD three billion by

FY 2014. A young organization, with an employee strength of 36,500 and average employee

age of 28 years, TCS BPO believes that managing employee expectations is the key to customer

retention in today’s world.

To maintain their strategic requirement of business growth and build a high performance work

culture, TCS BPO realized it would need to critically identify and employ HR interventions and

approaches based on strong empirical data.

Business Context

SUCCESS THROUGH

HR ANALYTICSEvidence Based HR practices at BPO Services unit of TCS

Namita Rajani

Using data intelligently can move HR to the next level of evolution and help

maximize the potential of an organization’s human capital.

Approach to Human Capital Analytics

To ensure effectiveness in decision-making, the key is to derive actionable insights from the available

data. TCS uses three different types of analytical approaches to serve diverse needs across the

organization:

1. HR Function-wise analysis – This involves analysis of data pertaining to key HR functions like

talent acquisition, training and career progression in a holistic way, across industry domains.

Scope to further refine and enhance the delivery of the specific HR function is identified

through the findings of this analysis.

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2. Deep dive analysis – BPO services are offered across various industry domains into which the

entity is organized. Each domain has its unique characteristics, growth patterns and competitive

landscape, which results in different challenges that impact associate expectations and

behaviour. Moreover, the educational profile of employees is quite diverse depending on the

nature of the industry vertical or domain. A deep dive analysis for such segments helps

recognize behaviourial patterns at the grass-root level and thereby provide appropriate

recommendations from an HR perspective.

3. Standardized reports – On a pre-defined regular basis, certain standard reports that help

business understand the human capital metrics are published at an organizational and business

unit level. These reports help track important metrics related to human capital that affect

business performance and take appropriate action based on cross-sectional and

longitudinal trends.

Each of these approaches is elaborated upon, with the support of a specific example, in the following

section.

Business Scenario

The industry characteristics of a broad range and varying complexity of client processes required TCS

BPO to have associates with an extremely wide array of skills, ranging from simple data entry

capabilities to complex analytics and consequent recommendations. While hiring candidates the

company also realized that certain intrinsic abilities such as cognitive ability and the capacity to

effectively manage emotions were less trainable, especially in a business context where the expectations

are exacting and time for development limited. Moreover, entry level associates constituted over 80

percent of the total workforce at TCS and were often hired in bulk.

The organization, hence, needed to design a predictive approach to staffing based on a structured

classification of processes. The processes at TCS BPO were organized into three levels of complexity as

listed below:

• Data Entry (Simple/Complex) – Low Complexity

• Decision-making (Rule/Analysis) – Medium Complexity

• Statistical Analysis and Coding based work – High Complexity

The organization required stratified talent abilities for these process types and complexity levels.

The key objective was to raise the overall performance level of the organization by defining the right

combination of skills in a structured manner, based on the talent’s intrinsic ability identified at the

hiring stage itself. The aim was to define the recruitment mix and the eligibility score for entry

level candidates.

Methodology

In order to achieve this objective, a sample of existing associates working on different process types,

and with different performance levels were put through a battery of instruments including tests to

measure their cognitive ability and capacity to manage emotions. This was used to identify the

HR Function-wise analysis - Holistic Approach

Function 1 - Talent AcquisitionPredicting an optimal recruitment mix

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relationship between the scores in the tests, recorded performance over the past period with the

organization and complexity of the process. Based on the forecasted performance level and expected

complexity of work, a guideline for the ideal recruitment mix to be hired for various types of processes

was established. A process to standardize these instruments was built with longitudinal data.

Assessing Effectiveness and Results

This technique helped the organization in predicting the recruitment mix required for various levels of

complexity for a specified performance level and in building optimum and predicted performance

levels.

The effectiveness of this initiative was measured through the overall increase in process

productivity and customer satisfaction scores. As a direct consequence, the organization was

able to push the performance curve higher, raising the overall performance level by 6.90

percent in the first phase, at an average rate of USD 10 per hour.

Business Scenario

TCS BPO realized that when there was an upcoming new business opportunity, to meet staffing

requirements externally, the standard turnaround time to hire was 45 to 90 days. In addition, there

was a possibility of an external person taking longer to adjust and come up to speed, and the risk of

infant attrition. Furthermore, lateral hires came at a premium thus adversely impacting the revenue to

employee-cost ratio. There was not enough time for sourcing, training and grooming internal

candidates for the new opportunity. Due to this, the internal candidate pool was less optimally

utilized, and was adding to the attrition count because of a lack of career opportunities.

In order to resolve this, the organization realized the need to develop a structured approach to

identify the best-fit candidates for the job internally that would address the need for staffing for new

business and career progression for associates.

Function 2: Staffing and Career Management Matching demand and supply through Career Progression

• Client, Offering, numbers, Expected date of Closure

• Location-wise (Delivery Centre-wise), Role-wise break-up of requirements

•• Competency Profile• Project History• Role & Project tenure• Performance Ratings• Current Location• Passport & VISA details• Educational Qualifications• Associate Role & Location

Preference

Role History

iNTRASKOPE

Fig 1.1: Application of iNTRASKOPE

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Methodology

To achieve this objective, the organization designed a tool called iNTRASKOPE. This tool utilizes

various applications to help in early identification of suitable associates for upcoming business

opportunities so that they can be trained accordingly and kept ready for the job on day zero. This tool

also guides the associates in terms of progression opportunities and allows them to apply for open

positions. To do this, it brings together various functionally relevant data points from several systems

to compute the match percentage between the Role and the Proposed Role Holder, and

estimate the movement time.

The table below explains the functioning of various systems in iNTRASKOPE.

Fig 1.2: Systems in iNTRASKOPE

L&D

iCALMS

RPM

SYSTEM

SIPOC

GlobalSPEED

iCALMS

Ultimatixothers

FUNCTION

RPM (Replenishment Model) provides a web based solution for tracking the opportunity identification. It allows the Business Development team to create a new opportunity on arrival of any client. It helps to build a system of resource management in which various stakeholders add their respective functions onto the singular system, which would in turn develop multiple reports and interpretations with probability-based decision cycles.

SIPOC (supplier, input, process, output and customer) is a process data warehouse, which has data on people operating processes and training requirements. It helps to compare and identify similarities and dissimilarities among various processes and serves as a unique platform for benchmarking and identifying the best process across the entire TCS BPO.

Global SPEED is the system for performance evaluation and employee development. This enables employees to have access to information on current and past appraisals. It tracks and records every stage of the appraisal process including compliance to feedback shared with the appraisee.

iCALMS helps employees view their learning and competency development needs and the progress achieved against the same. It helps other stakeholders facilitate and manage competency development and learning within the organization. Once an associate profile is updated on iCALMS, the RMG (Resource Management Group, which manages the staffing requirement internally) and L&D teams help associates create a better career path.

The Ultimatix portal is TCS’ internal portal; it gives access to all the applications that are required to carry out work in a streamlined manner. It integrates various functions and is referred to for various employee related data such as role history, project allocation details and time spend in a particular process.

Table 1.1: Functions of Systems in iNTRASKOPE

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Assessing Effectiveness and Results

This tool facilitates matching the demand and supply of talent internally through the mentioned features

and functionalities and enables both lateral and horizontal movement, best suited to the employee’s

experience, knowledge and aspirations.

The effectiveness of this tool was measured through the decrease in attrition rate, percentage of

employees internally moved, increase in billing window due to ready availability of resources on

day zero and increase in revenue to employee-cost ratio.

TCS BPO conducts several industry specific analyses for critical business segments with high growth

potential across multiple HR functions. These flourishing business segments experience high revenue to

employee-cost ratio and high or increasing attrition rates. A deep dive analysis identifies insights on the

following people processes:

• Right fit for right job

• Expectation setting and evaluating contribution

• Rewarding contribution

• Vertical Growth and Grade Progression

• Organizational Reporting Structure

Deep Dive Analysis – Domain and Industry vertical specific approach

In a study for a specific process in a particular role, it was identified that the performance of MBAs,

who constituted over 50 percent of the employee mix, was not above the group average despite

higher than group average compensation. In addition, the attrition percentage amongst the MBA

segment was higher than the rest.

On the other hand, graduates with bachelor’s degrees in science (10+2+3) were performing better

than the group average, were available at compensation less than the average compensation of the

group and attrition amongst this segment was lower than the group’s attrition. However, in the

current mix they stood at less than 15 percent of the population.

It was also observed that in this process, females as percentage of the total population stood at

31 percent, which was lower than all other processes in the business unit. It is interesting to note here

that, on the average, the performance of females in the process was marginally better than that of

males.

An opportunity to work on the gender diversity was identified and using the insights, various

scenarios were considered with respect to the manpower mix. A phased change was then planned,

through targeted hiring and re-deployment interventions. The final projected mix recommended a

reduction in the percent of MBAs from 77 to 50 percent by increasing the intake of other better

performing profiles and raising the number of female associates up to 50 percent.

All other things being equal, the final projected mix was expected to bring down the compensation by

3.08 percent, increase performance by approximately 0.9 percent and reduce attrition by about 7

percent.

The insights gathered through the analysis are translated into actions through appropriate changes in

policy as illustrated in the example below:

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TCS BPO publishes various standard reports on a weekly, monthly and quarterly basis to update key

stakeholders on the overall health of the organization on some of the key standardized metrics (refer

Table 1.2). The key metrics are published at an overall level, at a business unit level and grade-wise, as

applicable. These reports help track manpower changes, which affect profitability and revenue

generation, and enable decision-making and appropriate actions based on longitudinal trends.

The complexity of these reports is reduced with the periodic drop and inclusion of appropriate

parameters, based on significance.

Standardized Reports – Tracking manpower changes that affect profitability and

revenue generation

Hiring

1. Open Positions in the organization (Aging Analysis) 1. To track possibility of billing loss

2. To match the demand and supply of required talent

Weekly

Critical Separation Cases

1. Leadership Separations reported 1. To track and activate back-up and contingency plans Weekly

Attrition Analysis 1. To study the attrition trend at overall organization level and at each business unit.

2. To identity segments which are showing high or low attrition and reason behind them

3. To change course of initiatives based on this information.

Monthly

Source Mix and Cost Per Hire 1. To track and publish hiring sources from the perspective of managing and minimizing cost of support functions

Monthly

Others

1. Learning and Development hours deployed

2. Gender Diversity status – Level wise

3. Employee Engagement initiatives

4. Affirmative action recruitment

1. To monitor and assess the overall engagement level for all the HR functions and program

Monthly

Manpower

1. Increase in the total Headcount (Gross and Net addition)

2. Increase in billable headcount vs. non billable Headcount (support)

3. Billable associates as percentage of total population, at an overall and Business unit level

4. Employee Pyramid Shifts (grade-wise)

Weekly,

Monthly

And Quarterly

Shifts in manpower tracked to:

1. Ensure a healthy mix of billable versus support staff and bench, as this has a direct relation with profitability.

2. Employee pyramid being top heavy adversely affects profitability; the same is tracked.

3. Any change in course of hiring recommended based on these.

Table 1.2: Key Standardized Metrics

Metrics Significance and Decisions Frequency

Achievements and Impact

This scientific approach to HR interventions at TCS BPO generates confidence in customers to outsource

their business to India. It leads to reduced effort, more accurate processing as well as reduced errors in

decision-making. The impact of these interventions on the organization’s business is as follows:

• The organization prides itself in having the lowest attrition in the industry

• Keeping the novelty factor in view and the value created through iNTRASKOPE, TCS BPO has filed a

patent application as intellectual property in 2011

• Due to ready availability of resources, there has been a significant increase in the billing window.

Benefit per associate kept ready is approximately INR 2,00,000

22

Demonstrative metrics

• The overall performance level has improved by 6.9 percent

• Contribution of career opportunities as a reason for attrition has gone down by 5 percent over the

previous year

• The revenue to employee cost ratio has improved

TCS BPO plans to focus on sustaining and growing these initiatives in the near future by:

Ø Data Cleaning – Ensuring on-time and clean data availability is a focus area for the coming 18

months. This will involve sensitizing people to data, constant monitoring and periodic review through

audit mechanisms.

Ø Systems Development – Currently, while the base data is available as data dumps, the metrics are

typically not automated, and thus real time data is not available online. System design is underway to

have metrics automated with built in triggers to alert on a real time basis in the coming 12 months.

Ø Mechanism to ascertain the isolated impact of recommendation deployed - Presently,

recommendations can be made based on data, however, there is no method to isolate and thus

quantify the impact of a recommendation once deployed. This will be addressed in the next 36

months.

The use of evidence-based Human Resource Management, through rigorous data mining and effective

decision-making, is what differentiates TCS BPO from other organizations in the BPO industry.

It has demonstrated path-breaking practices and tools in HR Analytics, that use predictive modelling to

make strategic HR decisions for high business impact. The iNTRASKOPE tool that helps provide job ready

resources internally on day zero is definitely a competitive advantage in an industry that struggles to

retain its best talent.

Further, using a customised approach to address the specific needs of various industries and businesses

which have their own unique characteristics and challenges, coupled with publishing regular

standardized reports to track manpower changes, clearly shows how well the organization leverages

data to derive meaningful information and make effective decisions. All these initiatives have helped TCS

BPO address the strategic human capital challenges in a structured and scientific manner and provided

an opportunity to the HR practitioners to play a more proactive role in driving business strategy.

What’s Next?

SHRM Conclusion

“In general we can argue, with data we can dialogue”

– TEAM Organizational Effectiveness (TCS BPO)

Namita Rajani is Research Analyst with SHRM India.

23

These snippets highlight the diversity success stories at Aegis. This case study provides insights

on - Why Aegis has such a strong focus on diversity? What makes diversity work for Aegis? and

Which diversity practices set Aegis apart from other organisations?

“First people award, 2012” by SHRM India in the category of Diversity & Inclusion during st ndIndia’s first Un-conference held at Goa, 21 & 22 Sep 2012

511 differently abledcareer opportunities

lives impacted with provided by Aegis over the last quarter

Vartalaap - On Nov 10, 2011 Aegis Bhopal initiated a one of its kind between

to understand the challenges faced by these employees. The session was a huge success with the employees discussing some basic concerns which have been noted by leadership for appropriate future measures.

interactive sessionleadership on the site & differently abled employees,

NASSCOM Corporate Awards for Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion 2011

Aegis Bhopal launched - A women’s club, on the occasion of Women’s day on March 6, 2012. Objective of the club is to enhance and groom the personalities of female employees along with educating them by means of SUPW

‘Pehchaan’

(Socially Useful and Productive Work)

Jamshedpur supports Jaharkhand Viklang March and Deepshika an NGO that organized a job fair and Ability Mela for

Though this initiative 40 candidates were shortlisted and

Differently Able Individuals.

14 were selected.

NCPEDP - Shell Helen Keller Award 2011for exemplary work towards PWD’s

Aegis Noida, conducted

session on March 05, 2012, covering people who are responsible for working with the differently abled

‘Diversity sensitization: Enabling the differently abled’

24

Overview

Company Profile

Founded in India in 1992, Aegis Limited is a global outsourcing and technology company. It is

committed to impacting clients’ business outcomes by focusing on enhancing customer

experiences across all touch points and channels. A wholly owned subsidiary of the USD 27 billion

conglomerate, the Essar Group, Aegis has over 55,000 employees across 56 locations in 13

countries. The company services over 1000 clients in Banking, Financial Services & Insurance,

Technology, Telecom, Healthcare, Travel & Hospitality, Consumer Goods, Retail and Energy &

Utilities.

BEING DIFFERENT

TOGETHERExcellence in Diversity and Inclusion at Aegis Limited

Dedeepya Ajith-John

25

Challenges

Solution

Achieving Diversity and Inclusion in its true sense

A holistic approach – Six Dimensional Diversity Framework

The globalized spread across 13 countries and its growth plan were key drivers of Aegis’ strategy to

promote inclusiveness across its diverse clientele and employee base. This may raise the question -Unlike

most other companies, which design initiatives to manage their existing diverse workforce, why did

Aegis resort to formulating a whole new diversity strategy with a conscious effort to recruit people and

ensure representation of all forms of diversity? Aegis’ answer is captured in Fig 2.1. It depicts the

company’s high level of understanding of diversity and the

seriousness with which it approaches this issue.

According to one of the Diversity Managers,

“We needed an initiative that would help

us promote inclusiveness by stimulating

social, economic, intellectual and

emotional growth. Hence, not long

after its inception, Aegis realized

that diversity in the workplace is

no longer a nice-to-have but a

necessity in order to achieve

sustainable results through

new perspectives, ideas and

the consequent engaged

workforce.” In order to sensitize

and improve organizational

understanding and knowledge

for “Diversity and Inclusion” in its

true sense, Aegis sought to instil a

visibly effective diversity mindset in

every employee’s work.

Tackling systemic issues like organizational

policies and practices, which were not aligned

to diversity initiatives, and addressing inclusion as

“change” posed big challenges to the implementation.

While a number of initiatives were rolled out as a part of the diversity strategy, the importance of

assessing and measuring the impact of each initiative made it imperative for the management at Aegis to

support the design of new initiatives with the development of a robust tracking mechanism. This case

study examines the holistic diversity approach Aegis used to address these challenges and meet its

requirements.

In early 2010, S.M. Gupta, Chief People Officer (CPO), embarked on a unique diversity initiative at Aegis.

The objective was to bring in and leverage different sections of society in the organization, with the

expectation that it would lead to increased levels of employee engagement, innovation, loyalty and

support from clients, a responsive business culture and corporate resilience in a global economy.

Building brand Image,Managing impact of

globalization

Institutional building,Strengthening long-term

“value drivers”

Improving morale,Acting as role models

Improvingorganization culture,Better team work &

Results

STRATE

GIC

ORG

AN

IZATI

ON

INSPIR

ATI

ON

FO

R

INCLU

SIV

E

AD

VAN

TAG

ELEG

ACY

CO

-WO

RKERS

ORG

AN

IZA

TIO

N

DIV

ERSE

WO

RK

FO

RC

E

Diverse thoughts,Creative thinking,

Innovation

Fig 2.1: Why a diverse workforce?

26

The company developed a six-dimensional diversity

framework as shown in Fig 2.2, which identifies

diversity across - Persons with Disabilities (PWD),

Gender Inclusivity, Socially and Economically

Disadvantaged, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse

People, Mature Age People and Inclusion of

Indigenous People. The dimensions were selected

such that they were universally applicable to all

geographies in which Aegis operates.Specific

targets were established for each dimension.

To design relevant initiatives and ensure sensitivity

towards the anti-discriminatory and equal

opportunity laws applicable across all locations, Aegis committed itself to this simple yet effective model.

“Today’s outsourcing industry employs a large

number of Gen Y people. However, at Aegis,

through our global HR mission and the current

diversity framework, inclusion of mature age

people was imperative. This integration

facilitates innovation across business, culture

and society. Through blending the ‘will’ of the

young generation and ‘wisdom’ of the mature

age group, we understand and harness a

holistic experience for our employees,

customers, stakeholders and society.”

COMMITMENT

1.69% of the Global Workforce

• 92 nationalities• 79 Languages• 13 Countries• 4 Business Verticals• 55 Global Locations

95-97% of theGlobal Workforce

Male to Femaleratio is 60:40

35% of the GlobalWorkforce

3.34% of theGlobal Workforce

Pers

on

s w

ith

Dis

ab

ilit

ies

Cu

ltu

rall

y &

Lin

gu

isti

call

yD

ivers

e P

eo

ple

Inclusion of

IndigenousPeople

Gender

Inclusivity

Mature

Age

People

Socially and

Economically

Disadvantaged

EN

AB

LER

SM

EA

SU

REM

EN

T

INITIATIVES

Fig 2.2: Six-Dimensional Diversity Framework

A. Philosophy and Measures of Commitment

Aegis began its journey with clearly defined base level indicators against each facet of diversity as shown

in Table 2.1. These targets are finalized keeping in view the feasibility, affordability and alignment to

business needs. Aegis has adopted a progressive approach by gradually increasing targets on a few

parameters, year-on-year, since 2010. For example, the target for inclusion of PWDs has increased from

one percent in FY 2010-11 to 1.5 percent in FY 2011-12 to the current 1.75 percent for 2012-13.

27

Table 2.1: Indicators for Diversity

Type of diversity Indicator

To employ PWDs equal to 1.75 percent of global workforce (target for

FY 2012-13)

Gender mix to be in accordance with the available employee population

Mix of socially and economically disadvantaged people to be in accordance with the

available employable population

Mix of culturally and linguistically diverse people to be in accordance with the

available employable population

To employ 4 percent mature age people

95 percent of total Aegis workforce should be indigenous

Persons with disabilities

Gender inclusivity

Socially and economically

disadvantaged people

Culturally and linguistically diverse people

Mature age people

Inclusion of indigenous people

B. Enablers for diversity

Enablers are important for the sustainability and acceleration of any initiatives. While designing a

number of tailor made initiatives for each of its six facets of diversity, Aegis ensured that these enablers

were already in place. Committing to its global HR philosophy and vision, the company ensured the right

policies were put in place. These included Equal Employment Policy, Human Rights Policy, Prevention of

Gender Harassment Policy and the Maternity Benefits Act, in addition to diversity enablers like

Sustainability Reporting, Organization Development practices, Sensitization workshops and

Engagement Models.

One remarkable enabler that deserves special mention is building an organization structure that enables

diversity, where the Global CEO & MD is the executive sponsor and the CPO plays the organization

change leader. The management also identified diversity managers at the corporate, business and

country levels to play the leading role in co-ordinating diversity interventions.

C. Diversity initiatives

To build an inclusive workforce, Aegis has initiated a

number of common initiatives like the formation of

affinity groups, sensitization workshops (Managing

the Diversity), Coffee with HR and celebrating

women’s and national grandparents days amongst

others. In the last fiscal year, Aegis conducted

Facilitated Affirmative Action workshops with the

aim of helping the management and recruiters

understand the requirements of law, as well as the

organization’s commitment to include all six

dimensions of diversity in the recruitment efforts. A few unique initiatives focused on each of the six

facets are described below. All initiatives were customized locally after understanding the regional norms

and the cultural mindset.

Ensuring that 1.75 percent of its global workforce comprises PWDs alone is not enough to create

engagement if other initiatives do not support this effort.

Persons with disabilities (PWDs)

28

• To promote accessibility to the workplace for its 1000 strong disabled workforce, Aegis provides a

number of facilities like auxiliary aids and services for training, accessible rooms, wide hallways,

wheelchair ramps, elevators with ‘grab handles,’ differently abled wash rooms, engraved Braille

codes, voice notification and accommodation of service animals at the office.

• The company also observes World Disability Day across all locations. In alignment with its Corporate

Social Responsibility ideology, the company holds motivational workshops and ‘SMILE’ campaigns

(visits to NGOs to engage in fun activities with children).

• In addition, Aegis has put in place specific initiatives to take care of the career needs of PWDs, which

include career planning models, flowcharts and competencies mapped to disabilities.

• Project – RESTART is a one of its kind initiative, designed to reintegrate women employees when they

return to work after maternity leave.

• Discover SELF is a series of Women Empowerment workshops designed to develop skills like self-

defence, physical exercise and SWOT analysis.

• To help women employees reach strategic leadership positions, Aegis conducts an Empowering

Prospective Leader (EPL) workshop.

• Let’s DEFEAT – Let’s COMPETE is an annual event which includes competitive games and regional

sports like rugby and cricket.

• Project SHARE is a unique initiative, where the company sponsors books and education material for

children of identified employees.

• Money management workshops and screening motivational movies (‘Bioscope’) are some of the

other engagement initiatives taken up by Aegis to include socially and economically diverse

employees.

• ‘Warrior of Words,’ an initiative where employees can publish their poems in different languages is a

great example of how Aegis ensures the inclusion of its culturally and linguistically diverse workforce.

• Singing competitions, Let’s Chat (quarterly roundtable discussion), diverse dance day, maintaining a

cultural repository of books, magazines, screening of regional movies, a unique Global Talent

Exchange Program which provides them with global opportunities while also ensuring cross-cultural

learning are some of the initiatives specifically tailored for this facet of diversity.

• While most companies predominantly focus on engagement activities for Gen Y, Aegis makes a

deliberate effort to hire and manage people above 45 years of age.

• ‘Live Strong’ – programs on nutrition and ways to stay active, ‘Rendezvous’ - a program where

matures share their story in front of the Head of HR, retirement planning workshops and training

programs to rebuild acumen are some of the unique initiatives implemented for the mature age

workforce at Aegis.

Gender inclusivity

Socially and economically diverse people

Culturally and linguistically diverse people

Mature age people

29

Inclusion of indigenous people

Visible Impact

• Culinary culture competitions, country specific ‘Clue Cracker’ competitions and celebrating national

days are some of the programs designed for inclusion of indigenous employees.

D. Tracking system

Today, Aegis boasts of an engaged diverse workforce, which it can verify through its indigenously

designed robust tracking mechanism.

A few ways in which Aegis measures the success of

its diversity initiative are:

• Diversity DNA scan - This scan helps Aegis

view all its initiatives as part of one global picture,

identify its current position and measure gains as

they occur.

• Diversity tracker - Each of the six diversity

facets are measured monthly against the

commitments and progress is reported by

respective groups to Corporate HR, which in turn presents it to the Executive Management team.

Average diversity score 2011 -12 was recorded at 76 percent.

• Employee and client feedback - Regular and constant formal and informal feedback is sought

from employees and clients and the initiatives are improvised based on their suggestions.

The diversity initiatives at Aegis have left a significant footprint across the organisation, on its employees

and clients:

Company

• Significant increase in Revenue and Profit growth

percentage in the last two years, including global

presence and diverse customer engagement

models

• Aegis became an Employer of Choice Employees

Employees

• Overall engagement score for Aegis increased from

54 percent in 2009 to 73 percent in 2011

• Hiring the untapped pool of physically disabled

people, enhanced its image as an Equal

Opportunity employer

• Inclusion of women in leadership positions

increased from 9 to 21 over a period of two years

Result

74 percent agreed they have a clear understanding of organization's vision regarding D&I

78 percent employees feel their diversity profile is viewed as an asset to Aegis

61 percent agreed that they are being provided with sufficient opportunities to develop diversity competency

(DNA Scan in Australia & New Zealand)

Increased Creativity & Innovation

Aegis adopted an employee value

proposition GET-SET-GO! for its diverse

workforce

GET - Brand Aura – hiring people based on

competencies and role fit creating a pull

and establishing a partnership.

SET - setting people up for success - by

providing a progressive environment with

specific HR interventions.

GO - Growth within or beyond Aegis - by

helping them grow into capable people

and become Aegis Ambassadors.

30

• New and diverse ideas brought forth increased creativity and innovation

• Mature workforce brought great mentoring skills and an immense knowledge base

Customers

• Increase in customer satisfaction

• Culturally and linguistically diverse workforce enhanced the capability of serving a wide range

of clients

• Indigenous workforce helped provide better service to local customers

Based on age, experience and competencies, Aegis speaks of peer group diversity to achieve a healthier

balance of different social groups within the organization. The diversity team also plans to design and

implement innovative practices to attract, hire, train, promote and retain its diverse workforce. To

achieve this, the company has decided to allocate a higher budget to its diversity initiatives and further

promote accessibility to the workplace.

While most organizations today focus only on gender and age diversity under the guise of diversity and

inclusion, Aegis has recognized the broader perspective of diversity. It is one of the first companies,

which encompasses six facets of diversity and designs tailor - made programs for each of them. A specific

commitment for each dimension, along with a robust tracking mechanism brings forth the seriousness

with which Aegis caters to its diverse workforce. The infrastructure built to accommodate PWDs,

regional diversity while hiring, linguistic coaches, global focus on the diversity programs and more

importantly, the investment made in these initiatives show that Aegis has definitively achieved its mission

of “what makes diversity work.

What’s next?

Conclusion

Action plan for the future

A SHRM India conclusion

I still remember my first day in office. I was a bit apprehensive and confused. When I was

introduced to my team, I had no idea how my team members would accept me; but with each

passing day, I started finding myself a new family. It was a heavenly feeling and we bonded

really well. There were multiple instances when I had to fall back on my team members for their

support; and trust me, they never disappointed. Mutual respect and admiration among the

team members helped us in forging a strong relationship with each other. One among the many

vital values I learnt from my job and team is stewardship.

All in all, it’s a very good place to work for and I am happy being a part of it. So, Let’s Begin!

- A differently abled person at Aegis

Dedeepya Ajith-John is Research Analyst with SHRM India.

31

Founded in 1995, Bharti Airtel Limited is a leading integrated telecommunications

company with 246 million customers in 20 countries in Asia and Africa as of February

2012. Airtel is a market leader and one of the most admired telecom service providers in

the countries it serves.

Shifting paradigms and evolving needs, both internal and external, have transformed

the way Airtel works. It is the preferred service provider of the young, dynamic and tech-

savvy customer demographic in India, which sees no technological boundaries and has a

distinctive need for ‘speed’ and ‘more.’ To match and anticipate customer expectations,

Airtel re-modelled its business operations and adopted new principles for organization

design to create a customer centric, lean and agile organization. The new organization

focused on an integrated go-to market strategy, decision-making closer to the customer,

leveraging scale, synergies and new growth opportunities, and a larger end-to-end role

for employees. Airtel envisions it will be the most loved brand, enriching the lives of

millions by 2015, where enriching lives means putting the customer at the heart of

everything the organization does.

Forty percent of Airtel’s workforce is in Sales, 60 percent of which comprises R/UTMs

(Rural and Urban Territory Managers) and a sizeable population of service engineers who

do cabling, digging and are always on the move. Given its employee base of over

20,000, the key challenges HR faced in servicing its internal customers included

maximizing its reach, engaging quickly with the workforce and addressing employee

concerns with ease.

This case study captures Airtel’s efforts to enrich the lives of its employees using a

technology platform and breakthrough thinking that was closely aligned to its business

model.

Challenges for HR

ENRICHING LIVES BY PUTTING

EMPLOYEES FIRSTThe Airtel Way of Enhancing Employee Experience

Shveta Ramchandani

33

What did HR do?

Extending the Airtel philosophy on customer

relations to employees

Need for Speed

mHR services by dialling *456#

HR @ Airtel aims to create the same brand experience for

its employees as its customers. The three cornerstones of

HR namely - Employee Experience, Process Excellence and

Good Governance - form the foundation for all people

initiatives.

Furthermore, all HR initiatives at Airtel are strategically

aligned to business deliverables and the business theme,

“winning in the market.” The major challenge was to

enrich the lives of Airtel’s frontline team, who fight in the face of tough competition to make the

company a market leader.

An employee poll revealed that the main pain areas for frontline employees were processing and settling

of claims. The number of approvers and the time taken for processing and decision-making due to

dependency on the reporting manager really slowed down these processes. There was a definite need

and scope to reduce the processing time and enhance the employee experience in this area.

HR reviewed the processes and eliminated multi-level approvals, leveraged technology and empowered

employees and managers with approving rights on the go, thus leading to process excellence. The

reporting manager is now empowered to approve or reject these requests instantly, anywhere, anytime

from his mobile simply by replying to these SMS’ with ‘A’ (Approve) or ‘R’ (Reject).An auto approval

mechanism ensures approval if the reporting manager fails to approve a claim in three days. This is

applicable to 13 categories of claims in the areas of Domestic Travel Expenses, Local Conveyance, Staff

Welfare and a few other employee processes requiring approvals. This intervention has not only ensured

good governance on HR’s part but also helped remove bureaucracy from the system. As a result, the

entire process of execution has sped up leading to huge customer delight.

This initiative is along the lines of the company’s business product ‘Airtel Money,’ which roughly

translates to mobile wallets for customers. Leveraging the same technology platform, HR @ Airtel

extends its services to employees on the move. This not only internalizes the company’s product for

employees but also ensures that employees experience the same lifestyle as customers.

mHR services aka mobile HR services provide a plethora of HR related information and access to various

HR tools by an employee on his or her mobile, 24/7, anywhere, anytime. By simply dialling *456# from

their mobiles, employees can reach out to HR and source HR related information while on the move. This

initiative, inspired by an analysis of queries at the HR helpdesk received from employees in remote

locations and frontline sales, has addressed Airtel’s biggest challenge of reaching out to every employee.

Fig 3.1: The three cornerstones of HR@Airtel

ProcessExcellence

HR

GoodGovernance

EmployeeExperience

34

Employee feedback on this initiative has been overwhelming. A few samples of which are:

Kudos!

Airtel Ambassadors Portal

Reverse Mentoring

In line with Airtel’s vision of 'enriching the lives of millions,’ the HR team works to ensure that the lives

of Airtel employees are also enriched. The Kudos! initiative is a step in this direction. This revamped

reward and recognition program is a milestone in process excellence. Enabled online, it acts as a

catalyst for creating and fostering a culture where employees are recognized for making a difference and

living the Airtel values.

Kudos! makes it easy and quick to recognize a manager, peer or colleague. The online system empowers

employees to send an e-card or give points by way of recognition that are redeemable for exciting

merchandise. The online wall of fame provides visibility to those making a difference and has become a

forum for celebrating big and small successes. Taking a cue from the triumph of the online platform,

Kudos! has been enabled on mobile to extend the reach to every employee. This initiative ensures that

recognition on the move becomes a way of life at Airtel.

Kudos! has changed the meaning of recognition at Airtel. No longer does one have to wait for a forum

or formal gathering to reward an employee. Recognition is instant. Recognizing any good work instantly

is a big culture change at Airtel. Eighty-five percent of the population used the new application within six

months of its launch, re-affirming that this was indeed a step in the direction of good governance by

HR.

At Airtel’s HR helpdesk, servicing ex-employees was consuming 50percent of their bandwidth, diluting

focus on existing employees. The Airtel Ambassadors Portal (www.airtelambassadors.in) has been

designed and set-upto address this issue. This initiative has led to a reduction of ex-employee queries by

60 percent.

The portal is a one-stop shop, self-service model for ex-employees seeking solutions to all their queries

while employed at Bharti Airtel. It eliminates dependency on the HR team, as ex-employees can simply

register themselves on the portal, download relevant documents (PF Slips, F&F statements, relieving

letter, Form 16) and raise a query in case of any disconnect. This is yet another step in the direction of

good governance. A dedicated team has been assigned to service all queries of ex-employees. This

intervention has helped Airtel extend better services and create a positive experience for ex-

employees, strengthening its relations with them even after they leave the organization.

Traditionally, mentoring involves the pairing of a senior leader with a younger colleague to provide

guidance - whether at a formal or informal level. It facilitates development through an on going

“HR services on mobile! Never heard or experienced such a thing before…truly a unique

initiative.”

“I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks to HR for giving us mHR

services on *456#. This is really a One Stop Shop solution for all our day to day requirements.”

35

relationship of learning, dialogue, challenge and change.

In Reverse Mentoring, the younger person becomes the mentor. Here the mentee is older and has

greater overall experience than the mentor, but the mentor has more knowledge in a particular area and

therefore, reverses the conventional relationship.

The CEO, Sanjay Kapoor, initiated reverse mentoring at Airtel in 2008. The challenge before the senior

leaders at Airtel was to remain connected to the changing business and market environment. As part of

the reverse mentoring program, leaders across the country, including the Airtel Management Board

(AMB), and function heads are mentored by their young managers, hired from the top B-schools of the

country and into their second or third year in the organization. The seniors are educated on topics like

brand activation opportunities, downloading apps, fashion trends, latest gadgets or what young people

do in their free time. Even hard business strategies are discussed and sometimes adopted by the

company. The young mentors are also helping the seniors learn how to use social networking platforms

such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for subtle online promotion and to maximize Airtel’s appeal

among youngsters. The Airtel leadership is proactively working at embedding these insights to enhance

young customers’ experience with the brand.

In addition to helping senior management master new skills in emerging fields, the program has the

added advantage of helping juniors connect directly with company management and enabling people

from different areas of the company to network. Today, with over 20 active pairs nationally, Airtel is

successfully leveraging learning from these engagement programs across all areas of its businesses.

The genesis of Bharti Airtel’s association with the football club Manchester United called “Airtel Rising

Stars” and F1 was through one such reverse mentoring partnership. The mentor felt that cricket was for

Gen X, while young Airtel customers comprising Gen Y had moved towards football, as should the

company.

Airtel is looking at this tool as a unique new way to boost workplace ingenuity for greater productivity

and ultimately create a knowledge driven business environment. Taking it a step further, their business

ideation platform - Sparkplug, also thrives on the philosophy of reverse mentoring in which youngsters

from across functions come together to discuss, debate and solve a business problem posed by the

business leaders. The added twist is that none of them belong to the same function or business as the

leader who ‘owns’ the problem. Some of its new businesses like direct-to-home have capitalised on this

platform by implementing ideas proposed by reverse mentors. The key to success in reverse mentoring is

the ability to create and maintain an attitude of openness to the experience and dissolve the barriers of

status, power and position.

iKissan was positioned as Airtel’s pursuit to reach out to the needs of the customers in the rural

segment through interactive TV (iTV). This is the world’s first Hindi, rural application. iKissan is

targeted at the farming community spread across 204 districts covering the main Hindi speaking

agrarian states of the country. The application is targeted at the farmer. It provides the inputs he

needs for better farming that will, in turn, help increase his earning potential.

36

What’s Next?

SHRM Conclusion

Overall, the bandwidth of the HR team has been freed through the creative application of technology,

enabling them to work in an advisory capacity with the business units. For instance, recently when the

company shifted focus from pre-paid to post-paid customers, HR played a key role in recruiting talent

with the required skill-sets and retraining existing employees.

HR at Airtel has a global roadmap to take these initiatives to extended geographies in the future. They

also have plans to include other HR processes like on boarding, internal job postings, manpower

requisition, performance management and claim re-imbursement in this mobile journey. This can be

accomplished by leveraging technology and forming long-term partnerships with global IT leaders.

Another step in this direction is to rope in budding entrepreneurs to encourage innovation and speed of

delivery.

Rated 27 in the Great Place to Work® Institute’s Study and #1 in the Industry Category of

Telecommunications, Bharti Airtel has successfully managed to leverage mobile technology and

internalize the company’s vision and products to its internal customers - the employees.

For instance, their innovative solution mHR (mobile HR) created the same brand experience for

employees as for the customers. This enabled HR and line Managers to respond quickly to routine queries

of employees spread across remote locations - directly via their mobile phones. It also helped foster a

culture of instant, online recognition. Another unique feature was the speedy processing of the

settlement of exiting employees through the use of technology.

As a result, line managers have been empowered and employees delighted. The bandwidth of the HR

team has been freed, enabling them to work in an advisory capacity with business units.

In sum, HR at Airtel has delivered the brand’s promise by enriching the lives of their internal customers

and putting the customer at the heart of everything they do. HR has met its customers’ needs based on

its understanding of the employees’ requirements, wherever they are. Airtel prides itself on promoting

self-care – the philosophy adopted by the company for its customers and internalized by HR for its

employees. HR’s three cornerstones – Employee Experience, Good Governance and Process

Excellence – are an intrinsic part of all key people initiatives. However, the biggest takeaway from the

breakthrough practices adopted by Airtel is how an internal focus on employees just makes good

business sense.

Shveta Ramchandani is a freelancer.

37

An organization is defined foremost in terms of its people and then its culture,

work environment, policies, services and performance. Employees in

organizations today have high aspirations and a desire to make a mark. They

exhibit a competitive spirit, the zeal to perform and want greater

opportunities for both career and personal growth. An organization with

strategic objectives, with its focus on people, builds initiatives and aims to

optimize both, people and its business results.

At Infosys BPO, young employees bring with them ambition, seek perfection

and are keen to balance work and fun. Working with a young workforce also

brings its own challenges. The company ingeniously uses the GDP mantra,

which translates to Growth, Differentiation and People, to achieve its

strategic objectives. Being a key strategic objective, all people initiatives are

rigorously tracked. These initiatives encompass several key areas such as

engagement, career growth, cross-functional opportunities, higher studies,

bringing the outside world into the campus and learning beyond Infosys. The

aim is to ensure that the young workforce says, "Thank God it is Monday."

The company’s focus on inclusivity and specific mentoring initiatives for

women have resulted in a higher than norm gender ratio of around 60:40.

The importance of sharing information and communication is evident in the

manner in which employees are involved in business decisions and the

increase in productivity. They are encouraged to think out of the box, are

aware of organizational business strategies, discuss new processes and help

set benchmarks periodically.

This case study examines how Infosys BPO approaches these challenges to

create an encouraging, safe and connected work environment.

DIFFERENTLY

‘PEOPLED’The Chosen Path to Performance and Excellence

at Infosys BPO

Madhurima Das

39

Key Initiatives - One Step at a Time

Creating Careers for Life

The Careers for Life Initiatives comprising skill enhancement, internal job postings, leadership

development and tenure recognition are used to develop employees, create better careers, encourage

leadership qualities and reward their commitment and loyalty to the organization. The aim is to fill 70

percent of the positions through Internal Job Postings (IJPs)

The focus on career and career growth is paramount at Infosys. It uses a training pathway approach as

depicted in the figure below.

Fig 4.2: Training Pathway

Objectives Redefined

To create an inspired workplace, keeping attrition trends in mind, the responses to ESAT (Employee

Satisfaction Survey Scores), direct feedback and Internal Partner Satisfaction Survey were used to identify

three main people objectives.

JL 7

JL 6

JL 3JL 2JL 4

OperationsTraining

RiskTraining

BehavioralTraining

DomainTraining

QualityTraining

Xxx = Name ofthe program

Operations Training(xxx) 6.0

Operations Training(xxx) 5.0

Operations Training(xxx) 4.0

BehavioralTraining(xxx) 3.0

T 100Security

Awarencess

T 200 DomainTraining

T 300 SecurityAwarencess

T 300 SecurityAwarencess

T 200 SecurityAwarencess

T 100 SecurityAwarencess

BehavioralTraining(xxx) 6.0

BehavioralTraining(xxx) 5.0

BehavioralTraining(xxx) 4.0

T 100DomainTraining

T 300 DomainTraining

T 400 DomainTraining

T 500 DomainTraining

AdvancedQuality(xxx)

QualityAnalytics

(xxx)

QualityFundamental

(xxx)

QualityBasics(xxx)

TrainingDays:3-5

Training Days:5-8

Training Days:10-13

Training Days:9-12

Training Days:8

JL 5

Fig 4.1: People Objectives at Infosys BPO

Objectives

Creating Careers for Life

BuildingEmployee Connect

Providing a SafeEnvironment

40

• is achieved through internal certifications, higher education and self-learning

programs. Focusing on both behaviourial and technical competencies, the learning and development

team organizes training programs and interventions on a regular basis. Courses are specially designed

for Infosys employees, in collaboration with top B-schools in India and abroad, including an online

program with Harvard Business School. This initiative also serves as a retention factor for those who

want to elevate their educational qualifications, thus creating a win-win for both the employee and the

organization.

• ensure that employees have career advancements and experience role

enrichment. This initiative has achieved more than 600 promotions, progressions and lateral

movements.

The next two initiatives are unique, as they focus on understanding employee aspiration and recognize

the value of loyalty by rewarding long tenures with the organization.

• is a career management initiative to understand employees’ career aspirations and align

them to business and organization requirements. The company successfully engages talent groups

through career conversations and providing avenues for individual career development. Through this

they are able to :

• Build an aspirational group with which employees desire to be associated and have career

conversations which help employees become aware of their own interests, values, strengths, and

weaknesses

• Identify career goals

• Establish action plans to achieve career goals

• Send a message that the employee is valued by the company

Across Infosys BPO globally, close to 100 employees with proven performance credentials and

potential have been identified for this initiative, showing its positive impact in fueling aspirations.

• is achieved through the Club 5 and the Spirited 10 initiatives. This recognition

of loyalty is through felicitation ceremonies. In a high mobility industry and a relatively young

organization, more than 23 percent of Infoscions have been recognized for their long and meritorious

service of five years and more. In addition to this, more than 50 Infoscions have completed their 10 year

tenure with the organization. These employees are felicitated by leaders during leadership connect

programs or employee engagement events, which are conducted organization wide. This initiative

celebrates careers the ‘Infy’ way.

Skill Enhancement

Internal Job Postings

Club Fuel

Tenure recognition

Training Certifications: 26000+ ‘training person days’ achieved 19 courses launched across six universities

41

Providing a Safe Environment

SAFE (Secure and Fun Environment) initiatives provide employees with facility filled infrastructure,

a harassment free workplace and the opportunity to have fun at work through many activities. While the

infrastructure provides a learning, supportive and nurturing environment, it is the forums created to

provide a harassment free work environment that are commendable and based on collective behavior

and action.

• The Forum for is ASHI (Anti Sexual Harassment Initiative) and for non-sexual

harassment is HEAR (Hearing Employees and Resolving). A professional team works for ASHI and

all the cases are strictly monitored and governed through fortnightly calls and quarterly reviews. An

annual ASHI Awareness Quiz and refresher programs are held to sensitize the entire organization.

HEAR works to resolve issues pertaining to discrimination at the workplace, performance appraisal,

role change, interpersonal relations and behavioural concerns. In-house arbitrators and investigators

by virtue of their tenure, job level maturity and training on investigation and interviewing skills,

constitute the HEAR committee. Infosys takes it as a commitment to provide a SAFE workplace to its

employees.

• is an initiative that aims to break the monotony at work, develop a positive attitude,

respect individual space and ensure that people have fun at work and work while they have fun.

Building Employee Connect

The third objective of Building Employee Connect looks at initiatives that focus on understanding

leadership, inspiring employees to be leaders and comprehend the importance of effective

communication.

•

The guruCOOL (Collection of Organization’s Leaders) initiative connects leadership

mentors to their mentees (employees who have been in the organization for 0-12 months). The focus is

on building their leadership and strategy skills. The Banyan Tree - An external connect initiative,

conducts external leadership connect sessions, where leaders from other organizations and different

industries give employees a peep into varied, other worlds of work.

• at Infosys BPO is continually improved and enhanced, based on feedback. The

organization believes communication has to transcend social and cultural boundaries. To ensure

transparency and effective communication, Livewires – The communication champs have been

developed as messengers on the floors (in India) and Geo Ambassadors (for global centres) as the

culture, value, work ethics and communication ambassadors, for Infosys BPO in their respective

centres. Communication is enhanced through newsletters, sharing team and career stories, knowledge

and communication, both face to face and virtually. The internal communication team also regularly

carries out communication effectiveness surveys to surface any disparities and correct them, thus

ensuring effective communication at all levels.

sexual harassment

Fun@ work

Leadership sessions are organized through connect forums, where leaders of Infy meet

employees.

Communication

42

Impact and Effectiveness

Several metrics were developed to measure the effectiveness of the People initiatives at Infosys BPO. They

are the Employee Satisfaction Survey Scores, Achievement of BEF (Business Enabling Function) excellence

targets, Internal Partners’ Satisfaction Survey Scores, Communication Effectiveness Survey feedback and

Direct feedback.

• based on Gallup questions, predict employee

and workgroup performances across the parameters of growth, teamwork, support and basic needs.

The last two surveys conducted in 2009-10 and 2011-12 show that there is a significant increase in

overall satisfaction scores. The survey results reveal that employees feel superiors care about them and

encourage their development. The organization has also seen an increase in loyalty scores.

• form a part of the Function unit's

Balance Score Card. Stakeholders are made aware of the results on a monthly basis. This helps to get a

pulse of the specific function and see how people are doing. The BEF Excellence Metrics of the

Employee Relations (ER) function consists of the ER budget, Communication, Fun on Floor, Events, and

Rewards and Recognition. These metrics help the function understand what needs to be done

differently to improve every process and achieve excellence.

• is conducted to gather feedback on the

deliverables of BEF. The objective of IPSAT is to hear the voice of the customer and create avenues for

improvement. The areas covered are training programmes, grievance redressal, role of HRD in handling

employee health, crisis, emergencies and engagement. The questionnaire is customised for Juniors–

entry level and process executives, and Seniors - supervisory and higher levels. This survey reveals the

result of the effort that has gone into creating and rolling out initiatives.

• was launched across levels to understand 'what people

want from internal communication.' It has helped improve the reach of initiatives, to assess employee

awareness of people initiatives and understand what form of communication works best across

groups. This survey also indicates the awareness about internal communications events and what the

employees desire in terms of connecting with leaders and role models. The survey resulted in various

actions by the internal communications team, which were executed in two phases.

• In Phase 1, the focus was on using technology to better connect with global centres, revamping

the communication portal to make the intranet more effective, and initiating a change

management exercise where employees connect with leaders.

• Phase 2 was about developing more communication champs, customized communication to

global centres and standardization of communication across locations.

It is thus seen that the internal communications team assumes a proactive role in ensuring that

communication is clear and effective across the organization.

The Employee Satisfaction Survey Scores (ESAT),

The BEF (Business Enabling Function) Excellence Metrics

The Internal Partner Satisfaction Survey (IPSAT)

The Communication Effectiveness Survey

43

• is critical to understand the pulse of employees. Therefore, all employee

engagement events are supported by feedback, which aids in planning the next event. This feedback is

shared with the stakeholders to let them know the voice of customers, in this case, employees.

Direct Feedback shows a positive trend with employees being very interactive, expressing themselves

through blogs and using the wishing well activity that helps drive career paths by understanding

employee career choices.

These surveys and feedback systems are built to monitor all the initiatives, create benchmarks and

improve performance. As an attributable consequence, there is in business accounts,

with some consistently showing 25 percent or less attrition. This is commendable because it indicates that

people are staying with the organization for the value proposition that they see and which works for them.

To sustain these initiatives the organization has recognized some key factors, which are:

• to continue the initiatives and work step by step towards their success

by defining clear retention and training targets in all leaders and managers’ score cards.

• Ensuring that there is to innovate, improvise and optimize newer practices and

technological avenues. Making sure that they have faculty to facilitate training programs and

collaborate with experts on several issues.

• Ensuring that there is a to take the initiative forward, to follow up, drive and aim for

better performance. This is important as Infosys is establishing itself in new geographies, and

employees have to work across cultures, time zones and language. The Employee Engagement

Council is one such forum, which has been established to make this possible.

• are undertaken to study other successful organizations and their people

practices. Two examples of benchmarking studies that have been recently undertaken are the Non-

monetary benefits and Internal Communications practices.

• for the efforts of Change Agents and Volunteers towards the initiatives.

• by leaders, where they share their experiences and inspire employees, is a

regular feature in the organization and a great source of learning.

Infosys has developed its people strategy incorporating three key drivers for engagement, which are

specific to the BPO industry. Through its intensive focus on creating clear career advancement plans and

opportunities, providing for a safe and fun filled workplace and ensuring that employees feel connected

to the organization and its leaders, it has emphasized that people are its main competitive advantage.

Direct Feedback

lower attrition

The will of the organization

budget allocation

dedicated team

Benchmarking studies

Recognition and reward

The Creative Connect

Sustainability of Initiatives

SHRM Conclusion

44

While the variety in initiatives and the manner in which the various development programs are interlinked

to create value for employees and the organization is seamless, what sets the organization apart is the

focus on execution excellence. The organization ensures that the initiatives are institutionalised through

leadership commitment and provision of adequate resources in the form of budgets and manpower for

implementation. Periodic surveys that provide employees feedback on the impact of the programs are

not viewed as one-time measures, rather, the organization focuses on the ongoing trends across the

years to evaluate the effectiveness of its initiatives.

Madhurima Das is a Post-Doctoral Research fellow at Indian Institute of Plantation Management,

Bangalore.

45

Mother Teresa’s quote, “In this life, we cannot do great things. We can only do small

things with great love,” closes one of the presentations on Corporate Social

Responsibility (CSR) at Vestas. It is a succinct illustration of the company’s philosophy.

Vestas Wind Technology India Private Limited is a subsidiary of the 30-year-old Vestas,

which has interests in wind power generation. Incorporated in 1996 in India, the

company currently has a turnover of over INR 1750 crores. It assembles one turbine in

its Chennai assembly unit in India, for which it procures critical components from

European suppliers and others from local sources. The average age of its 1130 Indian

employees is 31 years.

The company recognizes its responsibility to its customers, employees and the

environment and communities within which they operate. It works in partnership

with the people who live near their wind farms to make a beneficial, sustainable

contribution to their lives and communities, particularly in terms of education, health

and the environment. These CSR initiatives act as business enablers by helping build

good rapport with local communities and key stakeholders. Vestas strongly

encourages employees to participate in its CSR program. The company has currently

undertaken CSR initiatives in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu

in the areas of education, health and the environment.

This case study will outline the differentiating practices that make the company

driven, employee executed CSR initiatives at Vestas worth emulating.

Community Impact at Vestas Wind Technology

Jyoti Singh Visvanath

THE ANSWER IS

BLOWING IN THE WIND

47

Every year, Vestas engaged an external team to study the Society Perception of the company as a socially

responsible citizen. The results of the study helped the company revise programs and course correct

initiatives.

They also had high involvement of their own employees from both, a participative and an investment

perspective. According to Naresh Kumar, Director, People & Culture, Vestas, “It is the enthusiasm and the

commitment shown by our colleagues from the corporate office on various project sites and wind farms

spread across India that brings smiles on the faces of many people who benefit from these noble

activities.”

Although almost all the investment in CSR activities is funded by Vestas, employees raised funds for the

Little Dreams Educational Initiative by sponsoring individual children.

Employees volunteered for various initiatives based on their individual interest. However, Vestas

1

2

• CSR initiatives that really make a difference

2

• Employee Investment and Involvement in CSR activities

3

• Involving and managing stakeholders

Fig 5.1: The differentiating CSR practices at Vestas

The Essentials

Key Success Factors

Vestas is strongly committed to clean wind energy solutions that add value to the environment and

economy. Together with its partners, it has reached 50 GW installed capacity globally. In India, it has

installed turbines in far-flung rural communities in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala

and Tamil Nadu. These communities have minimal social infrastructure, especially in the areas of

education, life skill training, healthcare and the environment.

Vestas made an effort to assess both the perceived and actual needs of the communities around the wind

farms to resolve issues that alleviate and improve the quality of life of the people in these far-flung areas

of the country.

A large part of the company’s success stemmed from its ability to identify focus areas that really made a

difference to these communities, such as the environment, health, skill building and educational

support, and to work in close collaboration with both the district and village administration. By engaging

key stakeholders, Vestas worked to ensure the ultimate transfer of responsibility to the local authorities

and to make such initiatives self-sustaining and scalable.

The differentiating CSR practices at Vestas

48

sometimes chose particular employees based on the need for certain projects. The company recognized

volunteers with the ‘Wings of Care” awards and circulated their names in the monthly CSR reports.

Currently, only about 10 percent of employees in India take part in the CSR initiatives but Vestas is seeing

organic growth in the number of participating employees. This is attributable to active and regular

communication and timely recognition.

Some of the unique and key initiatives undertaken by the company are:

Project Little Dreams – a holistic approach toward education: This project partnered with rural

schools to identify and support deserving rural children until the completion of schooling. It also helped

create a conducive learning environment in these schools by providing adequate infrastructure,

including school furniture, science labs, water and sanitation facilities, educational aids, motivational

workshops and career guidance. The overall target for the project was to help at least 1000 children reach

their educational aspirations and improve the learning environment of at least 75 schools by the year 2015.

Project Life Skill Training Center – an environment friendly and socially conscious initiative:

This initiative imparted carpentry skills to rural youths, particularly those affected indirectly by the

Tsunami in 2005. What made this project different was that the company exhibited environmental

consciousness by recycling packaging wood to build furniture and other required infrastructure in

schools to improve the learning environment. The eventual aim was to impart carpentry skills to a

minimum of 250 youth and recycle scrap wood into at least 2500 sets of educational aids in 100 schools

by the year 2015.

Project Gift a Sight - sowing seeds of hope to eliminate needless blindness: This project

extended quality ophthalmic care to communities around the wind farms in partnership with

organisations committed to deliver affordable eye care services, especially to the elderly rural population,

to eliminate needless blindness. The aim was to eliminate avoidable blindness by screening 10000

villagers, provide eye care services and correct visionary defects, if any, in 15000 children by the year

2015. The initiative also worked towards raising awareness of common eye ailments in the community.

Project Treatment at Travel Cost - themed around early identification and cure: This initiative

catered to the basic healthcare services to local communities “within the cost of a bus ticket.” This project

was executed in partnership with committed healthcare professionals and the village administration. The

aim was to reach at least seven wind farm sites with basic healthcare by the year 2015.

Project Go Green: This initiative helped organize tree-planting campaigns in partnership with students,

villages and the government, while raising local awareness and preserving the natural environment. The

aim was to partner in planting 50000 trees through the active involvement of key stakeholders by 2015

and share best practices on environmental care and protection.

Project Little Drops: This initiative restored ancient and community water systems, which benefit the

local communities and the environment. The aim was to restore community water sources by reaching

out to five water bodies by 2015 and raising awareness about water conservation methods.

CSR initiatives that really make a difference

49

The Vestas Commitment

The story so far

What’s next?

Vestas allocates funds for all CSR activities in its annual budget following a detailed assessment of its existing

and planned CSR initiatives. The initiatives are chosen based on a detailed need analysis and alignment with

the core focus areas of education, health and the environment. Year on year, Vestas allocates an increasing

budget to these initiatives, from INR 38 lakhs in 2010 to INR 54 lakhs in 2012. From 12600 people in

2010, these initiatives have benefitted 17500 in 2011 and already impacted 5350 people till

March 31, 2012.

None of these initiatives would have been possible without the commitment of time and effort by Vestas

employees. Between executives, senior managers and other employees, a total of 204 in 2010, 239 in

2011 and 139 employees as of March 31, 2012 have invested 9066 hours in CSR activities since

January 2010.

The impact of the CSR projects is measured using the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, targeted versus

actual output, budgeted versus actual investment, Annual Society Perception Study and the level of

employee participation. The company has performed admirably against all these indicators.

Customers, society and institutions alike have recognized Vestas for their progressive approach to CSR

and community development in oft-neglected areas of the country.

In 2011, Vestas has reached 52 schools across 13 farm sites in five states. Starting with 80 students in

2007, the Little Dreams project currently supports 500 deserving children, a majority of whom are

receiving support for the fifth consecutive year. In 2012, 70 scholars appeared and cleared public

examinations, 39 percent with a first class and another 39 percent with distinction. The annual

motivational Little Dreams Meet benefits around 700 scholarship students per year.

The project has also improved drinking water facilities in 30 schools in partnership with the school

administration, benefitting 5000 students. The Girl Child toilet facility in 25 schools has impacted 3500

students and brought significant relief to adolescent girls, teachers and the local community.

Fifty rural youth have been trained in carpentry so far. They have already recycled 300 tonnes of

packaging wood into 500 sets of school furniture, benefitting 6500 school children. Vestas enabled eye

camps have reached out to 6500 people across four states. More than 20000 saplings have been

planted around the wind farms in the five states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and

Kerala. Vestas, with the help of the district administration, has already helped restore one ancient water

body and another community water source in Tamil Nadu through its project - Little Drops.

Vestas is actively engaged in exploring ways to involve its customers and the Global team in scaling up

and sustaining the ongoing initiatives, even as it looks to continue building the zeal and commitment of

its employees. It has already planned and identified projected community initiatives until the year 2020.

50

SHRM Conclusion

Vestas’ commitment to CSR is founded on a sound understanding that it cannot build its business

without building the community around it.

Not only has it managed to involve employees but it has also engaged customers, local communities and

government authorities in its drive to improve the infrastructure and services related to health, education,

employment and the environment in a judiciously planned, scalable and sustainable manner.

Another aspect that deserves mention is the allocation of CSR in the annual budgeting process, followed

by several checks and balances to ensure the success of the investments. This makes the impact of CSR

measurable and quantifiable, encouraging further investment in both cash and kind from all

stakeholders.

Vestas’ holistic approach to development can be summed up in the story of a female trainee of carpentry

in the life skills for alternative livelihoods project. She not only learnt carpentry at the centre but also

picked up English alphabets and numbers, learning which has been useful in teaching her own school-

going child. This impact is not measurable but it is meaningful.

Jyoti Singh Visvanath is Managing Editor, SHRM India.

51

BUILDING A CULTURE OF

VOLUNTEERISM TO IMPACT

COMMUNITIESThe Mindtree Story

Srividya Sagili

Most of us have the desire to do something for the less fortunate and give back to the community. While

a number of organisations leverage this desire in employees through Corporate Social Responsibility

(CSR) initiatives, a few organize this goodwill into a sustained momentum in the long term.

This case study examines one such organisation – Mindtree – that prides itself on the value that it creates

in the community through its CSR initiatives. As a global Information Technology Solutions company,

Mindtree engineers meaningful technologies to help businesses and societies flourish. What makes

Mindtree unique is that it has been able to institutionalise its community impact initiatives by building a

culture of volunteerism and philanthropy in the organization. This is its story.

The company did not wait to become successful and large enough to chart out its CSR roadmap. Right at

the time of its inception, the founders envisioned it to be an aspirational and memorable company,

which would be value-based and socially sensitive. They wanted to make extraordinary differences in the

lives of ordinary people by sharing their success with society at large.

This commitment was so important, it became a part of their vision

in the form of utilizing a significant portion of their profits to

support enhancement of primary education. To them it made

business sense because in the long run it would attract the

right kind of employees and external partners, which in

turn would attract the right type of customers.

Once it was clear about its commitment, Mindtree planned to instil the same commitment in its people.

This was because it understood the power of people, and knew that

only they could make the difference as envisioned. To make

employees connect with the under privileged part of society, they

undertook several initiatives guided by their mission and new core

values.

After a successful stint of 12 years, Mindtree has initiated a new Brand for its future. The theme is about

– Expertise Led and Culture backed. Mindtree was known for its CLASS values which elaborated as

Caring, Learning, Achieving, Sharing and Social Responsibility. With the need to adhere to the future

needs of its customers Mindtree has redefined its core values, logo and brand.

Once it was clear about its commitment, Mindtree planned to instil the same commitment in its people.

This was because it understood the power of people, and knew that only they could make the difference

as envisioned. To make employees connect with the under privileged part of society, they undertook

Beyond Tokenism

Mindtree’s New Mission

“We engineer meaningful

technology solutions to help

businesses and societies flourish”

Mindtree’s New logo

53

Fig 6.1: Mindtree Values

Collaborative Spirit - Mindtree believes in developing true partnerships. We foster a collegial

environment where individual perspectives are respected and honest dialogue is expected.

Unrelenting Dedication - Mindtree is driven to meet client needs with determination and grit.

We embrace tough challenges and do not rest until the problem is solved the right way.

Expert Thinking - Mindtree brings robust skills and forward-looking perspective to client

challenges. It uses proven knowledge to make recommendations and provide expert guidance to

clients.

To bring mutual joy and fulfilment, every initiative of Mindtree enabled a direct or indirect interface

between their employees and the people they impacted with their CSR work.

Mindtree’s community Impact initiatives are governed by two entities – the Mindtree Foundation and

the Green Council. Mindtree Foundation was formed to leverage Mindtree’s technological leadership,

learning processes and people capabilities to improve primary education and develop assistive

technologies for the physically challenged. The Green Council focused on initiatives, which have an

environment impact.

The following graphic highlights some of the key initiatives Mindtree has undertaken to make a holistic

contribution to society. Mindtree

CSR Initiatives

Financial Aid

SparshFoundation

Sikshana

Rangashankara

TechnologicalAssistance

ComputersthroughSankya

AssistiveTechnology

Social Impact

Mindshare

Lead by service

Emotional Impact

Dream toReality

Blooddonation andGoonj (Old/

winter Clothes)

Volunteering

EnvironmentalCauses

Carbon

Pollution and Waste

Management

Water andEnergy

Fig 6.2: CSR Initiatives at Mindtree

Three out of the 12 schools

supported by Mindtree Foundation

through Sikshana achieved ASER

(Annual Status of Education Report)

100percent result award.

30,000 students impacted in 250

schools over the last five years

Financial Aid

Mindtree views itself as a knowledge company. Hence, it

focused on providing support where creating knowledge was

the most fragile – primary education. It joined hands with

Sikshana to support 12 schools in Kanakapura Taluk

ensuring that quality education is imparted to around 1000

children. What differentiated this initiative was that it

54

focused on motivating students and teachers to aim for higher standards of education rather than

providing infrastructural aid. It used a ‘bottom up’ approach to tackle the issue by empowering schools

and communities.

Mindtree also provided support through direct donations. It sponsored 4000 children from government

schools in Bangalore to use theatre as a medium for learning and strengthening life skills through

Rangashankara Theatre. In addition to this, Mindtree donated INR 30 lakhs to Sparsh Foundation, to

change the world of 200 under-privileged children. Sparsh Foundation, a part of Sparsh Hospital,

promises to treat children with orthopaedic and plastic deformities with corrective surgery, completely

free of cost.

Mindtree collaborated with Sankya to donate 1000 computers to integrate technology in student

learning in aided and unaided schools of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Sankya, a collaborative initiative by

Rotary Clubs of Bangalore South and RT Nagar provides sustainable solutions to enhance learning

through technology by bridging the digital divide in government and rural schools.

Despite technological advances, Assistive Technology (AT) is yet to be adopted on a large scale in

India due to its high cost and challenges in aggregating the market potential. Assistive technology aims

to provide solutions to overcome challenges faced by physically disabled people and help them learn

skills to earn livelihoods. Mindtree took it as a challenge and put into action one of India’s best medical

electronics design teams to achieve one objective - develop assistive technologies, which are affordable,

easy to use and highly reliable. It intended to do so by collaborating with existing partners to make AT

products readily accessible to the target audience. The program was launched in 2010, in partnership with

Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M), with the introduction of two innovative products.

Technological Assistance

1. K(C) communication Audio-Visual Interface Device (KAVI): It helps people with speech

impediments to communicate with others

2. Analog Digital Theremin Interface (ADITI): It helps people with musculoskeletal disabilities to

work on computers

Social Impact

Emotional Impact

Social inclusion has been a part of the value system in Mindtree since its inception. The values of caring

and sharing were visible in their various initiatives. For instance, Mindtree funded a supply of biscuits

made by the Spastics Society of Karnataka to the Missionaries of Charity (MOC) thereby enabling the

former to make revenue and do some philanthropic work for the latter. They also funded a new building

for the destitute home in the MOC premises in Bangalore. A global education initiative, Mindshare

identified specific areas where Mindtree Minds could contribute to society across locations. For example,

Life skill sessions were conducted for around 1000 socially disadvantaged and vulnerable children by 34

volunteers, who were trained by Sambhav Foundation, to enable them to cope with life’s challenges and

intricacies. Lead by Service, aimed to create an understanding of the dignity of labour and build a

strong foundation of values in young Mindtree Minds. New joiners from campuses shadowed the

support staff to understand the realities of life and learn to respect everyone.

Volunteers from Mindtree brought a personal touch to these initiatives in various ways. There were some

who read, scribed, recorded and edited academic books for 75 visually impaired students at

55

Samarthanam. Others, as a part of Technologists for Social Action (TSA), visit MOC every fortnight

to engage with children with Cerebral Palsy and helped bring a sense of normalcy to members of the

destitute home.

Dream to Reality is another highly impactful program, which helped children dream big and work to

achieve these dreams. Fifteen children from Somanahalli Village were ‘adopted’ by 15 Mindtree

employees who not only bore their educational expenses, but also visited with family, gave guidance and

built an emotional bond with them. Rather than being a faceless donor, the program aimed for long

lasting and meaningful relationships and impact.

Mindtree Minds helped organize the “Relay for Life Walkathon” for the American Cancer Society

(Cupertino City, CA) which helped them raise over USD 100,000 in donations. Also, blood donation

camps were organized every year, where Mindtree Minds volunteered to donate blood. They sponsored

clothes for children and leprosy patients along with conducting eye check-ups for senior citizens at

Kakkum Karrangal at Tiruvanmiyur, Chennai.

Just as Mindtree is committed to building healthier

communities, it is determined to preserve the

ecology around it and reduce the harm it causes to

the environment. This led to the formation of the

Green Council and the Green community, to

measure, manage and mitigate issues of carbon,

water, energy and waste in a structured manner.

This made business sense as it reduced operational

costs while conserving resources, which the

organization could do without, for the future.

The Mindtree Green Council (MGC) is an advisory group comprising senior leaders from all the relevant

streams, which promotes and oversees environmental activities in Mindtree. Some of the initiatives

undertaken by MGC are seen in Fig 6.3 on the next page.

Without adequate awareness at the grass-root level, acts of preserving the environment would be

superficial and temporary. Hence, Mindtree created eco-friendly awareness through Green

Community both within the organisation and across different communities. Their innovative initiatives

ranged from holding dialogues with prominent

environmentalists and green scientists,

conducting contests and treasure hunts on the

‘green’ theme, to selling eco-friendly “Green

Council” branded products.

Community organized events like organic food week, a campaign for a firecracker free Diwali and

Walkathon to involve Mindtree Minds were part of the company’s efforts to preserve the ecology.

Mindtree Bikers was the result of a biking workshop conducted by Ride a Cycle Foundation to

encourage people to use eco-friendly and healthy systems to commute. Since its inception, Mbikers have

held several awareness drives resulting in increasing new participation.

The community was responsible for implementing Green Council initiatives like measuring the carbon

footprint and the launch of the car pool portal for Mindtree Minds. Another successful initiative was

Environmental Causes People Green Award for Companies and

Corporate Foundations - Mindtree won this

recognition in July 2012 for contributing to

environmental causes without seeking any

monetary gains.

Reduction in per-capita footprint from

3.51 (09-11) to 2.92 (10-11) MT and water

consumption from 1.02 KL/person/month

(20-11) to 0.97 KL/person/month currently

Starting from 10, number of volunteers in

Green community increased to more than 650.

56

solid waste management in the Raja Rajeshwari

Nagar locality. The community was instrumental in

creating awareness of segregating waste in 500

houses and reducing the daily waste burden by two

tonnes.

One of the biggest challenges in CSR is sustenance,

especially since it involves volunteering. Mindtree

managed this challenge by ensuring that all ideas for

initiatives were passed through a sustainability filter.

Another major contributing factor was the design of

the initiatives, which created value for both the

volunteers and the beneficiaries, ensuring continuity

of the program. Mindtree was clear right from the

start that volunteering is a two-way relationship. The

program design ensured that while volunteers

impart support and knowledge to the

underprivileged, they gain self-development and

leadership skills. Mindtree Foundation frequently

conducts awareness programs about its initiatives to

encourage employees to volunteer and evolve

beyond their work.

Mindtree is charting out plans and initiatives till

2020. While it will continue with the current

initiatives and sponsorships in education, it is exploring the feasibility of providing technology solutions

to those in need. In the near future, Mindtree aims to reduce its per capita carbon footprint by five

percent. It also plans to develop e-learning programs to create awareness and educate people on taking

actions to conserve the environment.

While most organizations look at corporate social responsibility once they have reasonably established

themselves, Mindtree focussed on social sensitivity right from its inception. This was built on the business

case that Mindtree believed in - a strong organization culture of volunteerism and philosophy would

attract the right kind of talent, especially people who were passionate about its CSR initiatives, and the

right kind of customers. This core foundation that is deeply embedded in the Mindtree values has helped

the organization successfully stay the course despite a difficult economic climate.

These initiatives, which span various socially impactful areas such as education, disability, environment

and waste recycling, have influenced employees to become active members of the community and give

their personal time to make a difference. Mindtree has also successfully leveraged its technological

leadership in the CSR initiatives to have a positive impact on the community.

Making a Difference

The Path Ahead

SHRM Conclusion

Fig 6.3: Environmental Initiatives

• Measure Carbon footprint since 2009

• Moved to Virtual meeting technologies,video and teleconferences

• Encouraged use of public transport/company bus/carpooling

• Planted 8000 trees in 50 acres to act as Carbon sink

Carbon

Energy

Water

Pollution and waste

• Implementing Green Building

• Eco friendly systems to meet cooling, lighting and computing requirements

• Good practices to minimize energy consumption

• Sewage water treatment plant to recycle water

• Rainwater harvesting/groundwater recharging

• Water efficient appliances

• Installation of meters and autosenserto optimizeuse

• Recycles 100 percent of its waste

• Segregates and disposes waste through external agencies

• Organic Waste goes to piggeries, electronic waste disposed through E-Parisaraa

• Recycles paper through Samarthanam

Srividya Sagili is an independent consultant involved in developing training content and

conducting train the trainer sessions.

57

The Aditya Birla Group (ABG), a Fortune 500 global conglomerate, has an annual turnover of

USD 40 billion. It has 18 businesses, operations in 36 countries and a workforce of over

1,36,000 belonging to 42 nationalities. The rapid growth, expansion into multiple

geographies and an increasingly, diversified and dispersed workforce necessitated the

development of leaders who understood the business and lived by the values and culture of

the organization. Employees also expressed a need for a system to identify, develop, recognize

and differentiate those with High Potential from others. However, being a global

conglomerate posed both a challenge and an opportunity for leadership development at all

levels. Individual businesses had a tendency to hoard talent, preventing movement across

different Group companies, as also employee development was only seen from the limited lens

of training programs.

This case study follows the Aditya Birla Group’s journey in leadership development and how it

has built a robust bench strength of world-class leaders integral to its overall growth strategy.

FUTURE TORCHBEARERS Journey of Leadership Development at Aditya Birla Group

Namita Rajani

Winner of the First, People Award for

Excellence in Developing Tomorrow’s Leaders

by SHRM India in 2012

Ranked No. 4 in the world and No. 1 in Asia

Pacific in the landmark Top Companies for

Leaders (TCFL) study by Aon Hewitt in 2011

Winner of the Excellence Award in Leadership

Development at the 13th Corporate University

Xchange Annual Awards, 2012

59

Developing Leaders

The key driver of leadership development at ABG is the goal of being a USD 65 billion

conglomerate by 2015. The Group focussed on meeting the 80:20 principle - where 80 percent of

its leaders would be developed within and 20 percent hired from outside.

In this context, the key objectives of ABG’s Leadership Development initiatives were:

• To build a robust supply chain of ready leaders available at the required time for various levels and

specializations, including generalists, functional heads or specialists, and differing business contexts,

such as global and local, growth, mature and start-up businesses

• To ensure uniformity and consistency in processes irrespective of the type of business or levels

• To institutionalize a culture of “Leaders Build Leaders”

• To build a developing culture, to create ownership for development and accelerate learning by

leveraging the Group’s inherent diversity to develop well-rounded leaders by giving them varied

exposure or experience catering to their career aspirations

The Process of Leadership Development at ABG

ABG formally launched its leadership development framework in 2003 after a lot of groundwork, which

included reviewing relevant literature, interacting with different people in the industry, getting feedback

and inputs from all relevant stakeholders, and taking into account the specific requirements of the Group

due to its diverse nature. The primary ownership of the process rested with the HR’s Leadership

Development portfolio with line managers playing a major role at various stages of the process.

While rolling-out this initiative, the organization took several steps to ensure continuity and consistency

across all businesses of the Group. Senior Managers communicated the process in detail to employees

through town hall meetings. All employees were educated on how each aspect of the framework fits

into the overall scheme, the output at the end of each step, their roles and responsibilities, the timelines

and the value proposition. Extensive skill building sessions were conducted to train every employee and

manager on assessment of competencies and potential, giving feedback and preparing a development

plan. The capability of the HR team was also built in all the required aspects.

A Leadership Competency Framework formed the base for assessment of candidates. This translated the

requirements of the business strategy into specific competencies and supported critical HR and decision-

making processes.

The existing competency framework at ABG (refined in 2009), depicted in Fig 7.1, comprises behavioural

competencies, personal characteristics and ABG values which form the heart of the framework. The

Group reviews and refines its competency framework every three to five years to ensure it is future

focussed, stimulates growth and supports the achievement of the overall strategy of the Group.

Setting the Stage

Leadership Competency Framework

60

Identifying Future Leaders

The process of identifying future leaders involves three steps.

Step 1: Potential Assessment by Manager – All management cadre employees who have completed

at least one performance cycle and have a minimum level of performance are eligible to be assessed for

leadership potential. This way leadership development starts very early in the employee life cycle.

Potential is defined as the ability of an individual to move ‘job bands’ in a definite timeframe. It is gauged

with the help of a questionnaire where the manager is required to provide supporting reasons or

evidence of potential in the employee.

Step 2: Talent Segmentation Process – Based on the manager’s assessment on performance and

potential, the individuals are segmented using a 9 Box – 3 by 3 performance-potential grid. The

respective Unit HR then facilitates a collective discussion on this segmentation with the Unit

Management teams, including the Unit and Functional Heads. The employees who have been assessed

to be between medium and high in performance and potential form the Unit or Business Head Talent

Pool.

A circular on Talent Segmentation is sent to all HR Heads in every business, each year thereby

ensuring accountability and collation of a data pool at the organizational level.

Step 3: Talent Assessment and Calibration – The world’s leading agencies like Hewitt, SHL and DDI

conduct Development and Assessment Centres (DAC) to validate and calibrate the identified talent. The

DACs provide independent, neutral third party assessment of the individual. The assessments measure

critical leadership attributes required for the future such as global acumen, customer orientation,

managing ambiguity and influencing multiple stakeholders.

Following this, the potential of the individual is calibrated after a consensus discussion with the Unit or

Business management. During the consensus discussion, the management team considers the inputs

Ho

w w

ell

do

we e

xecu

te?

Behavioural Competencies

How well do we lead a Business?

1. Vision & Strategy2. Business Acumen

7. Get Results8. Influencing9. Communication

ABGValues

5. Customer Focus6. Innovates & Improves

How do we engage & retain customers?

3. Promotes Teamwork4. Develops Self & Others

Ho

w w

ell d

o w

e le

ad

team

s & p

eo

ple

?Drive to Achieve

Learning Agility

Intellectual Capability

Managing Ambiguity

Leadership Presence

Personal Characteristics

Fig 7.1: Leadership Competency Framework

A leader at ABG is expected to be proficient in behavioural competencies, have personal

characteristics as his or her strengths and live by the organizational values at all times.

61

received from the DAC along with the factors considered during the Talent Segmentation process.

ABG has partnered with global organizations in line with their global ambition. These partners

help them provide longitudinal research and insights to constantly improve their competency

framework and make it globally relevant. ABG benchmarks its leaders with global standards.

The ABG Chairman engages in a Development Dialogue with Business Heads, highly acclaimed

business advisors and thought leaders, to review the top leadership talent. A detailed two to three page

pen portrait is prepared for each employee through exhaustive, qualitative 360-degree feedback. The

employee is reviewed holistically to identify the potential, essentially to assess whether the employee has

potential to be a business, functional or specialist leader, before the development plans are finalized. The

Business Head shares the outcome of the review with the employee.

The Individual Development Plans (IDPs) are finalized taking into consideration the individual’s career

aspiration, strengths and development areas as discussed during the review and the advancement plans.

The IDP data then feeds into the learning agenda and in understanding the capability gaps of current and

future leaders. The Business Heads along with the HR team -undertake Talent Reviews to track the extent

of implementation of the IDPs.

Like most other organizations, ABG follows a blended approach to leadership development, which

involves a combination of classroom training, coaching, mentoring, job shadowing, on-the-job

assignments and relationship development. The entire approach can be broadly classified into three

parts. The first part involves basic awareness or knowledge of certain functions, mainly through

classroom training. The second part involves building capability of the candidate through challenging

assignments, coaching, mentoring, and job shadowing. The third part, unique to ABG,

is - assigning roles to employees in different business segments of the Group to leverage their

strengths in diverse ways. For instance, an employee working in a growing business area is offered an

opportunity to work in a struggling business segment to enable learning and development through

exposure to a different environment.

While the leadership development program focusses on developing a pool of holistic leaders who can

take up any leadership role in the future, ABG realized the need to build programs to develop leaders for

niche opportunities or specific domains, which require deep technical expertise. For example, a critical

requirement for the Group was to build an adequate pipeline of Business (P&L) leaders who would be

able to meet its growth goals in the years to come. An Accelerated P&L Leadership Program -

Cutting Edge was introduced with the twin objectives of developing individual leadership capability

and specific business knowledge. The program is for senior high potential executives with 18 to 20 years

of experience in functional and cross-functional roles across businesses. The program outcomes are

delivered in 18 months in three phases - with each phase having an action-learning project, classroom

training, learning coaches to facilitate learning, and mentoring by ABG leaders. The curriculum content

covers focussed aspects of a P&L Leader, specific versus generic competencies, and has a mix of external

faculty and internal business leaders to deliver the program.

Reviewing Talent and Preparing Individual Development Plans

Approach to Development – Implementation of IDPs

Programs with a Direct Business Consequence - Building a Targeted Leadership Pipeline

62

Board Involvement - Institutionalizing a Culture of “Leaders Build Leaders”

Leadership Coaching - Building a Coaching Culture to Support Leadership Development

Deployment of Developed Leadership Pool -

Leveraging Group’s Inherent Diversity

A crucial plus point of the leadership programs at ABG is the involvement of the Board. Board members

have played a key role from the inception of the process, steering its implementation across businesses

and finalizing the leadership competencies and behavioural indicators for each competency for different

levels of employees. During the Development Dialogue, the Board members are actively involved in

the process of regularly reviewing senior and top talent in each of the businesses.

The Board is also involved in the Group Values Committee whose role is to ensure that all the practices

and processes in the Business or Unit comply with the ABG value standards and provide guidance for

resolving value dilemmas. In addition, they are involved in mentoring and reviewing the progress of the

participants of the Cutting Edge – Leadership program for P&L Leaders.

This clearly indicates the commitment of the top leadership to developing the leadership pipeline

at ABG, thereby institutionalizing a culture of “Leaders Build Leaders.”

ABG has built a strong coaching culture to support leadership development initiatives, to create

ownership for development, to accelerate learning and to maximize organizational resources. To do this

ABG has introduced two programs:

1. ABG Coach Foundation Program: Through this program, managers at ABG learn coaching skills to

use in day-to-day coaching opportunities and in more formal, one-on-one development discussions.

2. ABG Coach Certification Program: Senior managers undergo this rigorous coach certification

program supervised first by external, and eventually by internal, Head Coaches.

Further, to facilitate senior leaders in their personal development and to help them become better CEOs,

ABG engages Executive Coaches. Around 25 senior leaders have experienced the power of coaching by

working with over 20 renowned coaches.

As a conglomerate, it can be challenging to

deploy the developed leadership pool across

different businesses. However, ABG has

successfully overcome this problem by leveraging

its inherent diversity to provide a world of

opportunities to its candidates. The Group has

supported the growth of many ‘intra -preneurs’

within ABG by handing them critical assignments

to which they have had no prior exposure as

illustrated in the sidebar.

This has not only led to successful deployment of

its talent in different scenarios but is also aligned

with its goal of 80:20 internal versus external

leaders.

•Functional Heads, for example, Chief Financial

Officers (CFO) / Human Resource (HR) Heads, with

no experience in running a business, as CEOs of

large global businesses

•Managers, having prior experience of managing

less complex and small scale operations, to roles

which are highly complex, strategic and have a

multi fold jump in terms of scale

•Specialists in business to critical general

management roles

•Managers with no international exposure as

Country Heads / CEOs of Overseas Units

•Young professionals as CEOs of businesses

•Appointment of expats - having no prior

experience of working in India – to work in India

63

Leveraging Technology - Monitoring and Measuring Effectiveness

ABG utilizes the PeopleSoft application to track and monitor the process and ensure effectiveness.

A few of the metrics ABG uses to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of its leadership development

process are - diversity in the leadership pipeline, number of positions with ready now candidates,

number of job openings filled from the succession pool, completion of individual IDPs, retention of

HIPOs or critical talent, promotion rate of HIPOs, percentage of HIPOs placed in senior management

positions and total vacancies filled internally versus total filled externally.

The following measures highlight the impact of the leadership development initiatives at ABG:

• About 40 percent of senior leadership has P&L potential. At the mid-level, about 30 percent of the

talent can take up P&L roles in two to three years

• Negligible attrition at the top management level for the past three years

• Over 5000 employees have attended DACs since 2004 and approximately 3000 employees across

ABG have attended DACs over the past three years

• Over 5000 career growth opportunities have been provided within ABG over the past three years

through global roles, internal job rotations and promotions

• In the last year, over 60 percent of leadership positions have been filled internally

• Over 250 employees experienced career growth opportunities by moving across different businesses

thereby leveraging the inherent diversity of the Group

• In the past three editions of the Organizational Health Study (OHS), over 96 percent of the

respondents have indicated that they are proud be an employee of the Aditya Birla Group

The next step for the Group is to sustain and grow these initiatives in the coming years through:

• Reviewing and modifying the initiatives at regular intervals to ensure they remain relevant and aid the

businesses in delivering results

• Continuous involvement of the leadership team in all the businesses

• Rigorous tracking and monitoring of metrics

The Journey so far

What’s Next?

64

SHRM Conclusion

ABG distinguishes itself from other organizations by effectively leveraging the opportunities and

challenges of being a global conglomerate to develop and successfully implement a holistic leadership

development program across the Group. A key role in building the leadership pool to future proof the

Group is played by the uniform and consistent process of identifying and assessing candidates

irrespective of the Business or Unit. In addition to this, the focussed involvement of Board in the entire

process, accelerated development programs for specific domains, the deployment of identified

leadership pool to assignments across business segments and different countries, followed by the use of

technology to monitor and measure effectiveness are the unique differentiating features of the program.

The impact of these initiatives is clearly visible through the percentage of leadership positions filled

internally by competent and engaged leaders who live by the Group values. This establishes how ABG

leverages its inherent diversity and why employees feel proud to be a part of the Group.

Namita Rajani is Research Analyst with SHRM India.

65

CREATING FUTURE

LEADERS WITHINLeadership Development Initiative at Ingersoll Rand, India

Prabhat Deo & Dedeepya Ajith-John

These statements endorse Ingersoll Rand’s strong focus on Leadership Development as a means to

strengthen its organizational capability.

This case study elaborates on how the Leadership Development practices at Ingersoll Rand have resulted

in Excellence in Developing Leaders of Tomorrow.

Ingersoll Rand is a USD 14 billion global, diversified, industrial company, with a focus on providing

specialized solutions to businesses. It established its expertise by providing innovative solutions in the

fields of industrial technologies, climate, security and residential businesses.

Overview

“Not many organizations can boast of 20 percent +

Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) in revenue

and operating income and almost doubling the market

cap over the last three years in uncertain markets – this

is a testament to the effectiveness of our leadership

and talent strategy.”

Venkatesh Valluri, President

“The India ADP program is the way forward as it helps

focus on key capability requirements for the future.”

Global and Regional Directors

“The future is about building nimble organizations that

can develop leaders who are able to operate in

uncertain environments with confidence – that is what

we are creating.”

Jayantika Dave, VP – Human Resources

67

Need for a Leadership Development Initiative

Historically, leaders in Ingersoll Rand operated with the mindset of a traditional engineering

organization. The aim of pursuing high growth paths, essentially more than doubling revenues over a

three year period, made it imperative to have a strong leadership team. An analysis of leadership within

the organization revealed the following key gap areas:

• Leaders’ ability to inspire and develop people

• Weak succession plans

• Ability to create long term value to fuel profitable growth

• Focus on products instead of markets and customers

• Operating in business silos as against one Ingersoll Rand

• Ability to lead effectively in VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) environments

Ingersoll Rand adopted a unique Leadership Development Strategy to overcome these limitations, break

out of the traditional mind-set and help business growth and build people capability development, as

detailed in Figure 8.1.

Fig 8.1: Imperatives for Leadership Development

Leadership Development

Strategy

PEOPLE IMPERATIVES

Build pipeline of leaders at all levels

Foster culture of cross-sector collaboration

Enhance leaders ability to inspire & develop

EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT

Build capablity to effectively lead in VUCA environments

BUSINESS IMPERATIVES

Drive profitable growth Create new markets, products, and solutions

Develop an outside-in mindset and make India an Innovation hub

68

The Leadership Development Framework

Long Range Plan (LRP) and Organization and Leadership Review (OLR)

Ingersoll Rand has developed a leadership

development framework, specif ic to its

requirements, as outlined in Figure 8.2. This is

strongly linked to Ingersoll Rand’s vision of creating

“A world of sustainable progress and enduring

results.” The Senior Leadership Team (SLT)

comprising the direct reports of the India President

and the next level of leadership (SLT-1) develop and

drive the business and people strategy, while people

managers, including middle and frontline managers

help in the execution of the India business strategy.

In addition, the team collectively focuses on

development of early talent and fresh recruits with

high leadership potential from premier campuses.

The Long Range Plan (LRP) flows from the Vision and Business strategy of the organization and includes

both, a country and business level view. Highlighting the key capability requirements for each line of

business and organization, LRP also factors in macro-economic and industry projections, business

forecasts, in addition to goals and success measures. This information is used as an input into creating the

leadership development strategy.

The Organization and Leadership Review, appraises

the leadership capabilities of all leaders taking into

account their performance, competency and key skills

capability assessments. Put together, the LRP and OLR

processes build a map of key capability requirements,

gaps and priorities at an organization and individual level.

On completion of the review, competency maps and

development plans are prepared for senior leaders, key

talent and potential successors. Leadership commitment

and funding is also reviewed at this stage.

Inputs from the Review are fed into the Leadership Design

Process [Figure 8.3].

The design process starts with the participation of

Internal Stakeholders including the India President, Global and Regional Business Presidents and HR

Leaders, who mutually interact, evaluate, strategize and prepare roadmaps for the identified talent. For

the top two layers in the organization, Leadership Assessments are done in partnership with the

Global Talent and OD Organization and Kenexa. For other levels, talent is assessed through a regular

Talent Review Process, including performance history, potential and competency assessment. On the

Discovery Day, a summary of assessment results is shared with the team, common linkages are

established and aligned to the action plan from the management. The organization Partners with best in

class global organizations like Korn/Ferry International for SLT development and with Harvard Business

Fig 8.2: Leadership Development Framework

Review Process and Metrics for Success

Ingersoll Rand University - Gloabal & Regional Programs

Organization and Leadership Review

Long Range Business Plans (LRP)

DiscoveryDay

LeaderhipAssessment

StakeholderEngagement

Developmental Roadmap

StrategicPartnership

Fig 8.3: Leadership Design Process

69

70

OrganizationLevel

Name of Program Learning Methodology Strategic Partner Duration

Strategic LeadershipProgram – India

Senior LeadershipAssessments

Executive LeadershipProgram – Global

SLT

Leader Assessments

Advanced Leader BusinessManagement Program - Global

Advanced Leader PeopleManagement Program - Global

SLT-1

Middleand JuniorManagement

People Leader Roadmap

Early Talent Programs

Accelerated DevelopmentProgram

70:20:10 learning principle,Action Learning Assignmentand Coaching

Korn/FerryInternational

12 months

Learn, Practice, Applymethodology, LearningLabs, Case studycompetition, Simulationsand Action learning

Harvard BusinessPublishing

12 months

Online and formal classroomlearning supplementedthrough individualdevelopment plans andon-the-job application

In house 2 years

Focuses on functionalexcellence in different roles like strategic marketing,product management,and product & solutiondevelopment, sales,manufacturingand operations

In house 12-24 months

Management Trainee Program

Graduate EngineerTrainee Program

Table 8.1: Global and Regional Programs

Publishing for SLT-1 development. A blended learning approach is then used to execute the

Developmental Roadmap through learning labs around common needs, action learning projects and

personal executive coaching to address individual gaps.

This Leadership Development initiative is an on-going talent life cycle event at Ingersoll Rand. It is

implemented as a part of the Talent Review and Development Planning process, driven by Individual

Development Plans (IDPs).

The Ingersoll Rand Leadership Development Program addresses the developmental needs of talent. The

initiatives are implemented based on the organizational hierarchy, business requirements and people

needs. Table 8.1 showcases the various customized programs for each of the levels along with the details

of one of the programs (highlighted in the table).

Global and Regional Programs

Unique and Innovative Programs

India’s Accelerated Development Program (ADP) is a one of its kind, noteworthy initiative. Its

objective is to create new markets and solutions, and develop products that meet the needs of “blue

ocean markets.” This program is designed to prepare the future leaders of Ingersoll Rand by providing

them with diverse developmental experiences early in their careers. Through functional rotations across

Business LeadershipProgram – India

71

multiple geographic business locations, leadership training and exposure to senior leadership, ADP

participants build diverse skill sets and a strong career foundation with the organization. What makes

this program unique is it targets those who join the organization directly from premier institutes.

Selection based on leadership potential is woven into the campus recruitment process so that leadership

development can begin for these candidates right from day one of joining the organization.

Yet another program, Entrepreneur Creation Program (ECP) was conceptualized to encourage and

support ethical business creation practices. The future of the businesses will be based on a “Hub and

Spoke” model. Organizational hubs will own the brand, technology and products, while the spokes will

be driven by entrepreneurs who will create markets by adopting an open innovation strategy with

organizational support. This unique two year program is aimed at fostering a culture of innovation and

developing skill sets required for entrepreneurship among young management students. It creates a

workforce which is not only technology smart but also innovation savvy, and which is able to understand

the needs of the growing market, especially in Tier II cities.

The entire Leadership Development Framework is reviewed on a quarterly basis by the India leadership

team and semi-annually by the Global President and Senior Vice President HR. Success measures and

metrics are tracked periodically for deviations, if any. The key metrics captured along with the outcomes

for 2012 are as below:

Review Process and Metrics for Success

Succession Pipeline

• SLT: Ready in Near-term up 44%; Ready in Mid-term up 35%

• SLT-1: Ready Now up 18%; Ready in Near term up 22%; Ready in Mid-term up 23%

Cross - Sector Successors: Up from 5 in 2011 to 21 in 2012

Key Indices from Engagement Survey:

• Building organizational leadership index: Up 3 points

• Leadership & Managerial Effectiveness index: 71% - 5 points above external benchmark

• Growth & Development Index: Up 3 points

Progress made on key capabilities

Feedback from key stakeholders

Impact of the Leadership Development Framework

The Leadership Development initiative at Ingersoll Rand is a robust process driven by business priorities

and the need to build organizational capability. The program has had a positive impact on organization

culture building, in terms of:

• Stronger succession pipeline

• Internalization of the importance of on-the-job experiences for development (84 leaders on projects)

• Breaking the “silos” through launch of cross-selling and vertical market initiatives cutting across

multiple businesses

• Identification of cross-sector successors and enabling cross-sector career movements

• Process to encourage innovation

- Innovation Council established

- 265 ideas (January to July 2012) up from 76 ideas in 2011. 40 ideas shortlisted for evaluation

• First batch of Entrepreneur Partners in the final stages of creating their business plans

• Three year performance: Growth – 20 percent CAGR; Profitability – 22 percent CAGR; Market

Capitalization - Almost doubled

To sustain and grow the Leadership Development Initiative, the management identified certain key

success factors, comprising:

• Continued investment in key capability building programs

• Staying focused on the key initiatives and not spreading programs, investments and resources thin

• Enabling career moves and strengthening the career movement framework

• Engaging leaders in developing the next line through coaching and mentoring programs

• Strengthening program roadmaps for key talent at SLT-2 level

Ingersoll Rand partners with best- in-class organizations, adopts a learning framework that matches the

requirement of early talent and business leaders in its creative and comprehensive Leadership

Development initiative. Furthermore, the organization has made efficient use of time, money and

resources to structure well collaborated leadership across all business verticals. The initiative designed

and delivered in this manner is coherent, holistic, in line with their global initiative and aligned to business

strategy thereby creating a pipeline of skilled leaders from within. This initiative has resulted not only in

building people capability and realization of business strategy but also in development of organization

capability for future business growth and sustenance.

A key takeaway from this case study is that the organization believes and invests in developing talent

across all levels in the organizational hierarchy including early talent and senior leadership. The programs

that assess the talent and support developmental needs are rigorously monitored to ensure effectiveness

of the initiative.

What is responsible for the success of the Leadership Development initiative at Ingersoll Rand in India?

The Indian organisation has been able to customize their global Leadership Development practices to the

emerging market context. For instance, ‘learning agility’ and ‘technology convergence’ were identified as

additional capabilities in the leadership framework. They have also developed a unique program on

entrepreneurship development for management students. Overall they have taken a long-term view and

adopted an innovative approach to developing leaders that has clearly demonstrated business impact.

Sustainability and Scalability

SHRM Conclusion

Prabhat Deo is presently a freelancer.

Dedeepya Ajith-John is Research Analyst with SHRM India.

72

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