Gagan Kaul Blog

Changing dynamics in the international business arena are forcing all organizations to take a relook at their business models and redefine their strategy. With the competition becoming global in nature, a lead in local markets does not essentially mean a niche in the ‘changed’ rules of business operations. A careful evaluation of future strategy, operational competencies and target markets has now become the key to survival. And finally the full emphasis is also on people - people productivity, training, lowering attrition - in short, keeping employees happy in every manner. A successful company would have outlined its future plans based on realistic goals, placed the right people in the right processes, and laid out a time frame for the things to move and results to start showing up.

Wipro is one such company that is making heads turn. After the exit of Vivek Paul, there were many people who thought that the exit meant a doom for the company. But a recent Businessweek interview with Azim Premji shows that things are actually brighter than before. Its revenues jumped by 9% with profits growing by 11% over the previous quarter. Here are some snippets from the interview:

“We’re investing more for the future, in people, in innovation, marketing, in the brand.”

“The most important thing is innovation — productivity innovation, innovation in training, in business models, in intellectual-property investment, in non-linear delivery models like managed services, in compensation programs. We’re also looking to innovate in our strategic acquisitions.”

“We’re pulling up people from within the organization and retraining them.”

It is nice to see the C.E.O. making the right kind of noise, and for once the focus on innovation seems to be the right path ahead. Existing software, competencies et al would soon be passe. The whole game is changing with newer innovations happening all across the world - WIMAX, Web 2.0, Microsoft Live .. to name a few. The need of any organization is not to develop its services around these innovations, but for survival, an active participation in the innovation process has become paramount.