Outsourcing: Naresh Lakhanpal And Hiro Notaney Of Patni Computer Systems (Part 3)

By guest author Tony Scott

Tony: I think the thing to look at when you talk about cultural issues is that you have to build a team from the top all the way down, and the culture has to work all the way down.

Naresh: Right.

Tony: It also has to be a culture that is sustainable, one that allows the company to grow and evolve.

Naresh: Absolutely.

Tony: Of course, a big challenge is when you have a company that has to operate across multiple countries, has clients from multiple cultures, and comprises people who come from multiple cultures. Have you found cultural differences between the Indian professionals whom you’ve had working in India or in the United States and European or Asian professionals? If so, how have you helped to bridge that gap between the clients and your different employees? You said that one of the things that your customers say is, “Oh, you do a great job, but we don’t hear you articulate ideas as much as we would like you to.” Is that also one of the cultural differences that you see, being more reactive than proactive?

Hiro: I think with the bit about our not expressing ourselves, one aspect of that is we don’t sell enough. That’s what our customers say, that we’re not in-your-face selling. This is positive in some ways because they like that, but at the same time for us we need to do more of it. I think that is more of a Patni thing than a broader Indian thing. I think other companies do it more.

Naresh: I think my level of pushing hard is going to be different from that of a lot of other people; I push pretty hard. And it is not because as an organization we need that kick; it’s really because my expectations are so high. The expectations from management are pretty high at this point. I think that what we’re seeing is that the organization is really going ahead with the process of stepping up. You can see the fire; you can see how aggressive people are. It’s not in-your-face, but more like, okay let’s think into our strategy, how do we attack the market this way? I think the thoughtfulness is really happening. I think we’re also seeing from our folks on-shore, off shore, on-site, near shore, or whatever you want to call it, that the opportunity to interact with the customer is great. It makes the customer feel comfortable that it’s okay to have this conversation. I think that you have to prep people upfront so that they understand that it’s okay, they can talk.

Tony: Yes, I mean, you need also to let people know that. It’s part of the cultural shift that obviously you need to make to go from being reactive and [get people to think about] the idea that we’re doing something because we can do it not just cheaper but better, too, so let’s try to figure out how to get there to create a solution and therefore add value.

Naresh: Right.

Tony: And that has to come from the very top down. It can’t just trickle up; people have to see it from the top all the way down. So, have you seen a shift in the kind of skills that you’re looking to bring in to your organizations at the more senior levels that then also filter all the way down?

Naresh: Oh, I think that’s evident. If you look at our the executive leadership team, we’ve got a lot of folks who came in from the outside, and that naturally has changed the dynamics of the organization, how we think, how we operate, and what our expectations are.

Tony: Right.

Naresh: So, I would say yes, absolutely. You’re starting to see that the expectations – I don’t want to use the word “on top”– but from the leadership that are really designed to change the organization in a not a permanent way but in a direction that makes us a highly sustainable organization. A good example is role based, that’s one thing. The second thing is how our variable compensation is designed to reward people.

Everything is based on reward, not the fact that you’ve been here ten years; that doesn’t matter. It’s important because you want longevity, but at the same time you’re really trying to get the organization to think in an aggressive manner, understand the marketplace more, and for people to come up with solutions on their own. I think some other things have happened. Driving us is in that direction is the fact that 1% of our population is asked to be focused on innovation, not billable [hours]. If you think about it, that’s a real shock to this traditional business culture of worth, if you’re not billable.

Tony: Yes, [the idea that] you’re not worthy.

This segment is part 3 in the series : Outsourcing: Naresh Lakhanpal And Hiro Notaney Of Patni Computer Systems
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