The Charge of the Foreign Brigade
It is certainly not the first time that these non-Indian services firms have performed well on BES. Over the years, they have staked claim to quite many places on the Top 20 list. Last year, five non-Indian firms were on the list, of which three (Cadence, CSC, and Kanbay as part of Capgemini) are back again this year. There were six non-Indian firms in 2005 and over 10 in 2004. In fact in 2004, non-Indian firms topped 4 out of the 8 broad categories like image, culture, job content, etc, while they had topped 8 of 10 in 2003. Over the last few years, non-Indian firms have been recruiting heavily, for instance, IBM India and Cognizant added around 14,000 employees each in the last year itself and were amongst the largest recruiters in India. Little wonder these companies are gaining prominence in the BES.

By and large, the reasons remain the same over last year. The only significant change: overseas opportunities now matter more than growth opportunity. However, managers complain that the love for overseas is restricted to postings abroad for one-two years, unlike earlier. Most of them want to come back to India after a short overseas stint

Of the lot, Cadence has been the most persistent. It was ranked at the very top (#1) in 2003, came in #4 in 2004, #6 in 2005, and #5 in 2006. This year Cadence falls 9 places to be ranked #14because of a fall of 12 places in HR rankings. IBM India has been another regular in the BES, it was ranked at #5 in 2003, #3 in 2004, and #8 in 2005. It did not participate in 2006 and this year IBM re-entered the list again at #6. IBM ranks at #3 on HR rankings and #12 on employee rankings, meaning it still has a lot of work etched out for it. The other most interesting MNC debut this year was that of the European major, Capgemini that ranks at #6, with IBM. The interesting part being that it ranks #31 on the HR list and #5 on the employee ranks, a difference of 26 ranks between the two, the second largest in BES this year.

The change is evident. In the past these companies tried to fit the operations to the processes they had brought along with them. This was certainly not the best way, as Indian employees lay a lot of emphasis on inter-personal relationships. Indians not only work for a company, but, more often than not, are married to them. So while a good pay package was always good, it was never the be all of a job. Thus, a lot many employees preferred the hospitable and informal atmosphere at Indian companies rather than process driven MNCs.

Non-Indian companies have woken up to this unique characteristic of Indian employees and are changing themselves with a gusto. Take the case of Capgemini, its India center is not a clone of the HQ, but follows distinctive HR policies that are aimed at the Indian audience. IBM is trying to be more personal, with Sam Palmisano making frequent trips to India and displaying his love through huge get-togethers that seem like a typical Indian wedding. On the other hand, Intel, has taken a leaf out of the Tatas and is increasingly talking about its CSR activities. It would seem that these non-Indian services are adapting to the Indian work culture and beating the big Indian players in their own game.

Interestingly, growth opportunity and technology one is working on are the two parameters where people are fairly satisfied; yet they would change for those reasons. The toughest challenge for employers

The results of this transformation are there for all to see. Take the case of dream companiesfour non-Indian companies have made their place in the Top 10. The implication is clear: more Indians prefer non-Indian service firms to their Indian counterparts.

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