|
Service providers the world over have to be partners and change
catalysts for their customers. So, when Hexaware was looking at the theme for
its 4th CSummit, it chose: Accelerate. And, to set the ball rolling, flew in
Prof John P Kotter of the Harvard Business School, to set the agenda. Kotter is
the author of many bestsellers, including his latest, Our Iceberg is
Melting, which examines the change process and the role of leadership.
His two-hour presentation at the event, held in the serene Four
Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas, emphasized what is needed to make change happen, and
continuous change to be institutionalized, laying out the fact that the basics,
ironically enough, do not change. "Dont do all things right; do the
right things" was a key message. When organizations try to do all things
right, they usually compromise the passion and the essence of change. Change, to
be effective, has to be quantum and successful; significant change comes in a
large dose.
 |
| Hexawares 4th C-Summit, held in the
Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas |
General Electric, IBM, and Microsoft are examples where change
has been successfully managed at a quantum level. Contrary to expectation,
incremental change is resisted at every step. Quantum change, on the other hand,
builds its own momentum once started and carries itself forward.
Kotters 8-Step Change Process
To make it happen, there are eight steps defined by Kotter. In a world
fixated with instant solutions, it can be argued that reducing everything to a
process list is simplistic. So, when Kotter lists the eight stepsstarting
with creating a sense of urgency and ending with creating a culturethere is a
degree of skepticism that creeps in. If it is that simple, why does change not
happen more frequently and effortlessly? The answer lies in the leaders who can
make a heterogeneous mass of people follow through on the steps. The complexity,
therefore, is not in the process, but in structures needed to make it a reality.
Atul Nissar, chairman, Hexaware, believes that the steps for
change laid out by Kotter are relevant for bringing about transformation. He
states that Hexaware "constantly looks at the transformation steps in its
planning process". And, transformation is especially relevant for the
services industry in India at this point of timefaced as it is by the
challenges of an appreciating rupee and shortage of quality people. The
industry, he points out, "has to bring up the value of whatever tasks it
undertakes." And, this is a process it has to accelerate through
innovation.
Moving up the value chain is always discussed in relation to
entering the products business. But, there are innovations possible in the
service sector also. Hexaware, for instance, has developed an accelerator
for SAP and PeopleSoft, that cuts down the testing time for new software by as
much as 35%. Testing software is a growing business opportunity and contributes
between 1520% of Hexawares revenues. Other steps that are being taken
include expanding operations in Europe where the currency variations are not
hurting, and setting up offshore centers in countries outside Indiafor
example, Mexico. In fact, Hexaware just opened its second development center in
Saltillo, Mexico on October 31.
|
|
| Atul Nissar and Rinzing
Wangdi inaugurating the center |
| Hexaware expanded its
operations in Mexico by opening its second development center in Saltillo,
on October 31, 2007. The new center was inaugurated by Atul Nissar,
founder and chairman, Hexaware Technologies, and Rinzing Wangdi, the
Indian Ambassador to Mexico |
|
|
| Prof John P Kotter of the
Harvard Business School, at the event |
Pressure on margins is contributing to the sense of urgency
coming into such initiatives. New contracts are being negotiated at higher rates
or with protection against exchange rate fluctuations. Nissar finds customers to
be "accepting these changes."
As competition increases in quantitative and qualitative terms,
Rusi Brij, CEO, Hexaware, agrees that "longer term answers in increased
productivity, better currency management, developing new markets and fostering
enduring relationships have to be found." He emphasizes that events of the
CSummit kind "provide a good RoI even if they are not measurable in
terms of leads." The investment is not insignificant with anywhere upward
of half a million dollars being spent on a three-day extravaganza. It also
provides a great opportunity to talk to customers outside normal working hours.
To service customer needs that surface, Hexaware has set up an
innovation lab with a five-pronged approachconsisting of future proofing,
technology innovation, domain innovation, process innovation, and customer led
co-innovation. With these, the company hopes to accelerate growth in spite of
the fact that the quarter just ended had no q-o-q growth. Revenues have been
under pressure, but Brij is confident that the pipeline is "robust"
and acceleration will happen over the next few quarters.
If the hundred odd customers who gathered for C-Summit 2007
deliver, then the growth for Hexaware should come in the second half of 2008.
Shyam Malhotra
The author was hosted in Las Vegas Page(s) 1
| 
