HRD Talk: 'A need for continuous change'

An interview with Mr. Srihari Gokhale, President & Chief Operating Officer, Kanbay Software (India) Pvt. Ltd, Pune.

Can you tell us something about Kanbay philosophy?

At Kanbay, we have created a global, corporate environment reflecting the belief that to excel, we must understand the need for a continuous change, innovation, risk management, quality assurance, and total commitment to results.

What makes Kanbay the company it is today is its integrity in business practices, 12 years of experience, its 850 employees, and a global network of knowledge and expertise. We believe in delivering quality service and innovation in a dynamic market place.

What makes Kanbay a global E-enterprise integrator?

* Our Proven Approach - e*Path.

* Our unparalleled range of skills.

* Efficient methodology.

* Global capability.

* Industry knowledge.

* Capacity.

* Security and

* Strong alliances.

Tell us something about the Kanbay E-Solutions Centre in Pune?

We are involved in rapid application development and support. Presently we have a large pool of skilled IT resources, a 24x7 project development and support, internationally trained consultants and industry competencies.

From 30 technical professionals in 1996 we want to grow to 2500 professionals by the year 2002.

With big expansion plans in human resource on the cards, what are the retention tactics that you will be implementing?

When compared to the industry's average retention rate of 79%, we have been able to achieve a retention rate of almost 93%. This is because retention is an issue that we examine almost every other day to think of more ways in which we can assist our people. It is more of an ongoing and continuous process rather than being treated as a temporary issue.

We have also made sure that our compensation has always been within the 75th percentile. Apart from that we have introduced performance incentives for the last two years now. The top performers can get up to 40% as incentives while an average performer gets about 20%. Over and above this we also give team bonuses, which is basically to reward people for good work.

Besides these there are programmes that have been in place for several years now, that focus on asset building, like car loans, housing loans etc.

Do Kanbay employees get a chance to work abroad?

People working with Kanbay truly have a global career as our operations are not just confined to one particular continent. We base our hiring decisions on providing global opportunities and providing onsite rotational opportunities based on client needs. We do come across people who want only a unidirectional career but now majority wants to have a global career where their exposure is not just restricted to one particular foreign market.

We have designed three-month rotation periods where you get to travel all over the world and work on various assignments. Some of our senior people travel almost every month.

What's the work culture of Kanbay like?

We follow a very open work culture where officials are accessible across different levels. The work culture is such that it gives a lot of freedom to the individual and at the same time instills a sense of responsibility in each. The kind of freedom one gets in Kanbay to innovate on the job, try out new ideas is indeed praiseworthy, if I may say so. That particular person even has the ownership of the plan and this is something that is unique to Kanbay, even lacking in many of the bigger IT firms.

MALINI SURYANARAYANAN

maalini.mds@careercommunity.co.in