“Accenture Technology Labs, the technology research and development (R&D)This company visit really was exciting because we had a chance to see this work in progress. We were able to interact with the prototypes. If you are ever in Chicago’s O’Hare airport, check out the Accenture wall near the K gates. It is a great example of some of the work coming out of these labs. Gone are the days when India should be thought of as only capable of such outsourcing as call centers – the work being done here truly is making the world seem a bit smaller, making use of global talent. Check it out!
organization within Accenture, has been turning technology innovation into
business results for 20 years. Our R&D team explores new and emerging
technologies that are one to five years out, and uses them to create prototypes
and cutting-edge solutions that will help organizations maximize performance in
the future.”
feedback is also quite important. To show how this is truly part of the culture, the managers who led our discussion began the meeting with asking us to provide our expectations – which they listed on the board. At the end of the discussions and tours, they asked us for feedback and also gave us some feedback. What a great experience.
human condition here in India.
After lunch at Shanti Bhavan, we again boarded the bus for a visit to Mindtree Consulting. Mindtree is impressive because of its innovative environment. Our visit to Mindtree stands out for two reasons – the physical environment and the corporate logo. The building itself is designed in such a way that employees are encouraged to engage with each other in informal meetings and conversations. The hallways of the main building circle a meeting space and depict the values of the company. One of the most interesting employee communications campaigns I saw was here at Mindtree. In India, family is important and employees rarely select a job without consulting their family. Yet Mindtree was relatively unknown to many people due to its small size. The campaign they developed was to engage the parents and tell the story of the parents. The other side of the program was to send parents information about Mindtree and encourage them to get to know the company and even visit. As retention becomes such a major issue and job-hopping increases, I wonder if this will be one of the lesser important cultural artifacts.
John Crane Sealing Systems – This was our first and only visit to a manufacturing facility in India. Ashok was the director and general manager for India who took us on a tour and provided an overview on their firm.
manufacturing site in Chennai opened a second in Banaglore and later added drafting capabilities. With the drawing office, John Crane’s off-shore operations here truly became a knowledge office.
Several parts of the presentation at Wipro were intriguing, especially the discussion on sustainable growth, the significant challenges they anticipate, and how they differentiate themselves in this increasingly competitive environment. The growth at Wipro has been outstanding and primarily by finding new business with current clients. Their list of clients was quite impressive and lengthy. While growth numbers have been extremely high at Wipro, they remain aware that the current rates are not sustainable long term. For this reason, they are focusing on ways to find new markets. The challenges they anticipate being significant are: 1) continuing to find ways to innovate, 2) move more into the consulting space, and 3) develop capabilities in supply chain strategies. Becoming an innovative company when you are Wipro’s size is not easy, and as such they are very selective in their hiring process. They receive 120+ applications a day and have an application to offer ratio of less than 1% - selective! Wipro differentiates their work by going Deeper, Farther, Sharper, and Wider into the client’s business.
like going to the pharmacy, grocery store or working out (all of which are on the campus).
Our first stop was to Wipro Healthcare. We met with executives at the Global Radiation Services division. Wipro is the third largest of the big three Indian outsourcing firms – TCS, Infosys, and Wipro. Our professor has many connections in general, but especially with Wipro since he used to work there. This division provides radiation imagery support services. It is a small but growing part of the business and is likely just a partnership away from something quite large and amazing. Wipro Radiation Services was formed with a joint venture between Wipro and GE Medical Systems just a few years ago. The company’s initial strategy is to provide initial readings of MRI, CT, and other imagery. The team receives the images, cleans them and makes them more accessible by the medical staff at the patient’s hospital. The core value in the service offering occurs through the JV with GE Medical. The firm takes the layered scans and converts them to 3D imagery.
Am I in Minneapolis or Bangalore? Our visit to Target Services India (TSI) made me feel as though I was walking through the doors of Target Plaza in Minneapolis. For a minute I missed the comfort and culture that I knew with Target and as a non-Targeteer I felt like an outsider. Then the purpose of our visit came back to be and I was yet again impressed with what Target is able to accomplish.
As I was standing outside the bus, we were being beckoned to get on and head to Dell. We were running late for our meeting with the Managing Director of Dell India. Dell is another company doing much of their business in India. Dr. Vivek Marsingh was an amazing speaker and it was clear how his leadership inspired Dell’s growth in India. When attrition is a huge problem there has to be something that keeps employees at a company, One of the largest struggles for these companies is the fact that any of their employees could leave for a job paying 15-20% more (a number we’ve heard at most visits). How do you keep someone who can leave for more money? Dr. Marsingh’s response is that leadership takes over where logic stops. The leadership he is speaking about inspires employees to contribute to innovation and change in the organization. One great example of the innovation at Dell is every
Friday afternoon from 4-6, the managing dorector has office hours where anyone can stop by and discuss anything. Promoting discussion and questions as well as interaction with leaders fosters an innovative environment.
What about the games? The begging if often not because the family is homeless or starving, but rather a way to make a living. You could give the child on the corner a 100 rupee bill ($2.25USD) and it’d be like giving the begger in the US a $20 bill. I’ve seen many different schemes – it is touch because I feel sorry for those in real need, but skepticism has set in. For example, I saw a boy of about 8 on the street last night. Here I am sitting in the comfortable bus and there he is standing outside with a bandage on his limp hand with a bloody spot on the bandage. Poor child. He seemed all along, but then his brother and sister joined him at the encouragement of their mother in the distance. Wait… what is on their hands? They all have the same limp hand bandaged with a bloody spot in the same place. Or the big sister sitting out of site with her laser pointer, targeting her young sister’s next victim. “Please sir, sir, sir.” She says as she moves her cupped hand from her mouth to her stomach. Games! Then there is the man who has to hobble around without legs and is tapping at my foot and pulling on my pants for a bit of spare change. It is a pity that giving money would only incite a riot and the masses would descent on me or whoever gives even a rupee. Remember – 25% of 1.3 billion – they are everywhere. By 2020, this number will need to reduce as part of the president’s plan to see India become a developed nation.
And that is exactly what he has 
accomplished. Construction of the Taj Mahal began in 1631 and was completed in 1653. Over 20,000 people from all over India and Asia were brought in to construct the building, which is an amazing feat. The marble work and inlaid gem stones are awe inspiring – considering that this was in the 1600s, well before large cranes and construction equipment. There are few words to describe the grounds and buildings so I will just leave you with the photos.
as God. The city began to fall apart after Akbar’s death due to lack of water and the fact that the city was elaborately constructed to proclaim and celebrate Akbar’s new religion – a religion few wanted to remain aligned with post-Akbar.
mosque and religious section. With the recent hanging of Saddam, it is best that we avoid areas which may draw unnecessary attention and concern. The sites we did see were amazing – just walking through these abandoned areas makes one think and imagine. What would it have been like to experience the colors
of flying silks, 
the carpets laid out on the ground, the music playing, and the markets alive with people.
The fort was later controlled by the British and over time it has lost some of its luster as gems and precious stones have been stolen.
Genpact delivers its services in 19 languages from 16 centers in 6 countries. They are well on track to meet or beat their 2008 revenue goal of $1 billion.
This provides the call center employee a good idea of what they are servicing and helps the brand become a bit more real for them. If you think about it, one of the important components of a good call center is relevance. If the call center employee has no idea what the reference point is, it will be difficult for him/her to feel empathy for the caller. This is brilliant because the retail outlets are designed quite differently in India than they would be in the USA. Convergys was very gracious. Our contacts there were willing to talk about their business and many of our questions tended to focus on retention efforts, scheduling and training.
after some group members were surprised to learn of prices or not sure whether they wanted to purchase, the vendors would tell them, “I’ll quote you a price and then you will get a discount off of that.” They even admit that they will quote a high price expecting to negotiate. This is incredibly fun. The best part is getting back to the bus and learning that you got the best deal or that you were completely taken. I have not done too much buying yet, so luckily I have had the advantage of learning from the others! It is amazing how you tend to tune out the “noise” that occurs all around. From shop vendors calling out their wares to you, to children begging for money, the streets of Delhi are alive with so much.
After lunch and shopping, we boarded the bus to prepare for the evening activity, a meeting with the President of India, Dr. Abdul Kalam! This is perhaps the most amazing and inspiring part of the trip. We were able to sit with the leader of the second largest country in the world! This is a meeting very few are able to secure – and perhaps one that many of the CEOs we will visit would love to have. And yet, we were able to sit with him and ask any questions we would like. While it took much arranging in advance, we were treated as honored guests. The reception included tea and snacks and a brief tour of the Moghul Gardens on the property – the president’s backyard. Unfortunately cameras were not allowed, so you’ll just have to take my word for it.
Think of the imagery you see in the movies of the good guy chasing the bad guy through crowded streets with merchants yelling on both sides, nothing but a web of wires and rope above and passing through the crowd nearly impossible – this is the grand bazaar. Think drive-through shopping. The smells were also amazing! The various foods cooking on the roadside vendors’ carts provide such a pungent aroma – roasting peanuts, vegetables, breads. It all truly smells delicious, yet our unprepared stomachs would not enjoy. Amazingly while on the rickshaw, no one approached me begging. The begging is truly a serious problem and perhaps one of the things I have had the most difficult time with. This could be a topic for a whole additional post.
beautiful and this was a reputable good quality place. The challenge with shopping is that you never know if the item is handmade or not since everything is “only the finest quality and handmade”. In addition, the shops all anticipate you to negotiate the price down from what they initially quote. Love it! The rugs I purchased are likely on their way to the DHL office where they will be shipped back home – can’t wait to figure out where they can go!
our way to the last stop, the Quitb Minar. The Quitb Minar is the Tower of Victory which was built by Qutbuddin Aibak in the 12th century. In the courtyard of the tower is the Iron Pillar which was constructed in the 4th century AD and is amazing in the fact that the iron pillar has never rusted!
He was extremely proud of his city and took us past all the embassies, the presidential palace, parliament buildings and other city marks. All for the regular taxi fare of about 800 rupies or $20 for the day. Our destination plan was to visit Jama Masjid and the Red Fort - two historic areas in Old Delhi. As silly Americans we had forgotten about Saddam's recent demise and the neginning of a Muslin festival, so were well advised by the taxi driver to visit the mosqoe another day (see tomorrow's post). The Red Fort, however was amazing and the adventure to get there was as good or better. We took the taxi to a bicycle rickshaw where we made our way through the crowded Old Delhi streets - not for the weak hearted. 
