Abstract
Infosys aspirants, entrepreneurs and practitioners definitely have an answer for running a successful organisation and identifying leaders in organisations. The book titled Leadership @ Infosys is loaded with power-packed information on Infosys’ leadership and its journey towards establishing a global brand, powered by intellect and driven by values. Leadership @ Infosys is the first book of its kind that emphasises on leadership styles and its importance in the establishment and existence of the organisation. The book is a masterpiece, with contributions from 14 experts in domain areas associated with Infosys; it is edited by Matt Barney, VP and Director, Infosys Leadership Institute (ILI) and published by the Penguin group.
The book has a foreword by N.R. Narayana Murthy and S. Gopalakrishnan. The foreword emphasises the core values of Infosys being ‘the globally respected corporation’, believing in ‘leadership by example’ and ‘investing in employee development’. The foreword accentuates ‘Leadership by Example’ as a critical part of Infosys’ approach to inspire people to go beyond what they might think is possible. This may be a little intimidating to many on the outside, but is of special interest to those who want to make long-term careers at Infosys.
The nine chapters deliberate upon various dimensions of leadership at Infosys which includes the following: ‘Strategic Leadership’, ‘Change Leadership’, ‘Transition Leadership’, ‘Operational Leadership’, ‘Talent Leadership’, ‘Relationship and Networking Leadership’, ‘Content Leadership’ and ‘Entrepreneurial Leadership’.
Matt Barney’s introductory chapter leads readers into the existence of the Infosys edifice. The chapter is an insightful description of the core values of Infosys being C-LIFE—customer delight, leadership by example, integrity and transparency, fairness and the pursuit of excellence. The chapter highlights the commitment of Infosys in selecting, training and nurturing its leaders. The ILI counsellor, as the single point of contact, is responsible for each tier leader to ensure highly personalised development (p. xi). ILI assigns counsellors to the cadre of leaders who have been identified for senior positions. These counsellors serve as coaches who, according to Barney, ‘help the leader interpret strengths and opportunities, and focus specific actions that will likely pay off the next year when we assess them’.
Each chapter of the book describes a unique leadership style with suitable examples in each area. The book is a unique compilation of leadership research along with practical examples which provide guidance to practitioners and leaders to improve their performance and lead organisations to the pinnacle of success. The book carries a wonderful description of various phases and contribution of leadership styles at Infosys that factored into the company’s rapid growth, from a seed capital of just $250 in 1981 to crossing the four billion-dollar mark in 2008.
The chapter on Objectively Measuring Leaders sets the direction for the book by explaining the importance of computer adaptive measures at Infosys and also listing Infosys’ ‘nine pillar’ model of leader behaviour which has been discussed in the subsequent chapters.
Infosys became the first IT consulting and services company worldwide to be recognised in the balance scorecard hall of fame for executing strategic leadership. The chapter on Strategic Leadership discusses the various theories of strategy and reviews several major models that suggest how companies create unique values for their stakeholders. The chapter also highlights Infosys’ business mantra, which relies on the operational principle focusing on predictability, sustainability, profitability and de-risking (PSPD).
The chapter on Change Leadership addresses successful change management from two perspectives, one from an individual and other from an organisational system perspective. The chapter also examines three types of change witnessed by leaders in the Infosys leadership framework: change leadership, adversity leadership and transition leadership.
Operational leadership is a dominant attribute of leadership at Infosys because it is central to the company’s business strategy and value system, which revolves around C-LIFE. The chapter on Operational Leadership reviews a full range of operational leadership methods from an Infosys point of view.
Researches on service profit chain has unveiled the fact that companies cannot expect disengaged employees to satisfy the stakeholders. The chapter on Talent Leadership elaborates on six distinct steps in the life cycle of talent leadership, which are selection, induction, goal setting, feedback, developing people and employee engagement.
The chapter on Relationship and Networking Leadership defines and reviews Infosys’ model of leadership behaviour to give an insight into Infosys’ way of implementing relationships and networking leadership.
The chapter on Content Leadership describes thought leadership and also reviews the academic literature dealing with content leadership, mental models and the development of expertise. The chapter also reviews techniques to promote thought leadership at Infosys.
The chapter on Entrepreneurial Leadership describes the Infosys way of interpreting entrepreneurial leadership as enterprising opportunistic leaders whose motto is carpe diem (seize the day!) and as a unique ability to be entrepreneurs who take responsibility for business results from new ventures. The chapter highlights leaders who have started new businesses and those who have shown extraordinary entrepreneurial leadership in their operational roles.
In the epilogue, T.V. Mohandas Pai has expressed the view that leadership is about getting ordinary people to achieve extraordinary goals, which he acknowledges is an ‘exceptionally difficult task’. He draws attention to the fact that the key to sustainable leadership is a ‘team of excellent, passionate, visionary leaders with a wide range of viewpoints’.
The book is highly applauded for the fact that Barney has successfully illustrated the leadership journey of the organisation as well as the contribution of the leaders in developing sustainable leadership. Yet, it is quite clear that the book lacks consistency in the language and style through the chapters. In many cases, the chapters have an interesting start, but later fail to maintain the pace and end up being dull. Some chapters had the possibility of including real experiences and cases of employees and incidents at Infosys, which would have given a varied dimension to the book. The book at large does full justice to what the book codifies as Infosys’ ‘unique’ history, values and leadership practices.