On 28, May 2010, IIM Bangalore inaugurated the PGSEM batch of 2010, the 13th batch of this prestigious executive general management education programme offered exclusively to the professionals in the IT sector in India. Mr. Harsh Manglik, Chairman of NASSCOM Executive Committee, was the chief guest for the event.
Harsh Manglik, Chairman NASSCOM addressed the PGSEM incoming batch during his keynote speech.
He expressed pleasure at being able to speak at IIM Bangalore which he talked of as a privilege. He congratulated the newcomers on their attainments and capabilities and wished them success on their future journey.
He mentioned in no uncertain terms the fact that the participants coming in from the IT industry at this point in time from India were in a way born at the right time, as this industry was a very good bet. He went on to speak on India, the Indian IT sector and his perspectives on leadership, which is and will be key to shaping up other people’s future.
Entrepreneurs from PGSEM interacting with NASSCOM Chairman Harsh Manglik at IIM Bangalore.
The Indian culture has been 3500 years old (the Saraswati Valley civilization) he said and has a long history which means there has been continuity in the thought and traditions of our sub continent, but India as a nation is relatively younger. It actually has the youngest population (with a median age of 23.9). He talked of the young people propelling growth as:
“The surge coming through”
There is immense possibility, however no guarantees! Inclusion in economic growth and that being the basis for a stable society is one big challenge that needs to be addressed. India he used the term can be a ‘terrific laboratory’ for new models, and application areas. From remote learning and diagnostics to technologies paving the path for telemedicine and national health initiatives; it would be one great place for enablement, once these initiatives gain critical mass.
However he said several problems stare us in our face, including drug resistance viruses, metabolic disorders, one of the largest numbers of diabetes cases etc due to genetic propensity among other issues.
Indian IT industry - Unbelievable forecasts coming true
Moving on to the Indian IT industry he said that forecasts which were once laughed upon have come true. The Indian IT industry reached a size of almost USD 50 billion in 2009 and is expected to hit USD 175 billion in revenues by 2020 as per conservative estimates based on a joint NASSCOM-McKinsey study. Several scenarios were studied, and higher estimates place this revenue figure at up to USD 225 billion.
So the grasp of the drivers for this growth will be essential. The government needs to enable the infrastructure provisions and see this as a competition between nations and not just between companies. It has to attract more investments and for this a healthy industry is absolutely important and not the notions that now the IT industry can be weaned off the ‘milk bottle’.
He stressed that although there are no entitlements or guarantees, the interaction and competition between states as happens among states in the US will only help fuel further growth.
80% of the growth would come from areas such as engineering services, over the lifecycle of critical components on aircrafts and automobile manufacturing and also from telecom, health, medical technology, medical records, telemedicine etc. It was heartening to see 600 plus startups from India in the NASSCOM Product Conclave 2009 he reiterated.
Leadership – There is no right formula
On the leadership aspect Mr Manglik says there is no right formula. Leaders are different from managers. The knowledge of ‘who you are’ is very essential as much as being rooted in that foundation and being capable of inspiring others. Being unique, there has to be an ability to unite people and be audacious in thinking. Exceptional ability is to be aligned with the aspirations of the people for which he cited Mahatma Gandhi as one role model who could do all of this!
Gandhi’s Truth a psychoanalysts’s account of Gandhiji was a book recommended by Mr Manglik.
Being personally accountable is one great trait of a leader he said. Good people need moorings and encouragements, so they have to be handled well by leaders.
The tale of the damaged car and a confession!
He narrated a personal anecdote when he was a 12 year old wherein he swapped seat with his driver and tried to drive a car; however this resulted in his car getting damaged. He concocted a story for his parents that a speeding auto had hit them on their way but his mother figured out that he had been lying and asked him to confess to his father. This although an extremely difficult thing to do, taught him lessons early on in life. A sense of values, being truthful as a leader to build credibility is essential.
Both the Heart and the Intellect need to be engaged.
Finding purpose as oft repeated is essential, in addition to just creating economic value – Bill and Melinda Gates foundation’s activities are laudable in this regards he said. Nothing prevents you from doing more. Leaders need to be sensitive to the dynamics; understand people and how they are responding at every stage. He mentioned the Shahrukh Khan starrer ‘Chak De India’ as a good example of converting a dysfunctional team into one that is a winner.
At the end of his speech he talked about a talk that he gave to young Muslim women at Hyderabad. These women as a trend were barred from studies on reaching puberty and were expected to wait for wedding and this trend was highly prevalent. An NGO along with Accenture sought to reverse the trend, and found that providing a good income stream to these women brought about a dynamic change. They were given computer based animation training and then job opportunities. Addressing these women Mr Manglik told them that the 5 things to worry about and focus on were:
Sapne (Dreams) – strive to reach out, and nurture your dreams so as to convert them to reality
Himmat (Courage) – Essential to convert dreams to reality, abelief in yourself - it is the causal link between cause and effect.
Tapasya (steadfast application) - This helps overcome the moments of despair and helps you connect to the core.
Humdardi (Empathy) – Understanding those whom you lead
Imaan (Integrity)
These he said was as much relevant to the students of elite institutions such as IIMs as to the women at the training centre.
Chairman PGSEM, Prof N M Agarwal and Director IIMB, Prof Pankaj Chandra also welcomed the students.
Prof Chandra mentioned that the PGSEMers contribute at work and find meaning through academics, which proves their mettle. IIM Bangalore is about more resources and also a larger network than just the program. The challenging and exciting campus happenings which will change their point of view, were highlighted. He stressed that the God is in the details and to imbibe this mindset. The prize awaiting India was the 25 years in which poverty can be eliminated from India. He stressed that the people from IT background strengthen the IT field further.
The PGSEM student community that is acclaimed for creating entrepreneurs showcased their new ventures in an interactive session with Mr. Manglik. The ventures presented were:
Adaptive Marketing creates next generation product management and marketing professionals, critical catalysts for the fast growing IT product ecosystem in India.
“Enabling aspiring, new and existing PM/PMMs with pragmatic methodologies and field tested best practices, is critical as MNCs in India look at augmenting their technical execution with business focus and as Indian products go global..” said Vishwanathan who decided to cofound the venture with other industry veterans.
vRideAlong aims to provide a convenient, reliable and secure ride-sharing solution for multiple avenues.
Parashar Shah, co-founder said, “Access to information anytime and anywhere and finding the best ride share partner is our motto. We want to make ridesharing convenient to people even with flexible work schedules. We want to help organizations reduce parking problems and carbon footprint.”
Dhonuk was formed as part of a cultural entrepreneurship initiative by a couple of IIM Bangalore students and an artist. In essence Dhonuk is a unique online art ecosystem with an in-built social network that enables art content from member artists to be showcased and made saleable. It also provides art lovers and art connoisseurs the unique experience of interacting with artists, buying readymade artwork or getting customized artwork created at affordable rates from young and budding artists in easily useable formats.
“We develop innovative enterprise software products to solve complex information management, research, business intelligence, and regulatory compliance problems across several industries” said Shantanu co-founder. Incubated at NSRCEL, IIM Bangalore the company builds advanced solutions built using emerging trends in text analytics, semantics, natural language processing, business intelligence, and enterprise social computing.
The PGSEM endeavors to provide the most current executive general management education to middle and senior professionals of the software and information technology industry who seek to pursue a career in management. The programme aims to transform professionals with strong technical knowledge to business leaders with equally strong management knowledge and a global perspective. IIMB is proud to have partnered the Indian software and information technology industry on its journey to becoming a dominant force in the global market.
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