The trip to Mumbai made me think of leadership styles and the perception it evokes amongst public . An under construction multi-storied building started it all. The building apparently is a multi-crore project by Mukesh Ambani to house his family; clearly reflecting his taste for luxury and reason for being in the Forbes richest list. Now, it's believed, at least in India that a successful person-in
business or otherwise is one who is humble and relentlessly working towards uplifting the needy. More importantly, I was reminded of what Management Guru, the late Peter Drucker said, “The CEO is the link between the Inside that is ‘the organization,’ and the Outside of society, economy, technology, markets, and customers. Inside there are only costs. Results are only on the outside.”
Mr.Ambani seems to be an exception. The cabby who was driving us to the hotel from the airport related Mukesh Ambani's ambitious project in the middle of India's commercial capital-Mumbai to Ratan Tata's gesture towards terror victims of Taj Mahal hotel. Tata, Chairman of Tata Sons is obviously held in high esteem as he went out of the way to be a part of the grief stricken families. This is an era where business leaders are required to evoke inspiration. Young executives – increasingly trying to integrate corporate social responsibility into their daily activities are reflecting a renewed passion for purpose and values, a sense of responsibility to local and global community. More and more of these executives are seeking a work atmosphere that reflects a ‘business movement’ aimed at addressing a larger social cause. Does Mukesh Ambani fit into this?
According to John Baldoni, a leadership consultant, leaders have an identifiable persona that is a reflection of what they do and how others perceive them. It is called the leadership brand. According to him, the leadership brand is a reflection of the leader’s credibility. The objective is to develop it wisely and nurture it carefully so as to help create strong bonds of trust with followers. What it is not is all the more important. Leadership brand is not about chasing visibility. Mukesh Ambani has reportedly sponsored an event to felicitate Sachin Tendulkar after the cricketer finished 20 years in cricket. With most of the bollywood's 'who is who,' the event seem to be an ideal set up for garnering personal visibility. Do we see Ratan Tata doing similar PR exercises?
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Why is India ranked low in IT adoption?
India ranks low in the latest Global Information Technology Report (GITR) report that evaluates IT adoption. It’s appalling considering the potential of this country and the promise seen by MNC technology vendors who are establishing their presence in the country. The country has also been witness to several automobile giants, retailers and manufacturers setting shop - why then this low adoption? The most obvious response would be the economic downturn. However, if reports from domestic IT majors are to be believed, IT adoption in India across verticals has been quite encouraging. The flip side is that India still has a long way to go vis-à-vis other countries when it comes to embracing the digital model for business. In other words, the country is an undersold market for technology.
The report throws light on interesting facts that would see growth in IT adoption in the days to come. For example, it points out that the price of personal computers is falling rapidly and the emergence of a whole new class of laptops, priced as low as US$100 to US$300 is enabling large segments of the population of emerging countries to now get access to affordable computing. Software capabilities are improving steadily, and they account to a large degree for the growth in popularity of social networking platforms and other Web 2.0 services. What’s most intriguing is the growth of members in LinkedIn, a social networking site. This despite the slump in economy. It goes on to show the significance of internet and networking in daily lives. IT seems to be indispensable. While mostly confined to tier I and tier II towns, internet penetration and social networking is increasingly becoming a imperative, especially amongst youth and is expected to drive further growth in cost-effective net-books.
The other reason pointed out in the report is related to the fact that both public- and private-sector leaders now fully accept the important role of ICT in stimulating growth and enabling the development of economies by significantly increasing productivity across sectors. Agility and productivity has become a norm. Imagine booking a railway ticket to any place of choice in India sitting in office, transferring money from the nationalized banks to parents in remote areas. Well, all this when you’re stuck in a remote town – implausible, isn’t it? Jagadish, a fishing contractor based in Nalgonda in Andhra Pradesh is today able to fix the price of his catch even before his boat with the catch nears the shore – thanks to the penetration of the mobile phone. Farmers are able to flash biometric cards for updating their bank accounts on a daily basis or for that matter avail loans without having to spend time at co-operative banks – thanks to technology, which is empowering people at the bottom of the pyramid.
Another key factor that might trigger better ICT growth here is the reverse brain drain. With the downturn, many Indians and even foreign nationals are targeting India as a potential job market. With global exposure and deep domain expertise, these people can leverage their skills to establish market ‘colonies’.
The report throws light on interesting facts that would see growth in IT adoption in the days to come. For example, it points out that the price of personal computers is falling rapidly and the emergence of a whole new class of laptops, priced as low as US$100 to US$300 is enabling large segments of the population of emerging countries to now get access to affordable computing. Software capabilities are improving steadily, and they account to a large degree for the growth in popularity of social networking platforms and other Web 2.0 services. What’s most intriguing is the growth of members in LinkedIn, a social networking site. This despite the slump in economy. It goes on to show the significance of internet and networking in daily lives. IT seems to be indispensable. While mostly confined to tier I and tier II towns, internet penetration and social networking is increasingly becoming a imperative, especially amongst youth and is expected to drive further growth in cost-effective net-books.
The other reason pointed out in the report is related to the fact that both public- and private-sector leaders now fully accept the important role of ICT in stimulating growth and enabling the development of economies by significantly increasing productivity across sectors. Agility and productivity has become a norm. Imagine booking a railway ticket to any place of choice in India sitting in office, transferring money from the nationalized banks to parents in remote areas. Well, all this when you’re stuck in a remote town – implausible, isn’t it? Jagadish, a fishing contractor based in Nalgonda in Andhra Pradesh is today able to fix the price of his catch even before his boat with the catch nears the shore – thanks to the penetration of the mobile phone. Farmers are able to flash biometric cards for updating their bank accounts on a daily basis or for that matter avail loans without having to spend time at co-operative banks – thanks to technology, which is empowering people at the bottom of the pyramid.
Another key factor that might trigger better ICT growth here is the reverse brain drain. With the downturn, many Indians and even foreign nationals are targeting India as a potential job market. With global exposure and deep domain expertise, these people can leverage their skills to establish market ‘colonies’.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)