A matter of values

WORK CULTURE: MindTree Consulting

Abhinav Singh / Bangalore

MindTree Consulting believes it has extraordinary employees, and are on a mission to prove to the world that ordinary companies with extraordinary people can do extraordinary work. The core values of the company, which are imbibed in the employees, help them to excel in their work and deliver world-class services to their international clientele.

These core values are widely publicised by the company, within and outside the organisation so that besides the existing employees, those aspirants who aim to join MindTree are also aware of them. Mitali Gupta, associate consultant at MindTree Consulting, who has been with the organisation for more than a year says, “The core values at MindTree distinguish it from other companies. I have worked in many organisations over the years but nowhere else have I found a culture like MindTree. The flexibility to grow is just amazing.”

Focus on values

At MindTree it is believed that despite the fact that many employees have been getting lucrative offers from MNCs, they have preferred to stay with the organisation on account of its core values and the work environment that it offers.

These values stress on different parameters whi-ch an employee needs to develop. The employee has to be a socially responsible person. He/she should be a team player and should have a sense of sharing with his/her colleagues. It is also expected that he/she should set high targets and work hard for achieving them. One should also instill a sense of innovation and always be eager to learn more. Lastly, employees should be caring to-wards their customers and colleagues. Puneet Jetli, general manager of people function with MindTree Consu-lting says, “Our core values guide our day to day policies and actions. They are the cornerstone for everything we do.”

Headhunting for the best

Hundreds of candidates apply at MindTree, but only a few get through the tough recruitment process. Employee referrals are strongly taken into account for recruiting budding aspirants into MindTree. The ‘Each one bring one’ philosophy is spread across the organisational set-up. Jetli says, “People who work in MindTree know what the company expects from them. Before recommending an aspirant they are able to do the first phase of screening to ascertain if the aspirant would fit into the culture or not.” Apart from employee referrals, the company regularly advertises in local newspapers and works with placement agencies to attract talent.

There are plans to increase the campus recruitment drive. Aspiring candidates go through different levels of screening as a part of the recruitment exercise, depending upon the skill-sets required. Personal behavioural traits are also gauged during the tests and an attempt is made to see whether the recruit would be able to comfortably imbibe the values that the organisation espouses.

A learning culture From the day an inductee enters

MindTree he undergoes a set of training sessions. To begin with an employee undergoes an induction training of which the session on core values forms a major portion. Senior management people from MindTree personally conduct the session. There are also technical sessions on J2EE, .NET, Java and embedded systems for the fresh hires. The inductees are also briefed on the company’s policies and aims.

Leadership development programmes are conducted regularly. Outbound training programmes are undertaken focusing on team-building exercises. The focus of soft skill training programmes is to improve the negotiation skills of employees. The impact of this learning culture is voiced by Naganagouda S J manager—people function, R&D services, MindTree Consulting , “There is a vibrant energy amongst MindTree employees which really makes the company a great place to work in.”

The motivation factor

The company has tried to create a culture in which employees are always encouraged to perform their best. A special appreciation award is given to an employee for exceptional performance confirming to MindTree’s core values. Spot awards are given to those who have shown remarkable achievement during a project. These awards are given regularly. There are seasonal awards like the MindTree Mind of the Year Award, which is given to a person for outstanding work done during the year. The Team of the Year Award is given to the best performing team (that does well in a project). An annual employee perception survey is held at MindTree in which staff members are asked to give their respective feedback about the organisation. These feedbacks are taken very seriously. They are also encouraged to give suggestions to improve the work environment at MindTree.

abhinav@expresscomputeronline.com