Hyderabad- October 2005:

Gone are the days of IT geeks, whose main work consisted of logical programming. In today's world, where IT companies are growing exponentially in size and profit margins, it has become imperative for the companies to groom leaders out of their talent pool who can take them to newer heights.

"Our leadership development processes focus on nurturing a large number of high quality leaders with a global perspective. We have invested in developing top-tier leaders, who can drive our company in maintaining the lead and momentum in the marketplace," said Infosys sources.

The company has set up Infosys Leadership Institute (ILI), a residential campus in Mysore for leadership development. "We have identified 530 employees to be supported in their leadership journey. The focus is on customizing programmes to suit the special needs of each participant," they said. An ILI consultant works with employees to prepare their development plan, enable execution and offer world class platforms to ensure leadership and managerial development. "The curriculum is aimed at not only enhancing leadership skills but also promoting the distinctive culture of Infosys and enhancing cross-cultural and multi-cultural appreciation," they added.

Another leading IT firm, Satyam Computers is setting up an exclusive Satyam School of Leadership with international faculty at Hyderabad. "There is a selection process for several of leadership programmes. The procedure includes present and future roles of an associate, level, appraisal rating profile etc," said Rajul Asthana, assistant V-P & leader of Satyam Learning Centre.

"The trait of our leader is to have the ability to balance the interests of all the stakeholders, the ability to take timely decisions and to be equally adept at thinking, doing at communication," he said. At Satyam, leadership development is an ongoing initiative. "It may range from a few hours to formal semester courses. Since associates are distributed across the globe virtual learning programmes are also encouraged. The initial focus is on developing the top ten leaders in the organization," it said.

Sai Gundavelli president & CEO, Solix Technologies said the company used training programmes to foster an environment of ownership, integrity and commitment in every individual. "There is a selection process based on their work performance. We encourage every employee to attend the screening process. During the screening reasoning abilities and behavioral competencies will be tested," he said. Solix conducts a six-day leadership programme where every participant is a teacher and learner. "A core belief of the programme is that leadership is not positional and does not require formal authority or personal charisma," he added. Not only the India companies but also the US-based firms groom leaders to get a global outlook and competitive edge.

"We impart leadership training to existing and potential leaders. All existing leaders to through a course that shares our best practices and potential leaders go through various technical and soft-skill courses based on input collected in regular manner," said Abhay Nagendra Rao, Sr manager-HR, US-based SSA Global Technologies.

He said the programme would make employees more confident. "It is not cost but an investment. The employees can aspire for more responsibilities and ultimately it will benefit the organization." he said.

About SolixTechnologies
Solix Technologies, Inc., a leader in enterprise data management solutions for Information Lifecycle Management, helps businesses improve application performance, reduce storage costs and meet their compliance requirements. As an ORACLE Certified Partner and SAP Complementary Software Provider (CSP), Solix is dedicated to delivering world-class software with quality at its core. With an extensive global client base, including many Fortune 500 companies, Solix is considered a pioneer in providing a complete infrastructure platform to manage data across all segments (Application, Email and Documents) in an enterprise.

For more information about Solix Technologies, visit: http://www.solix.com

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