your lucky number 13 ways to help you source
TRANSCRIPT
Martin Dommerby
www.kalpavruksh.com
Tonny Rabjerg
1313 WAYS TO HELP YOU SOURCE
Your Lucky Number
©
Copyright © 2015 Martin Dommerby Kristiansen & Tonny RabjergAll Rights Reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or in any means
– by electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – without prior written permission.
COPYRIGHT
Martin Dommerby
martin.dommerby@ kalpavruksh.com
Martin Dommerby
@martindommerby
http://dk.linkedin.com/in/martindommerby/
+45 26 24 64 62
www.kalpavruksh.com
Tonny Rabjerg
Tonny.Rabjerg@Hotmail .com
Tonny Rabjerg
@RabjergTonny
http://dk.linkedin.com/in/tonnyrabjerg/
+45 20 99 99 84
http://tonnyrabjerg .wordpress.com/
“
Tonny Rabjerg
If you want it to succeed you can makeit succeed, if you want it to disappear it will never work„
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PART ONESOURCING TIPS 8-21
Chapter ONE5 ADVISES TO SUCCEED WITH SOURCING 8
Chapter TWOSOURCING WILL NEVER WORK DUE TO
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES – WRONG 11
Chapter THREESOURCING MODELS 14
Chapter FOUR66 UNIQUE OUTSOURCING INFOGRAPHICS 19
PART TWOHOW TO MANAGE YOUR TEAM 22-31
Chapter FIVE4 IMPORTANT TIPS TO MANAGE A GLOBALLY
DIVERSE TEAM 22
Chapter SIXHOW 4 TOOLS TRANSFORM THE WAY YOU
MANAGE REMOTE TEAMS 25
Chapter SEVENMOTIVATION, THE KEY TO AN EFFECTIVE
SETUP FOR EMPLOYEES TO PERFORM BETTER 28
CONTENTS
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PART THREEWORTH TO KNOW PRACTICES 32-43
Chapter EIGHTOBJECTIVES AND THE POWER OF
COMMUNICATION 32
Chapter NINECOMPANIES MOVE JOBS BACK – WRONG 36
Chapter TENVISA AND TAX - NO EASY WAY 39
PART FOURFUNNY STORIES ABOUT INDIA 44-51
Chapter ELEVENHOW IS INDIA? 44
Chapter TWELVENUMBERS DON’T LIE: WHY INDIA IS THE
SUPER DESTINATION FOR OUTSOURCING 47
Chapter THIRTEEN5 REASONS WHY I LOVE COMING TO MUMBAI 51
CONTENTS
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OUTSOURCING TO INDIA? THE MAGIC WAND IS IN MANAGEMENT
India isn’t just a rising super power in terms of a surging economy, a competitive government, and a bright
future to hold up lamps to. It’s also a treasure trove of talent. With a low cost of living and an astonishing
number of technical graduates, it’s where all the techies, the virtual assistants, the backend sales staff,
and the customer support ninjas are being trained to take on the world of business. India’s population is
counting 1.2 billion with more that 5 million people employed in OBP, IT and related services. Plus, India
is one of the largest English speaking countries in the world, the largest democracy, and the size of the
population is ever increasing. NASSCOM—India’s information technology industry watch hawk—estimates
that India will generate $50 billion in revenue by the year 2020. Outwards in, however, India is not just a
market for BPO. It’s not just the back office for the rest of the world. It’s also the hottest destination for
IT spending. According to Everest IDC, global sourcing is growing at 2X faster than global IT spend. About
27% of new delivery centers in 2014 were set up in India. India’s share in global sourcing market grew
stayed at a royal 55% in the year 2014. In the last 5 years (just when you thought outsourcing was dead),
India’s global share grew 1.2X times.
MASTER OUTSOURCING LEADERSHIP: AWARENESS, MANAGEMENT, AND TACKLING ISSUES But is everything as promising as it seems? Is India really where you should go to for outsourcing? Are
there guarantees of hassle-free delivery as far as projects are concerned?
As with any market, there are no guarantees.
Outsourcing is about leadership, delegation, and execution. It’s about hiring or contracting the right
vendors, managing projects at scale, and tackling issues.
Outsourcing is still business, and outsourcing to India doesn’t imply that you just waved the magic wand.
FEW IMPORTANT WORDS FROM THE BOOK AUTHORS
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This eBook dwells on various issues that are likely to crop up. Understand the bowels of outsourcing and
get a grip on cultural nuances specific to India.
Get insights on how India operates as a market, as a country, as a nation, and as a thriving economy. If
knowing is winning, here’s all the knowing you’d ever need on the subject of outsourcing management
and working with India as the world’s vendor for intellectual assets, brainpower, and manpower.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS Tonny (Frederiksen) Rabjerg“After more than 12 years in international experience I am now back in Denmark and working as CIO for CodeSealer ApS, a start-up delivering INVISIBLE END-TO-END WEB SECURITY to banks, corporate and public institutions across the globe. During the past 3 years, I established a company in India, captive IT center, on behalf of a large Danish bank, while also heading a 850+ resource sourcing setup. I have been a guest speaker and interviewed numerous times about my experiences, experiences that I will continue to share, and hope you find useful. Before India I have lived and worked in countries such as United States, France and Germany, and have headed project across the globe for companies such as SAS, Amadeus and Star Alliance. For more information, please check out my CV at http://dk.linkedin.com/in/tonnyrabjerg/.
All comments, proposals and opinions expressed are personal and may not represent those of the companies for which I have worked, but are solely based on my own experiences in India and other countries in which I have lived and worked.”
Martin Dommerby KristiansenI am the Managing Director at KalpaVruksh Technologies A/S, Denmark. I have a unique background in helping clients stretching across a span of domains and technologies such as KMD, Alfapeople, Spar Nord, Ramboll Informatik, along with product development startups. My experience in consulting clients expand both nearshore (Ukraine) and offshore to popular hubs such as India and Vietnam.For more information, please check out my CV athttp://dk.linkedin.com/in/martindommerby/
15 Advises To Succeed With Sourcing
Chapter One
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As with so many other things, starting something new can be difficult, the distance, a new language, skills and not least lack of control!
When I first started with sourcing some 30 years ago it was new for most, but since then many have succeeded and some have failed. In this first chapter I will share some of my own experiences and learnings, many of which will be further elaborated later in the book.
My 5 advises to a successful sourcing:
1. Define clear vision, objectives and strategies before entering into sourcing
2. Involve your home organization
3. Partner with a local provider
4. Make the sourcing setup accountable
5. This is India – Incredible India
Define clear vision, objectives and strategies before entering into sourcing
Too often companies start sourcing without knowing clearly what to source, how to source and with whom they want to engage. As different areas may have different complexity it is essential for the vision to succeed that the goals have been defined and the strategy to achieve it outlined. It is like when you take your car you don’t start driving, before you know where you are heading, or do you?
Involve your home organization
It is no secret that often sourcing fails due to resistance from the home organization. Jobs may be lost, employees feel insecure and key persons lose their position. While it may be easy to get management support while the jobs impacted are on lower lever, it may be completely different when
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the reductions also impact management positions. The best way to avoid resistance, is to ensure a clear communication from the start, why are we doing it, what are the goals, what will be sourced, what will happen to the people at home, will there be reductions or reassignment and what actions will be required.
Another important part is to involve the organization by sending them to the off-shore site. Often people feel insecure when they don’t know the other side, but visiting the off-shore site does not only allow for knowledge transfer, it also creates the personal relations which are required for it to succeed. The initial costs may be high but my experience tells me that it will be your best investment towards a successful sourcing
Partner with a local provider
India, as well as other sourcing countries, are in many ways countries which have a high focus on sourcing. They are however also countries where things may not work quite the same way as in Denmark. Partnering with a local provider will ease your setup. They know the rules, they have the contacts, they have a local brand and mostly they know how to get things done, also when it seems impossible. In India we also say, “Everything is Possible in India, but it may not be easy and can take a long time”, so having a local provider just makes it a little bit easier.
I know many companies debate if it is best to setup an own subsidiary (captive center), or use a sourcing partner. Due to the often high overhead you will have, as many local processes are still performed manually, the recommendation in general is that the setup should have at least 3-5.000 employees before you get the financial benefit of an own captive center. This is debated by many, but my recommendation is why try if you don’t have to.
Make the sourcing setup accountable
90+% of all sourcing performed in India is done as Service Sourcing/Delivery Sourcing. The Indian providers often create the revenue by focusing on the efficiency in the delivery process. To obtain the best possible productivity it is generally known that this goes along with a delegated responsibility, but even more accountability. My recommendation is to go with a model where the provider is responsible for what is being delivered out of the setup, and your responsibility is to ensure that the provider delivers what they are responsible for.
This is India – Incredible India
There is no doubt that India has many opportunities, while still having cost lower than Denmark. Many companies come to India, with a mindset on how things works in the home country, this will fail. Laws are different, expectations are different and local conditions are different. People applying for new jobs often asking for 20-30% increase, the highest I have faced was 120%, expect promotion every second year while they would also want to have the conditions and benefits of that of the foreign company. To succeed you have to find a balance between having a setup where you operate a setup aligned with the company policies and CSR but also where you cater for the local market in respect to salaries, conditions, bands, titles, promotions, insurance, local compliance. . . and the list is long. Many employees in India would like to work for Danish companies, we treat people with respect and we create a good level of work life balance, so instead of increasing salaries and benefits, use some of the Danish leadership style, such as open dialogue, involvement and delegation, to motivate people, and you have a good chance to reduce the attrition.
2Sourcing Will Never Work Due To Cultural Differences – Wrong
Chapter TW0
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SOURCING WILL NEVER WORK DUE TO CULTURAL DIFFERENCES – WRONG
Made in Denmark, Built with pride in the US, German Quality. . . well the number of statements are many, and somehow each country tries to signal that products from their market are better than others. Again and again I am reading articles about how sourcing is failing due to cultural
differences. Often I wonder if it is due to cultural differences, or due to lack of acceptance of cultural differences.
When I lived in Germany I often bought meat “produced in Germany”, then I knew it was quality. Today, back in Denmark I can choose between German meat and Danish, I pick the Danish, then I know it is quality.
When I was in India at my hairdresser and his machine didn’t work, he said it wasn’t Indian quality, but made in China. . . well I would buy the Chinese machine. . .
When I lived in France, I had a friend, who married to a British person. The family asked why, the French had the best food, the best climate and the best lovers.
So is it that German quality is better than Danish, Indian better than Chinese or French better than anyone else? Why is it that Germans think, that German meat is better than Danish, when the Danes think the reverse?
Well, I think these examples show that while we all have different views on what is the best product, or lovers for that matter, it is also how we see the world from different angles.
I don’t think that sourcing won’t succeed due to the cultural differences, but more so due to the lack of acceptance and respect for other cultures.
Often I have seen Danish companies trying to change an Indian sourcing setup into something it isn’t, meaning a Danish organization. While I do believe that Danish management style, delegation and respect for people are important measures for a good setup, we as Danes also have to accept that we operate in a different market, with a different culture. If we instead of trying to convert it into something it isn’t, use the energy to understand where is has its’ strong points and how we can use the synergies in
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the differences, I feel that we could gain a much better respect on sourcing and not least much better results.
So do the cultural differences make it impossible to succeed or do we just use it as an excuse?
Once I was asked if I could teach my employees to speak Danish, instead of accepting that English is used worldwide, and in fact a very strong lever for doing sourcing in India.
Well, often I feel that we play the “Cultural Differences Card” when in fact what we want to say is that it is difficult, because we don’t understand it. They take my job and I am hesitant. It is difficult to work in different time zones and languages.
It is difficult, because then don’t do it my way and I feel out of control. . . and so the list could continue, so in all honesty is it cultural differences or? Accept the differences, leave space for differences and if the problem is fear and hesitation, create room for frustration that can be addressed and resolved, even in a multicultural setup.
When I worked for Star Alliance, we were 68 persons at the head office and had 29 different nationalities. In my team we did projects in 9 different places in the world and not only was I proud of the team, we had a fantastic spirit, accepted the differences and not least managed our projects using our differences.
3Sourcing Models
Chapter THREE
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SOURCING MODELS
So you have decided to source, so the next decision needs to be taken. Do you go with a partner, do you setup your own, do you get resources or specific services. A decision to source leaves many open questions, some which can be fundamental for your success.
Often different companies use different names for their setup, but overall I consider that 3 models cover 90% of all setups.
Augmented Sourcing: A setup where you add external staff to your pool of resources, could be compared to hiring of external consultants.
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Service Sourcing: A setup where you acquire specific and defined services, such as system operation or specific project deliveries.
Captive Sourcing: Your own where you operate a setup in a different market, often due to cost and access to skills.
I have said it before, but will gladly repeat it:
1. Learn from those who have tried it before, if you go to e.g. India, it is a very different market and often cannot be compared with your current home market.
2. Make the setup accountable, delegate management and deliver responsibilities, keep them accountable and measure by relevant SLA’s.
3. Use local expertise and influence, go with a partner, who knows the market and has the connections.
4. Involve your own organization, avoid the resistance by open communication, tell about your objectives, target and consequences.
While there may be many different models, there may not be a “One size fits all”, but for sure there are a lot of experiences on already tried models, some which have become successful, some which have failed, so make sure you copy the ones who have succeeded.
SUGGESTIONOverall my suggestion is to start with a staff augmentation model, and then within one year move towards services sourcing. For me it is essential that to reduce the impact of the home organization the responsibilities needs to be transferred to the sourcing setup, freeing the resources at home, allowing for reallocation and possible reduction. Focus on the transition, so you don’t end up caught in the model, but instead
focus on the deliveries and benefits, as per your objectives and targets.
As the world become more international and companies work more and more across borders, it also means that many governments become more aware of taxation on worldwide income. The complexity in the setup, the need for arms length concept and avoidance of Permanent Establishment is something that is important to evaluate in the decision of the model, and not to forget the data protection regulations, so investigate and make your decision up-front as it may be difficult to change later.
The majority of setups today are service sourcing, utilizing a local vendor and own liaison and vendor management functions in the setup.
Below I have outlined my personal view on the different types of setup.
STAFF AUGMENTATION/ OFF-SHORINGThe customer has the full responsibility for deliveries, utilization and efficiency. Often the customer manage the setup from the home market, supported by local presence in terms of a vendor management organization. The vendor provides the resources as per the customer definition, perform general HR and career development.
Pro
• Use of your own and well known models and processes
• You are in control with who does what
• Easier for the home organization to accept as it has less impact, as ownership remains in current organization
• Vendor is responsible for recruitment, HR and career development
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Con
• Management by distance is a task only few managers master (actually I am still looking for the perfect way of doing it, but in general, “if you want it to work, you can make it work” attitude is a must)
• Too many of your own resources are used managing the sourcing setup, binding resources from doing other tasks and/or possible reductions
• The vendor makes profit on sale of hours, not on deliveries and efficiency
• Miss out on the synergies available within the vendor organization, as own processes and tools are used
Advise
• Ensure that the vendor actively supports improvement of efficiency, maybe with a bonus model behind it
• Even with an augmented model ensure that you delegate responsibilities to local management, and keep them accountable
• Ensure the setup is self-sufficient in respect to on-boarding and knowledge transfer, releasing your home resources
• The augmented model is often used during a transition period, while skills and knowhow is transferred. Most vendors won’t support the model in the long run, as they can’t utilized best practices
• Ensure vendor remains fully responsible, and accountable for recruitment, HR and career development, this is what you pay them for.
SERVICE SOURCING/DELIVERY SOURCINGThis is today the most used model. In this model the customer defines a set of requirements,
maintenance activities, new developments and other activities as required. An agreement is made between the customer and vendor, often outlined in respect to customer participation, deliverables, cost and schedule. From this point the vendor is fully responsible for the agreed and will be tracked by the agreed measures.
Pro
• Reduced impact on customer organization, freeing resources for other activities or cost reduction
• Utilization of vendor processes and tools, providing increased efficiency by using large scale synergies and best practices
• Clear roles and responsibility
• Vendor is accountable
• Utilization of local knowhow in managing the deliveries and setup
Con
• Increased effort in definition of firm requirements
• Lack of control
• Reduced in-house knowledge on the long run, requiring vendors mitigation plans
• Risk of dispute in respect to requirements vs. deliveries
Advise
• Ensure your basic documentation is in place, as it will be the base for your negotiation and take over. Most vendors will require a phase to upgrade the level of documentation, and even translation into English
• Ensure a relation were issues are resolved outside the courtroom. Cases can often stretch as long as 5-10 years in India, and remember who has the biggest influence in the market.
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CAPTIVE SOURCINGA captive sourcing model, is a model where you alone operate an entity in a foreign market. To reduce the risk of Permanent Establishment most companies will operate the captive center as a wholly owned subsidiary. The full responsibility lies with you, all processes, models etc., are your own, as well as all the risk. Recruitment, HR and career development falls within your own responsibility, but parts are often sourced to specialist companies.
Pro
• You have full control, including management, recruitment, career development, delivery responsibility, efficiency and utilization
• Your own and known processes, tools and methods are utilized
Con
• Risk of Permanent Establishment
• Risk of heavy overhead due to the many and cumbersome processes, legislation, rules and regulations
• Risk of losing focus with shift from deliveries to that of recruitment, HR, reporting, administration and career development
• Lack of attractiveness as a company, due to unknown brand in the sourcing market, which may lead to demand for higher salaries and increased costs
• Lack of a well known organization in dealings with authorities
• Having to deal with HR matters
Advise
• As suggested by one of the larger consultancy companies I would not recommend a captive center for setup below 3-5.000 employees. The risk of increased overhead but also the required focus on non value creating activities (administration, reporting and HR) may cause increased costs and lack of focus
• Even as a captive center I suggest using outside companies to support areas such as recruitment, HR administration, legal expertise, taxation
• Ensure arms length and reduction of risk on Permanent Establishment.
466 Unique Outsourcing Infographics
Chapter FOUR
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I am collecting outsourcing infographics on Pinterest. And hope that my collection of 66 unique handpicked infographics about outsourcing will inspire you.
There is a variety of of infographics covering from „How to outsource your life“, „In-house vs outsourced“ to some of my favourites „4 ways your outsourcing partner is screwing you“ and „the Truth about Outsourcing may surprise you“.
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You will find the full collection here: http://www.pinterest.com/martindommerby/infographic-outsourcing/
Happy reading and pinning...! And please feel free to add more outsourcing pins to the collection.
54 Important Tips To Manage A Globally Diverse Team
Chapter FIVE
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YOUR DESIGNER IS IN RUSSIA, MOST OF YOUR MOBILE DEVELOPERS ARE IN VIETNAM, AND YOUR WEB DEVELOPMENT OR TECH SUPPORT TEAM IS IN INDIA.
How do you possibly train, manage, and retain globally diverse team like that? How do you account for differences in time zones, cultural nuances, and varying personality types?
Welcome to the world of virtual work, outsourcing, and remote team management. Here are a few tips to help manage global teams virtually and easily:
Let the word “remote” not fool you
4 IMPORTANT TIPS TO MANAGE A GLOBALLY DIVERSE TEAM
Managing a single team, in one single location is hard enough. How does it feel like to manage a team where every member comes
from a different set up?
Employers are often guilty of putting outsourcing teams into a silo. Much like the importance one kid gets over another in the same family, outsourced resources are often thought of (and also treated as) disposable assets. If you look at it objectively, outsourced resources should get all the importance, care, and support in a team.
Outsourced resources are experienced, most of them don’t need extensive training or hands-on support. If you manage to find the right people for
your globally strewn team, you’ll realize that they put in more effort, dedication, time, and resources for you than full-time employees do.
Yet, they don’t get the importance they deserve. Just, because they are remote and they aren’t in the same office as you do. They don’t get to have lunch with you. Do they?
This should change. You ought to give them the importance. If you don’t, they’ll find a better client or employer to work for.
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It’s not about the hours, and it’s not about the pay
Say your business is based out of Copenhagen, and your remote team is all over the globe. You’d begin to think that if you paid $3.350 per month for an Indian. Net developer, you might be doing them a great favor (thanks to the differences in the cost of living). But you forget that they are people and not everyone is motivated by Money.
Dan Pink’s book Drive reveals that while it’s obvious to think that people are motivated by money, rewards, and bonuses, it’s not true. Dan dedicates an entire book to reveal that surprisingly, people aren’t motivated by money as much as we think they do.
It’s not about the pay packet. It’s not about the hourly price. It’s about “buy in”. It’s about intrinsic motivation.
It’s always your fault
Blame game is easy. We do it very often with colleagues, bosses, clients, and personal relationships. With remote teams too, the blame is
almost always directed to the team member and not the client or the employer.
The fact is this: no one gets anywhere with the blame game. If your team isn’t getting together well, if differences crop up, or if work seems to have stuck at a wall.
It’s hard for you to accept this but you aren’t doing anyone a favor by hiring them to work on your projects. Like all relationships, this takes hard work too. There’s a constant cycle of training, handholding, and “selling” your vision to your team.
That’s why they call it leadership. It doesn’t come easy, and not everyone can do it.
Where’s that accountability?
Teams – whether on-site or remote – need accountability. Without that, you’d rather have a circus instead of anything that resembles a team.
To make teams accountable, however, you’d have to drive in a sense of responsibility into each member. Everyone working for you should “feel’ the vision, “know” how their work contributes to the whole picture, and actually feel important while doing it.
Whose job is it to make them feel that way? Yours. Whose job is it to make sure they feel “connected, important, wanted, and celebrated”? Yours.
Don’t you go blaming that outsourcing won’t work or that remote teams aren’t dependable.
You see?
How do you manage your globally diverse team?
6How 4 Tools Transform The Way You Manage Remote Teams
Chapter SIX
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Management can go virtual today. Plus, you have all the tools you need to make things happen, without setting yourself and others up within the confines of an office.
Just what exactly are those tools that can change the way you work and manage remote teams? Here’s a look at some of them:
Asana
Ever drowned in a pool of emails seemingly from different people, but it’s about the same task? Ever missed an important email? You’d know the pain of working with emails when you find that your tasks go unfinished, you miss critical emails, and you just don’t know where that important email was.
That’s why using Asana makes sense. It’s a project management tool that aims to keep things where
The job you do? The kind of work you get involved with? It’s all going to change.
In fact, the change is already underway. Flexible work, collaboration, the global talent pool, the human cloud, the Internet, and everything about work itself are fast changing.
The fact is this: the “looking” is going to happen online. Most probably, you’ll end up with flexible work arranges, location independence, and you’ll certainly consider outsourcing.
For a moment, let’s take you over to the other side: the client or the employer side. How would things change for you? What happens if you read Jason Fried’s Rework and consider it as the starting point of how companies can be run or teams can be managed? What if you choose to work with an outsourced team spread all over the world? Does everything you know about management take a back seat?
Thankfully, nothing about management changed. But the medium did. People are still the same. They are just not in the vicinity and the same things motivate them, more or less.
Alex Altman Of Time Magazine writes: The key to finding jobs of the future will be knowing where to look.
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they should be. Projects, tasks, documents, time tracking, and all conversations related to any of the above is all in one place. From the left to the right, the dashboard is intuitive, easy to use, and almost requires no onboarding.
Slack
The projects are assigned virtually. Tasks reside within the projects. Work can happen, if you let that be. But then, good communication is at the foundation of great teams. They communicate, discuss, collaborate, and brainstorm together. If you have to manage a remote team, there’s no one sitting in the office. Project collaboration tools like Asana still feel like empty halls.
How do you communicate better with your team? Use Slack – it’s a single point messaging system built for teams of any size. But it’s not just about chatting away with colleagues. It brings in integration with many project collaboration tools, document sharing tools, and multi-purpose systems such as Google Drive.
Google Hangouts
Sometimes, you’d have to show up to your remote teams. Be it for training, for a weekly huddle, for sharing the future plans, discussing launches, or for nothing but just a friendly meeting.
Skype could have been the default choice (and it still is), but Google Hangouts gives you everything
Skype does plus the direct integration with Google’s entire suite of products.
Conduct training sessions and save the hangout for future use. Save all the documents shared during a hangout to your drive automatically. Sort important dates and deadlines on Google calendar with a single click.
You see how it plays out?
Evernote For Business
Gone are the days when you had to take a picture of a dish served in a restaurant you happened to go to, and then email it to someone in your team so that they can get inspired and recreate the dish in U.S. Also gone are the days when you’d have to wait for someone in your team to get inspired, collect notes, do research, and then compile it all together to email it to you.
Instead of all that, you’d just use Evernote for Business. Share notes with your colleagues, keep an ever growing “inspiration notebook”, chat with staff anytime, maintain a knowledge base, and more.
Evernote is already a popular choice for note-taking and individual productivity. Bring it to mind your business now.
What are some of your favorite tools? What works for you? How do you manage your remote team?
7Motivation, The Key To An Effective Setup For Employees To Perform Better
Chapter SEVEN
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MOTIVATION, THE KEY TO AN EFFECTIVE SETUP FOR EMPLOYEES TO PERFORM BETTER
One of the first things I was faced with when arriving in India, was a statement that in India you can’t manage by motivation, but only by doing to-down and harsh management. 3 years later I am glad to say I prove the statement wrong. I can say I have met many dedicated and higly motivated people, and in fact it is often easier to motivate people in India, as they aren’t used to positive attention and appreciation, something we often take as a given in Denmark.
Attrition among young people, being in India or Denmark may be higher. We also know that the cost of replacement, caused by lack of productivity, experience, recruitment and training costs, is an important factor for why we need motivated employees and it is commonly known that motivated employees performs better.
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WORK - LIFE BALANCEOften we tend to forget that our employees in India also have families, kids to be picked up, and a life outside the office. While I feel that they may be more flexible on the working hours, often matching that of Denmark, it doesn’t mean that we should expect 23 hours per day. Work – Life Balance isn’t about working as little as possible, about our habits in the office hours, but it is about respecting work hours, our employees and their families. . . and be assured when you need a few extra hours they will be there.
While some sourcing companies may expect long hours, weekends etc., it is my experience that in companies with a good Work – Life Balance, you will have people with a longer seniority and a much higher motivation, and thereby a higher performance.
SALARIES & RECOGNITION – BANDS & PROMOTIONSSalaries, bands and maybe not least titles means much more in India than in many other countries. While we in Denmark operate with Jr and Sr title, my advise is to ensure a structure where you can give promotions often, every 2’nd year. Remember that while salaries may be something we keep secret in Denmark, it is something that is talked about openly in India, in fact you can often find the information in places like Monsters. In India it is also about living up to the expectations of the family, much more than in Denmark, and as the society is much more focused on titles and hierarchy, it is an important method to achieve higher respect and standing in the society and within the family. It isn’t unusual that the information is shared across the neighborhood, and I have often heard employees saying that one of the goals is to make their family proud.
When I worked in the US, it was common to find “employee of the month” awarded by parking just outside the building. In India it is common to see companies giving awards and celebrating the employee who has achieved good customer feedback, often followed by a certificate, a small gift, but most of all a celebration in front of all the colleagues, when did you last experience this in Denmark.
Do you know Bodil? Bodil is the Danish version of an Oscar, but it is also the elephant of Lille Per, in the family movies far til Fire (guess you have to be Danish to understand this). Well within the last department I managed in Denmark, we used to have a small copy of the elephant Bodil. Each week, Bodil was given to the person who had done the best for the department and the team during the last week. It was the person holding Bodil who decided on the next recipient. While this may be abnormal in Denmark, it was the best and most motivated team I have ever worked with, and it was a great pleasure to see how they performed.
So yes salary increases are important, promotions are important, but maybe even more so the recognition and publicity, so my advise is that you find a good balance that will work for your setup.
INTERESTING ACTIVITIESWhile many companies often outsource the less interesting activities, to achieve the low hanging fruits, it may actually be a wrong decision. While there is no doubt that the Indian sourcing market is excellent in repetitive activities, remember it started as a market for testing around year 2000, it is also a strong motivation factor for the many young people to have interesting and a broad variety of activities. A good idea is to allow internal rotation of the employees, often after 2-3 years as so the staff can change to new areas and assignment, which will at the same time reduce
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the silo structure and create competition between the managers, because people will stay where the good managers are, and leave those who cannot motivate them.
DELEGATE RESPONSIBILITYWhile the different sourcing models allow different level of delegation, I feel that it is an absolute key to motivation to delegate responsibility and authorization to the employees. In all management training, we hear how delegation is a motivation factor, and this is no different in India. In the early stage, you need to be aware that people may not be used to the delegation, but within short you will see that there is no difference in what you can delegate in India vs. Denmark, as long as you are willing to give up some of the control.
The biggest challenge in sourcing is often due to people in the home market not willing to give up on the control, or activities, something that cost the companies huge sums and most people, who have been working in sourcing agree that the biggest challenge is often the home organization.
MANAGE “THE SCANDINAVIAN WAY”While other companies can match the salaries paid, the activities assigned, only few can match what I call “The Scandinavian Way”.
Speaking to other Scandinavian companies in India all agree that competing for the employees by giving higher salaries and fringes is a dead-end. What we instead can offer is a management style, which is quite different.
While the Indian society and work environment is often very top-down, managers often show very little respect for their employees, and titles and family background often means a lot in the way employees are being treated at office. We come from a cultural background, where we respect
people in a completely different way, no matter title, name or family relation.
Each morning when I entered the building, I said good morning to the security people, the cleaning and not least the employees, and trust me this was a behavior they were not used to. In the beginning they looked strangely at me, but after some 6 months people began to respond, at least some, and today after having left India I still get a mail each single morning from one of my employees, saying “God Morgen”.
Another part I also practiced was to ask people of their opinion, not to give orders, but to get commitments, asked for their help instead of demanding their work, and maybe most important respected them for who they were more than what they were. . . something that is very unusual in an Indian context, and something I know was a key reason for people staying. I was surprised how open people became and how they challenged me, agreed with me but most of all communicated with me.
The respect also opened for a flow of information, a chance to chat at the coffee machine, as I also went to get my own coffee, again something unusual, and while it made it much easier to get a grip of what happened in the company, also behind the scene, it also made it much more fun to work as people showed interest for me, as I showed interest for them. . . try it if you don’t already do it and you will see some significant changes and it won’t cost you anything and can be used with all nationalities, even in India.
So while we often hear about low motivation and high attrition in India we also have to look at what we as managers can do to achieve loyalty and high performance. Look at it as your task to do so and I am sure you will have an attrition in line with a young workforce in Denmark and a performance matching the experience.
8Objectives And The Power Of Communication
Chapter EIGHT
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OBJECTIVES AND THE POWER OF COMMUNICATION
AS METIONED IN MY 5 ADVISES TO A SUCCESSFUL SOURCING SETUP A CLEAR OBJECTIVE AND OPEN COMMUNICATION IS THE KEY, OR AT LEAST A PART OF IT, TO A SUCCESS, SO WHY IS IT THAT SO MANY FAIL?
50% by 201x. During my many years as a manager, I have always learned that it is essential to have targets that can be measured, and then the rest is just a matter of execution. So with 50% by 201x, sourcing can only be a success, or the result of bad managers, or even more so the often blamed cultural differences. I have met several companies which at an early stage communicated their targets, but still failed!
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Define your objectives
Before setting targets, I think it is essential to define the objectives, why are you entering into sourcing and then what do you want to achieve.
When companies define their “50%” target, it may be difficult to communicate, why is it 50% and why are we doing sourcing.
Objectives could be:
“Reduction of the overall IT spending, while still delivering the same number of projects and function points, by reducing local staff and increasing staff in low cost markets. Emphasis on time to market by ensuring an easy recruitment in a market with high availability of skilled staff. Achieve the objective by delegating full delivery responsibility to the sourcing partner and by sourcing all system operation, maintenance and customer support.”
• 20% lower cost with same delivery measured by function points
• 50% more hours of development with an increased cost of 10%
• Recruitment of required skills within 2 weeks
• Reduction of local workforce by 10% to save xx MDKK per year
• 90% of all deliveries, delivered as per agreed schedule
Communicate
What many companies often forget is the importance of communication. Your employees may not see sourcing as the greatest thing to mankind, but instead as a treat to their job, an extra burden in a busy day, and the mentality “they are not as good as I am”, which can often be a sign of insecurity for the future.
If you communicate clearly why you are doing what you are doing, and what you want to achieve, I think it is much easier to get people along on the journey. So if you communicate 50% by 201x, you will leave many people wondering, WHY and will I lose my job?. If you instead communicate “we have to reduce our cost by x% and by using resources in sourcing countries we can obtain skilled resources at a 25% cost. This will mean that we can hire additional resources, at the same time as we can reduce our cost and thereby provide a better performance and more deliveries. At the same time it is also easy to scale up and down in sourcing markets, so we can adjust our sourcing workforce as needed. The consequence will be that we will reduce the workforce in Denmark by x% and it will alone happen based on natural attrition.”
So if you were an employee, which message would you prefer?
Obtain buy-in and set expectations
Most sourcing failures today aren’t caused by the sourcing set-up, but due to the lack of support and buy-in from the home organization! When I meet with my sourcing network in India, we all face the same challenges, on how to get the buy-in from the home organization. On the official side everyone will support sourcing, but in reality many people resist it and some even fight it.
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Be loyal to the objectives
Having set the objectives makes it easier to outline actions, plans etc., and there is a big difference in the actions depending on the objectives. If the objective is to ensure resources that aren’t available in the home market, the cost may not be so important. If the objective is to reduce cost then you have to focus on this and maybe reduce your ambitions on the skills, in most cases I do though think that you can find highly skilled resources at a lower cost, in markets such as India.
At a network meeting we once discussed how sourcing is often started with cost in focus, but when we then see how we introduce home market policies, benefits and processes we end up being a part of creating a much higher cost than what may be required in the market. I think we all agreed that this is absolutely fine as long as we see a return on the efficiency and deliverables, but if it is just to introduce alignment and known processes etc., it is a way to increase the cost of sourcing, despite our objective of a lower cost. I think here it is important to understand and operate as per local market standards rather than known standards, and be loyal to the objectives.
My advises
1. Define your objectives and targets (in the right order)
2. Define your actions (how do you achieve your objectives)
3. Communicate and ensure buy-in (let people know why you do it and let them be a part of the decision)
4. Outline consequences, changes and mitigations (reductions, new assignments, roles and, responsibilities)
5. Set expectations and target for the managers in your home organization (what do you expect from your managers)
6. Be loyal to your objectives and act accordingly (ensure your actions match your objectives)
9Companies Move Jobs Back - Wrong
Chapter NINE
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COMPANIES MOVE JOBS BACK - WRONG
Over the past years, you from time to time read in the news that Danish and international companies have given up on sourcing, in countries such as India, and are moving the jobs back to their home country.
While this may be the case for many production companies, you can at the same time see IT and Service Sourcing growing in low cost markets. Old markets such as Poland and India remain high on these sourcing types, but new markets are constantly opening up in addition and new markets include South America and Africa Continent.
Overall the Indian IT sourcing today employ more than 5 million people, the population of Denmark, and companies such as IBM have as much as 30-50% of their employees in India today.
While new markets are opening, India remains to be a key market for IT sourcing. This is mainly due to its easy access to skilled resources, its technical infrastructure, its ability to work with well defined processes, its flexibility, the language and not least the lower costs (25-30% of Denmark).
My impression though, is that many production companies have moved their production away from India. This may be due to the somehow low quality and inefficiency among blue collared and often uneducated employees. I have met companies within the airline industry, which had to produce out of India, due to large scale contracts with the government, but due to the poor quality of steel and the accuracy of the work they couldn’t get an efficient production to work. I have however also met several large Danish companies which have managed to get a well functioning production to happen, and at the same time have gotten access to a market with 1,2 billion potential customers.
When companies decide to move sourcing back I feel that it is important to ask why. Often the lack of efficiency, performance and quality is due to resistance from the home company. In addition companies
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enforce Danish behavior, culture, policies etc., rather than looking at what is best in the specific country, and look at what other who do succeed do. I am so looking forward to Ikea opening up 28 warehouses in India, not least due to their huge international experience, but also the fact that it is a new era where India opens it’s borders for large international cooperation’s.
So is it a myth that companies move the jobs back, is it within specific line of sourcing or does sourcing continue to grow, well I think it is a myth for the IT industry, but I am sure someone has a statistic showing the truth.
10Visa and Tax– No Easy Way
Chapter TEN
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VISA AND TAX – NO EASY WAY
NOT THAT I AM SPECIALIST ON VISA AND TAX MATTERS, BUT IT WILL NOT STOP ME FROM SHARING MY EXPERIENCES ON THESE TOPICS, MAYBE ALSO BECAUSE I HAVE LEARNT WHAT I KNOW THE HARD WAY, AS PERSONALLY I HAVEN’T FOUND THE ONE WITH ALL THE ANSWERS, THOUGH I HAVE FOR SURE LOOKED FOR HIM OR HER.
The article is based on my extensive dialogue with other companies, tax advisors, legal experts, SKAT (the Danish tax authority), immigration services and learning by doing, and while they may not give all the answers, it may at least make you confused, which I have been, but hopefully also answer some of your questions. While the topics may be different, the link between Visa, Tax and PE (Permanent Establishment) is however very close and therefore should be considered together, and again my advice is, seek support from the specialists, it is a jungle.
Visa
While most expats in India are on a Business Visa, which can be extended up to a maximum of 5 years, it is important to look at the activities performed during the stay, to decide what would be the right visa.
A Business Visa will allow activities such as knowledge transfer, meetings, liaison and participation in recruitment, but not any activities which may be considered value creating. Execution of value creation will not only be a violation of the
visa regulation, but also a risk for assessment of Permanent Establishment.
I often see companies having employees on short term stays doing “special projects” in India. As most of these may create value for the company, such employees should be on Employment Visa, which may not always be the case. You can also debate if the activity is related to the improvement of relations between the home company and your sourcing setup, in which case a Business Visa may be sufficient.
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Another typical case I have experienced, is where the employees during the visit also participate in and execute some of their regular activities from home. As per the visa regulation this is a violation, on Business Visa, and for sure a risk of PE. In cases where a manager is on visit, and participate in a management meeting remotely is by definition value creating work for the home company, it may though be difficult to prove, but why challenge considering the risks.
A fine balance is when it comes to management activities. As per the regulation a person may perform stewardship on a Business Visa, while supervision requires an Employment Visa. So what is the difference? Normally I say that stewardship you look at what is being done and give guidance, while supervision you tell how it should be done and can make decisions. Adding to this you also have to consider that if you do the supervision, and it is an activity you would normally do from
home, it may again increase the risk of PE.
If the activities require an Employment Visa, you of course need to have employment in India. In most cases the foreign employee will get a short term contract with the foreign partner company. In few cases companies decide to establish their own setup, but here the evaluation of a captive setup, should be considered.
Ohhh and by the way, remember that when you send people to Denmark on Business Visa they are not allowed to perform any value creating activities. I know many companies consider on-the-job training as training, and this is also correct, but if you train them by asking them to resolve a certain matter, which is being reviewed and then entered into your production environment or processes, then it isn’t training but value creation, but I am sure you already knew this.
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Tax
Taxation in India, with whom Denmark has signed a double taxation treaty as well as a social security treaty, is defined by the length of stay, visa type, employment and activities performed.
In general all employment for a local company, and execution of activities under an Employment Visa will be taxable from day 1. If the secondment is for a shorter a period, less than 180 days, the employee can retain permanent residence in DK, and file taxes under §33a, double taxation. For longer stays my advice is to seek for change of permanent residence and become fully taxable in India. By doing this you will benefit for the lower tax in India, around 30-33%. As I understand, it requires that you give up on your permanent residence in DK, either by terminating your lease, put up your house for sale or rent it out for at least 2 years, but check with your tax advisor.
If you are in India on a Business Visa, and as such don’t create value, you can stay in India for up to 180 days without being taxable.
In addition to taxes, companies also contribute to Provident Fund (pension scheme). A Provident Fund is a legal requirement for all companies having 20 or more employees, and is 12+12% on basic
salary. If you obtain a letter from the Danish social security you can be exempt from Provident Fund for a period of 3 years, where after contribution is mandatory. You should be aware that after 11 years outside of DK, some special rules apply in relation to your future pension from DK.
Remember that both in Denmark and in India you are taxable on your worldwide income and the two countries do match tax filings on occasions.
So now you have your visa in place, you have filed for tax payment, so how do we manage the risk of Permanent Establishment? Well before doing so maybe we should just cover the employees going to Denmark again. Here you have to consider again the taxation while being in Denmark. In general the rules are the same for taxation in Denmark, with the exception that we in Denmark have Tax on Foreign Labor. Today I see companies using a mix of having the employees pay tax on personal income in DK and using the Tax on Foreign Labor. The Tax on Foreign Labor is still new and still unclear in some respect, but I find that using this may ease the situation for the employees, especially if on shorter stays.
Permanent Establishment (PE)
So the best way to reduce risk of Permanent Establishment is to create an Arms Lengths between your home company and your setup in India. Again the risk of Permanent Establishment is not only caused by you having an entity here, but rather based on what your employees are performing while in India. This is why a secondment to a partner in India may be a good solution, but also the establishment of your own Pvt. Ltd.
Maybe the most important advice is to ensure that people when in India, don’t perform activities, which they would normally do at home. In a recent case two different US companies had a similar setup in India. One had permanent office facilities for their employees visiting from the US, and the US employees could enter the building by use of their US ID, while in the other they were treated as guests, had random seats and got guest ID’s. Do I need to say that the first is today having a permanent establishment in India, while the second doesn’t.
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Secondly, it is important that your seconded employees have a local contract. In this contract, either via a partner or your own subsidiary, it clearly needs to be documented that while they are seconded they alone perform duties for the Indian entity. This also mean that they will report locally and not be a part of any management team in Denmark and Danish. The DK entity shall be treated as a customer and not an employer during the secondment.
While your contract may define ownership of your IP rights, a recent case challenged the taxation of profit. Again a US company had sent their management to India to lead a substantial development project. The remaining employees were mainly local Indian employees, some from a vendor and some from a subsidiary. As the majority of work had been performed out of India, the Indian tax authorities claimed the profit of the product taxable in India. After a lengthy court case the
company won, but it took several years and a lot of legal fees to win the case.
In general I feel that most companies would withdraw from India if they end up in court, so while double taxation treaties may avoid taxation, most don’t want cases which can take 2-5 years and substantial fees, so better do what you can to avoid going there.
One way to avoid this is by having your local setup, pay taxes on profit created out of India. Within the IT industry this can be done by adding a mark-up to your cost, and invoice. Such mark-up today ranges from 15-26% depending on your setup, and what type of IT you develop, being for your own use or for commercial use.
So this became another lengthy chapter, but is maybe also one of the most important to cover before you decide on setup and model to be used. I have by far not reached all the aspects of Visa, Tax and PE, but given a quick insight and introduction.
11So How Is India?
Chapter ELEVEN
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SO HOW IS INDIA?
SO HOW IS INDIA? This is a question I have often been asked by friends and colleagues and after 3 years in India I am not a specialist on India, but I do have personal observations. While it may somehow be easy to reply how Denmark is, the happiest people, a safe country, a high living standard, cold in winters and well sometimes maybe cold during summers, it isn’t quite so easy to reply as to how India is. . . maybe this is why we always talk about the weather. If I should add some keywords to India it would be, friendly people, fantastic nature, chaotic traffic, skilled and huge diversity.
Recently India launched a rocket aiming at Mars, at the same date my maid told me that the flooding in the north of India was caused by too many people praying for rain after a drought period!
While many people know India for its corruption, Slumdog Millionaire, rape of women, India is also so much more. Unfortunately, many know India for the bad things, but don’t know about all the good things, which by far represent more of India than the above, why is it that the news loves to portray India as such and not for the progress going on?
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India is today a growing society with more than 1.2 billion people. Expectations are that India will surpass China in population within the next 20 years and as the growing population get a higher and higher living standard, it is also a growing market for many foreign investors and companies. Ikea has just announced that they will open 28 stores. Large American retailers are moving into the country and according to numbers seen you will find more newly rich people in India than in Russia. If you look for known brands you will find them all, including many of Danish origin. Yes it shall not be covered that India also have a huge problem with poverty and poor people, but while the difference between rich and poor in Denmark may not be big, luckily so, this is a completely different picture in India. Each day I see people searching for food and each day I see more luxury cars here than I have seen anywhere else.
As a sourcing country, for IT and services, India is unique in the way that all people with higher education have studied in English and this is in fact the only universal language in the country. This is a very strong point for deciding to move sourcing to India.
Considering that the IT sourcing industry really started to pick up around 1997, due to Y2K, it is amazing to see how the industry has evolved and grown. Today it represent more than 5 million people and visiting sites with 20.000 employees is not uncommon. Many of these sites are like visiting sites in US and other parts of the world, all spiced with local culture a bit of chilly, an occasional celebration of a religious tradition and not least hard working men and women. Many of these are in the younger generation and while it can be difficult to find people with 30+ years of
experience it is easy to find skilled and ambitious people straight from universities. Later in the book, I will address my theory as to why we don’t see long term experience and people with grey hair in the sourcing setups.
Driving around in Bangalore always impresses me, well maybe not the lack of infrastructure and the traffic mess, but the many international companies you see. Often I see new companies that I never thought of, having large complexes across multiple places in the city and in general I can say, THEY ARE ALL HERE. . .
While Denmark may not have many large companies in Bangalore, we do have
some 40+ companies across India representing anything from 2-3
people, to setup such with as many as 6-7.000 people.
During the past years I have met several of the sourcing companies here, being companies
such as TCS with more than 285.000
consultants, companies recruiting as many as 10-
15.000 new employees each year, companies performing
50-60.000 interviews yearly, to smaller setup with 5-6.000 people. What is general for all of them is that they are all growing, at least for now, they are all becoming large players around the world and more and more of these companies plays a larger role in delivering IT, also in other countries.
I hope this article gives an insight into India, shows that India is more than the picture we often hear about in Denmark, and answer a part of the question SO HOW IS INDIA?.
Today sourcing is concentrated in a
number of key hubs, such as Delhi, Pune and Sillycon Valley of India, Bangalore. Bangalore is a
vibrant city, an old city which has been converted into a new city, many young
people with ambitions, huge companies and a very international city. It is also one
of the more expensive sourcing cities, and while cost may be 20% or so less in
more remote areas, my impression is that nowhere else can you
find skilled resources as in Bangalore.
12Numbers Don’t Lie: Why India Is The Super Destination For Outsourcing
Chapter TWELVE
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Consider this: India’s population is at a whopping 1.2 billion and counting with more than 5 million people employed in BPO, IT, and related services alone. Plus, India is one of the largest English speaking countries in the world, the largest democracy, and the size of the population is ever increasing.
WHY INDIA IS THE SUPER DESTINATION FOR OUTSOURCING
NASSCOM – India’s information technology industry body – estimates that India will generate $50 billion in revenue by the year 2020.
India is the hottest destination for IT spending. According to Everest IDC, global sourcing is
growing at 2X faster than global IT spend. About 27% of new delivery centers in 2014 were set up in India alone. India’s share in global sourcing market growth stayed at a royal 55% in the year 2014. In the last 5 years alone (just when you thought outsourcing was dead), India’s global
share grew 1.2X times.
Backed by an intent government and a positive environment for business, revenue from IT services in India grew 2X in the last 5 years. Other services that increased levels were software testing IS outsourcing, and the number of GICs in India.
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The Value is Unbeatable
NASSCOM has the numbers for you to chew on. The mid-income household group in India is among the largest globally with the total income counting up towards more than 150 billion. Less than 75% of the population is below 35 years of age and India is the 13th largest consumer market in the World.
As for the value provided, digital skills and technology talent composition now stands at 5.8 million people. More than 150,000 digitally skilled people are employed in India. More than a million technical output engineers work to keep this value up each year.
Why, you ask? Just what is it about India that grabs all this business worth billions off world markets? Let’s see:
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Infrastructure and taking the lead
More than 3,100 startups in India are busy at drawing boards innovating on futuristic technology. At least 450 firms focus on emerging technologies such as IoT, Big Data, and Analytics.
More than 1500 patents have been filed and India is busy churning out-of-the-box solutions to aid and sustain clients’ businesses.
An ever-increasing talent pool at low prices
The entry-level wages for Indian employees are at least 6-10X lower than source countries. Combined with one of the cheapest places on earth to live on, India makes for a very tempting choice for global companies to invest in a talent pool that speaks impeccable English, is well-educated, is technically-savvy, and is available for less cost, often by several times for an equally educated resource.
India has a lot more to it than you knew. If anything, it’s technological prowess, low cost, young workforce, and a pro-active government will all very well lead India’s journey to be the next super power.
What do you think?
135 Reasons Why I Love Coming To Mumbai
Chapter THIRTEEN
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Rachel of Hippie In Heels writes:
“For each terrible encounter In India, an equally opposite encounter will follow”.
She can’t be farther from the seemingly ubiquitous impression India makes on her visitors, especially the unwary first-times. There’s just too much happening in a country that seems to pack in an unbelievable 1.2 billion people and counting. Yet, there’s culture, color, food, vibrancy, and a flow of energy that you wouldn’t find anywhere else.
As some people like to quip about India:
“You can love her, you can hate her, but you just can’t ignore her”.
But then, India is too big. There isn’t a section of the country that I could slice out for you and tell you that this is how the country is. It never is. Every state within the country differs in language, culture, food, and many other nuances.
Yet, you can see the country breathe, live, and survive in a huge metropolis such as Mumbai – the financial capital and the city that never sleeps. It’s the city that has a backbone as strong as the rock of Gibraltar.
Nothing seems to make it flinch. Nothing. Ever. There are, however, a few other reasons why I love coming to Mumbai:
THE AIRPORT: JUST CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF ITThe new Terminal 2 in Mumbai is a work of art. While it’s one thing that it was also featured in Discovery Channel’s Mega Structures, it’s one of the most advanced vertical passenger terminals integrating advanced design, architecture, and operational efficiency.
When you arrive here, you don’t just get into a typical airport. You literally walk into a microcosm of India featuring a 3.2 km multi-floor Art wall, illuminated skylights, and more than 7000 pieces of artwork and artifacts curated from every region in India.
HOSPITALITY: THERE’S MORE TO IT THAN YOU CARE TO GETMost people don’t know this but India houses some of the best hotels in the world. Not just in the way hotels look, the grandeur, and the fanciness that hotels come with, but India also boasts of some of the best service in the world.
Warm, hospitable staff will prime you up to soak you in extreme luxury (if that’s your kind of a thing). In Mumbai, you do have the pompousness of The Taj (with a bit of recent violent history to it with regards
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to terror attacks that the hotel was a victim of) and The Leela Palace, you do have many more options to choose from the likes of Palladium, Four Seasons, Oberoi, and more.
PEOPLE:Stereotyping: You know how it is, don’t you? You can recognize the Dutch, the English, and the Australians, and more.
There’s not a single cross-section of people here in India that you can stereotype. Indians come in all sizes, shapes, and types. Varying backgrounds, languages, dialects, and personality types only add to the staggering variety of Indians.
Mumbai is home to millions of them rushing to work everyday in packed suburban trains. Mumbai has a growing base of IT companies and is fast turning out to be a center for IT. It always as pleasure meeting up with my colleagues at the Kalpavruksh office, their helpfulness and hospitality for visitors are second to none. Plus, Mumbai is where Bollywood (the Indian version of Hollywood – only brighter, bigger, and produces more movies in volume).
Tell me whom you are likely to bounce into, in a city like Mumbai.
FOODIndian food needs no introduction. It’s so popular that the current National Dish of Great Britain is actually an Indian curry (butter Chicken). Eat Indian food in India and your palate will swoon and swirl with crazy, tingling, and mouth-watering recipes that Indians are so proud of.
What food you ask? Think Vada Pav, Kebabs, Pani Puri, Chicken Tikka Rolls, Bhel Puri, Kheema Pav, Channa Batura, and so much more.
So, just how popular is Mumbai’s food? Check out Sanjiv Khamgaonkar’s huge list of 40 Mumbai foods you just can’t live without on CNN and you might also want to check out Monisha Rajesh’s list of 10 awesome street foods in Mumbai you can’t live without.
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ENERGYThere isn’t a city like Mumbai anywhere else. Granted that you’ll see the early morning hustle during the rush hour everywhere in the world, but nothing strikes you just as much as Mumbai’s seemingly palpable energy. The city literally moves all the time. At all times during the day.
So much that even a rush hour ride on Mumbai’s local train has to make it to an average visitor and is worth mentioning in your achievements list...!
“
Martin Dommerby
It is always your fault. Whose job is it to make them feel motivated? Yours. Whose job is it to make sure they feel “connected, important, wanted, and celebrated”? Yours „
