The Hindu Business Line : Soaking in the Infosys credo

They come from all over the world to find out what makes Infosys tick. InStep, the company's internship programme, draws students from some of the best academic institutions worldwide.

Geoffrey Gelman, first-year MBA student at the Harvard Business School, thinks Indian cuisine is terrific, loves visiting temples and palaces, and finds Indians practical and efficient people. No, Gelman is not the usual American visitor chanting touristy mantras about India and Indians. He's a focussed management student kick-starting his eight-week internship at India's best known IT major... Infosys Technologies. He chose India and Infosys because he thinks the experience would be invaluable on his resume.

Gelman is not alone. Currently, there are 39 others who have taken the same call. They have come from different parts of the world, studying, among other things, how the country and the company (Infosys) hit a bull's eye in the global IT industry. They are fascinated by the `offshore model' now abundantly replicated across the country's IT sector.

For Infosys, this is the sixth year in a row that it is hosting interns from several world-class academic institutions. Called InStep, the internship programme usually lasts between six and 24 weeks, but the company has interns throughout the year, says Sanjay Purohit, Associate Vice-President and Head — Corporate Planning, Infosys Technologies. "As summer sets in around the globe, students arrive here." This year, the company plans to host 100 students on its campus. "It'll be difficult to choose from over 9,500 applications that we have received," smiles Nidhi Alexander, Program Manager, InStep.

Going by the numbers that seek internship at the company, it is obvious that India, IT and Infosys are the buzzwords at top colleges across the world. Interns from MIT, Stanford, Harvard, Wharton, Carnegie Mellon, Oxford, London Business School, Munich, Darmstadt, INSEAD, and Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology have flocked here. Colleges in China, Thailand, Japan, Mexico and Switzerland are being added to the list.

"It's a great opportunity to see how an Indian company works," says Victoria Chen, an undergraduate student from Claremont McKenna, California. After spending some time in China and gaining a basic understanding of that country, she wanted to go to the `next fastest growing market in the world.' And Infosys was her obvious choice.

"I didn't see why I should not come to one of the fastest growing companies here," she quips. Like Gelman, she also wanted to find out how an Indian company works.

Samuel Varghese, an Indian-American doing his MBA at Fuqua Business School, North Carolina, is here for personal and professional reasons. Personal because he's never lived or worked in India, and professional because "the Infosys experience will be of great value in my career growth." Varghese wants to build a career in management consultancy.

Apart from the excitement of working in India's biggest IT brand, students are also exposed to live projects here, which is like the icing on the cake. Unlike other companies, Infosys does not create dummy projects for interns to work on, says Purohit.

This has resulted in some unique and exciting projects. Veneta Nikolova, an undergraduate student majoring in economics and finance at Smith College, Massachusetts, worked on an equity-based compensation project in the company's HR department. Her report is currently being used to identify different combinations of equity-based compensation for the employees. Similarly, Deirdre Newberry, an MBA student from Wharton, undertook a study for the Communications Practice, where she assessed the potential of various sub-segments within the telecom industry in Europe and suggested new services. Her study is also being used to refine training and recruitment practices to address this market.

For the company too, this is an opportunity to work with the best budding minds in the world. "They will be the CEOs of tomorrow, and we want them to understand our business model better," says Purohit.

Global business community

Apart from the business model, Gelman has come to study the company's work ethics, working hours, how it motivates employees, etc. "I was also curious to know about an Indian company's capabilities, whether it is ahead of US companies; if not, how is it trying to catch up? I feel in some areas they are ahead of their US counterparts. It eliminated a lot of my questions about India."

It was precisely with this in mind that InStep was started six years ago. The primary objective was to work with future leaders of companies and of society. "We have to register with them now," says Purohit. The second reason was to build a global brand for Infosys. "We're talking of building a global organisation. So, obviously, we had to understand global talent pools, work with the best minds and work with the best of academic institutions globally," he says. The aim was to make Infosys an oft-mentioned name amongst the global academia. Gelman and Victoria had heard a lot on campus about this Indian IT giant. Adds Gelman, "Both Americans and Indian-Americans are interested in the company and the country."

It also helps that the interns have formed a network and have been brand ambassadors for the company. Interns from previous years keep in touch with each other and with the company, write about Infosys on and off, make it a part of their research and even seek out the latest information about the company. They recommend the company to fellow students seeking internship. The multiplier effect is important, says Purohit.

The third reason for kicking off a global internship programme was to ultimately have a global workforce in the company. Though conversion of interns into employees has never been the primary objective, it is a desirable consequence, says Purohit. So far, there have been four such recruitment drives, which is not a big number, but the company is not unduly worried.

While Gelman does not mind trying out a stint at the company after he graduates, Victoria says she would if her family allowed her. While most are open to the idea of working at Infosys in the US, they have apprehensions about living in India. Varghese says he might move to India after a couple of years when differences "between India and the US in terms of infrastructure and opportunities would greatly reduce."

Infosys, on its part, has handheld its interns, and led them through a cultural immersion programme that sensitises them to Indian culture, ethos, working styles, food, etc. They are assigned mentors and buddies who guide them through the internship period. "Even the mentors and buddies are chosen with care and go through a cultural sensitivity workshop," says Purohit.

Gelman finds the office arrangement more or less similar to US offices. "People are direct, open, efficient and the company itself is well organised." Victoria says she likes staying on Infosys campus. "Though I don't enjoy the chaos of Bangalore roads. They really attack your senses," she smiles.

Picture by G.R.N. Somashekar

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