The Hindu Business Line : Soldiers in business suits

They are soldiers, albeit from the corporate world and dressed in natty stripes and coordinated ties; and they are not out to demolish competition but take expertise to countries that need them. This is the Corporate Services Corps, an IBM initiative that wishes to stretch the boundaries of corporate social responsibility. About 100 IBM workers from 33 countries (including 20 Indians) were selected to visit six emerging economies to work alongside local non-governmental ag encies on various projects.

IBM executives Arindam Bhattacharyya and Sreejith N.S. were in this group and say the experience changed their way of thinking and working.

Different strokes

Bhattacharyya was in Ghana, working with the large family-owned Ghana Drug House Production Ltd, which faced losses due to a volatile political and economic scenario.

“The biggest challenge was the lack of enterprise from business partners. This was compounded by a lack of access to the Internet, data on local and African business issues, and statistics — things we take for granted while planning changes,” he says.

But one incident renewed his hope. “One of the volunteers came across a Masai tribesman in the middle of nowhere. Very nonchalantly the Masai warrior took out a mobile phone and made a call. It was a perfect example of how technology and mobile telephony are changing the face of Africa and empowering people,” he smiles.

Before setting out for the Philippines, Sreejith underwent extensive training, including e-learning sessions, for cross-cultural sensitivity and conflict management. But nothing prepared him for the Filipino style of conducting meetings.

“In the Philippines, food is an integral part of their culture. There are no meetings without food. The locals are masters at talking while eating. All I could do was either eat or talk,” he grins.

Work wise

While Bhattacharyya’s objective was to help create a value proposition for investors and other pharmaceutical companies in order to attract financial and technical help, Sreejith’s pet project involved conducting career development workshops and introducing IBM’s academic initiatives at a major university in the Philippines. All they had was a month to achieve set targets. Work was hard but not without its special moments and insights.

Problem-solving for Sreejith has acquired new meanings. “As IBMers, we often develop solutions for very complex problems. But today I realise how tough it is to find simple solutions for problems that seem simple but are highly confounded by the lack of basic necessities like infrastructure, funding or simply not having the experience.”

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Soldiers in business suits