Flat Makes One Agile

Confidence is not the word to describe the mood. What is
interesting is the reason Rajnish Kohli, Head Professional Services, HPS, attributes to
this confidence. A flat structure. No designations and no disparity between a trainee and
the VP, who does not exist in any case. He says, "We took a conscious decision not to
have any designations. We have only associates." This makes the employee, oops, the
associate, feel a part of the company. "Designations like 'engineer' convey that the
person only works for the company. Consultant is too misused and suggests an outsider
rather than a part of the team," he adds. The term associate, on the other hand,
suggests each one has a share and belongs to the company. It is not just the absence of
designation that conveys this perception. ESOP is a very material way of conveying the
same. As per the JV agreement between the partners, 10% of the equity has been allocated
for ESOP with a provision to increase it. The company has formulated a scheme to cover
35-40% of the eligible employees over 5 years. There are no promotions in the form of
designation changes and the salary difference may not be much. The recognition of an
outstanding performer will be included in this list of ESOP holders, which is revised
every six months. In addition to this, at an annual function the performers are honored
based on recommendations from department heads. The advantage in not having an hierarchy
is the motivation to experiment and try any job role is high and the scope unlimited.
"Which is why we have excellent performers and outstanding performers," explains
Kohli. "We also take in freshers, train them in our ways so that their commitment
from the beginning is high. Even while traveling, all travel by flight, economy class.
There are no first among equals. And, with five subsidiaries and all clients abroad, the
scope to travel, exposure to new technologies are other motivational factors. But, that's
not all. The company encourages spouses to work, and even together on any project.
"We tried figuring out why couples were not allowed to work in the same workplace,
and couldn't come up with any good reasons. The general view that they are lenient to each
other is undermining their intellect. We believe that the best way to get the best out of
people is to respect them and their intellect," explains Kohli. And, to strengthen
the ambience, the office is designed to give a feeling of comfort and has a gym. There are
no limits on casual leaves, and an associate can take as many as decided between him and
his leader. Mistakes are viewed as points of learning and not as a reason to punish or
victimize. In addition to these, the company conducts team building programs- 3T: Triumph
Through Teamwork and 3C: Contact, Connect and Communicate. While the former aims at
inculcating team spirit through outstation programs, the latter helps individuals unravel
talents other than those of project management and development. Even if an individual does
not know about his talents, he is given a task to perform. It is a program targeted at
helping individuals open up. With the policies focused on promoting a sense of belonging
in the associates, by promoting interaction with each other, respecting their intellect by
placing implicit faith in their abilities, giving room to expand and display their
talents-off the job as well as on it-and with exposure to technologies, it is hardly
surprising that the associates find compelling reasons not to change their jobs. Or is it
partnership?