ANALYSIS OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES USED AT INFOSYS

PROJECT BY:
HURSH MAHESHWARI
M. COM PART 1
A9017

PROJECT GUIDE:
PROF. PARVEEN NAGPAL

SUBMITTED TO
UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI
ACADEMIC YEAR 2015-2016

ST. ANDREWS COLLEGE OF ARTS, SCIENCE & COMMERCE

ST. DOMINIC ROAD, BANDRA (WEST)
MUMBAI - 400 050
CERTIFICATE

I, Prof. Parveen Nagpal, hereby certify that HURSH MAHESHWARI of St. Andrews College of
MCOM PART 1 has completed his project, titled ANALYSIS OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
STRATEGIES USED AT INFOSYS in the academic year 2015-16. The information submitted
herein is true and original to the best of my knowledge.

Signature of Project Guide

Signature of M.Com
Coordinator

Signature of Principal

Signature of External
Examiner

DECLARATION

I, HURSH MAHESHWARI, of St. Andrews College M.Com Part 1 declare that I have completed
the research project on the topic of ANALYSIS OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES
USED AT INFOSYS in the academic year 2015-16. The information submitted herein is true &
original, to the best of my knowledge.

DATE:
PLACE: MUMBAI

SIGNATURE OF
STUDENT
HURSH MAHESHWARI
M.COM PART 1

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First of all I would like to thank God for blessing me with strength & patience to complete my
project. I also thank Mrs.Parveen Nagpal for guiding me throughout.
I would like to thank Mr. Kushal Sarda for taking out the time to answer my interview questions
and help me gain a better insight into his company.
I would also like to express my gratitude towards my guide for her valuable time & effort to
help me in this project.
I thank the University of Mumbai for giving me a platform to explore my mind through this
project.
And most importantly a big thank you to my parents, sisters & brothers & my friends for all the
help extended by them.

-HURSH MAHESHWARI

Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................... 7
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 8
OVERVIEW OF HUMAN RESOURCES AT INFOSYS ........................................................................... 9
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES .............................................................................................................. 10
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY....................................................................................................... 10
INTERVIEW WITH MR. KUSHAL SARDA ......................................................................................... 10
REVIEW OF LITERATURE................................................................................................................ 13
OBJECTIVES OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT ........................................................................... 14
IMPORTANCE OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT ........................................................................ 14
THE HR PRACTICES OF INFOSYS .................................................................................................... 15
INFOSYS CITY ................................................................................................................................. 16
THE HUMAN RESOURCE CHALLENGES ......................................................................................... 17
TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT AT INFOSYS ..................................................................................... 18
CHALLENGES RELATED TO TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT ...................................................... 18
PRESENT POLICIES AND MEASURES TAKEN BY INFOSYS TO OVERCOME THE CHALLENGES
RELATING TO TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT .......................................................................... 19
TRAINING ACTIVITIES AT INFOSYS:............................................................................................ 20
TRAINING PROCESS: .................................................................................................................. 20
TRAINING NEEDS ANALYSIS:...................................................................................................... 20
THE TRAINING PLAN .................................................................................................................. 25
TRANING NEW RECRUITS .............................................................................................................. 26
TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR CURRENT EMPLOYEES ...................................................................... 28
INFOSYS FINISHING SCHOOL ..................................................................................................... 29
PRAVESH .................................................................................................................................... 29
CHIPS - CULTURAL HIGHLIGHTS AND INTERNATIONAL PRACTICES SENSITIZATION ................ 30
CAREER DEVELOPMENT ................................................................................................................ 30
CHALLENGES RELATED TO TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT ...................................................... 30
PRESENT POLICIES AND MEASURES TAKEN BY INFOSYS TO OVERCOME THE CHALLENGES
RELATING TO CAREER DEVELOPMENT ...................................................................................... 31
5

TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT AS A SOURCE OF COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE ................................ 34

CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................. 35
BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................................... 36

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Every company today needs to build on its core competencies and Competitive advantage. In
an ever so dynamic business environment a software company needs to keep its human
resources up to date and skilled. To a very large extent it is the people or the employees of a
company which decide whether it will be successful or not.
Infosys is Indias largest software exporter. It has the largest training facilities in the world
which can train more number of employees than any other campus in the world. So why invest
so much in Training and development of Human Resources? This project focuses on the training
and development activities taken up by the company in order to keep its human resource
competent and skilled.
The first part of the project deals with an introduction to Infosys followed by an interview with
one of the employees of Infosys. It states the important of training and development and the
Infosyss policies on training and development.
The second part of the project shows the actual training program that the infocians go through
when they get recruited for the first time and the kind of training programs that are there. It
then follows to show the training programs for current employees and how it benefits them.
The last part of the project focuses on development activities at Infosys for employees and how
it helps them build a better career path and moves forward in their professional lives.
The conclusion is made up of how these training and development activities help Infosys gain
competitive advantage over other firms.

INTRODUCTION
Great companies can neither be built nor their greatness sustained without great leaders.
Reliance would not have been possible without a Dhirubhai, nor an Infosys without a Murthy.
"Our assets walk out of the door each evening. We have to make sure that they come back
the next morning."
(Narayana Murthy, CEO Infosys).
Infosys technology, a leading software company based in India, was voted as the best employer
in the country in many HR surveys in the recent years. The company is well known for its
employee friendly HR practices. Though Infosys has grown to become a US $8.7 billion company
by the year 2015, it has still retained the culture of a small company. Infosys attracts the best
talent from across the country and recruits candidates by conducting one of the toughest
selection process. Infosys was one of the first companies to offer ESOPs to its employees. The
company followed variable compensation structure where the employees' compensation
depended on the performance of the individual, the team and the company. It also very tackles
the challenges faced by the company to retain its talented workforce.
At a time when organizations are debating the strategic importance of their human resources,
Infosys, a consulting and software services organization, includes its human resources on its
Balance Sheet to affirm their asset value. Mr. Mohandas Pai, the Chief Financial Officer of
Infosys, provides a rationale for this practice:
Investors examine financial and non-financial parameters that determine long-term success of a
company. These new non-financial parameters challenge the usefulness of evaluating
companies solely on traditional measures as they appear in a typical financial report. Human
resources represent the collective expertise, innovation, leadership, entrepreneurial and
managerial skills endowed in the employees of an organization. Our representation is based on
the belief that intangible assets provide a tool to our investors for evaluating marketworthiness of Infosys.

As a knowledge-intensive company, Infosys recognizes the value of its human assets in

maintaining and increasing its competitive position. At the same time, Infosys realizes that
these assets can easily "walk away", as competitors in India and abroad covet its IT talent.
Consequently, the challenge facing Infosys is: "How can it attract, retain and develop its human
assets in a highly competitive and dynamic environment?" The answer to this question may lie
in the management of the 9000 plus Infocians (as the employees are referred to), and that of
many more to be hired in the future.

OVERVIEW OF HUMAN RESOURCES AT INFOSYS

Infosys has a total of 193,383 employees as of 15 January 2016, of which 35% were women. Its
workforce consists of employees representing 122 nationalities working from 32 countries (37
countries as per the base location). Out of its total workforce, 93.8% are software professionals,
17% are working in its BPO arm and remaining 6% work for support and sales. The attrition rate
of Infosys Ltd., excluding its subsidiaries, for 12 months ending 30 September 2015, was 14.2%.
And following the annual hike for employees during 2015-16, the attrition rate is likely to
increase.
During FY 2014-15, Infosys received 1,519,678 applications from prospective employees and
had a gross addition of 53,386 employees.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
1. To understand why Training and Development is Important.
2. To determine how effective training and development gives an edge to IT companies to
overcome challenges of the sector.
3. To understand the training and development Freshers go through at Infosys
4. To determine how effective the training and development programs at Infosys are
5. To understand how Infosys helps career development of Current Employees
6. To analyze the effective of training and development at Infosys.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Primary Data
I interviewed Mr. Kushal Sarda, Head of Freshers Training programme and Senior Data Analyst
at Infosys.
The reason for choosing him was he has been an employee at Infosys since he graduated from
IIT-Kanpur. He has gone through the training programme himself and now is in charge of new
recruits in field of training and development.
Secondary Data
The secondary data in my report has been from reports, web articles and the Infosys website
itself.

INTERVIEW WITH MR. KUSHAL SARDA

1. Can you give me a brief overview of the training at Infosys you have gone through
before we get into the details of it?

Infosys offers three to six months of initial program of rigorous training for all those who
do not have industry experience. Infosys facilitates learning by providing on job training
to meet the job requirements. Looking at current situation onsite opportunities are less
and also bench time is certainly increased. Work environment is nice; Infy is very value
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driven and is a paper and plastic free office. Everything is online and you are free to
contact any official anytime.

2. What is it that sets Infosys Training apart from other Tech companies in India or as
matter of fact abroad?

The training program offered by INFOSYS is quite renowned in industry. Fair and politics
free environment prevails in Infosys that separate our organization from rest. Infy
respect leaders and help achievers in high career growth.
But Salary for freshers is an issue at Infosys. They pay low. There is variation in pays as
large component of CTC is attached with performance bonus.

3. Can you give me an overview of all that you learnt at your training when you joined
Infosys? And what do you think lacked in it?

The training starts with Basic If, for and programming constructs. These concepts should
already be there in an Engineer. The next set of lessons revolve around Object Oriented
Programming and working on highly controlled environments where even the function
parameters are closely defined in the spec. It no way tests your programming skill, it
tests whether you can adhere to the instructions. Nowhere in the program, you are
asked to think about algorithms or efficient implementations. Next comes databases,
where basic SQL Queries are taught, again something that you should have already
known from Engineering. The Stream Track (Java) starts and you are taught web
architecture in a week. Something that takes years to understand. Obviously the
teaching is very flimsy so that you just get the concepts required to clear client
interviews. You learn JSP and JSF, technologies of the previous era But yes, stream
training gives you some concepts in case you are new to the web. (Which should not
be). Finally a mock project, like Library Management System ( A very small part of
it).Very typical requiring no out of box thinking. In fact their close monitoring ensures
that you don't need to understand system design and just do the implementation which
is pretty simple
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4. Does the training at Infosyss training make you a world class programmer, by which I
mean those at par with Microsoft and Google?

No it wont. It takes 10 years to learn programming. It takes 4 years to get an

Engineering degree. The training does not impart proper Computer Science concepts;
hence it is useless in your plan of learning programming. But its useful if you want to
clear client interviews in Infosys for getting a project. The primary aspect of the training
is to prepare you for a career at service companies and I think it serves it purpose.

5. What do you think Infosys mainly trained you to be good at?

So you see the objective of the training is to prepare Non - CS to clear Infosys client
interviews. If you are a CS grad with a little interest in CS, you will find the training to be
very easy and insufficient since most of the questions you will have will be out of the
scope. Also the trainers are just a year older to you and hence do not have the sufficient
experience.
So, in 3 months, you just touch the tip of the ice berg and learn some Jargons, but you
do not understand Algorithms, Performance, Data Structures, System Design. You never
learn to see the system as a whole neither do you learn to objectively see and optimize
the system.

6. What are your recommendations for people who plan on joining Infosys?

For people who like to join big names strong yes. INFOSYS is average learning place and
for people who just want a career in IT INFOSYS is quite a good place to work. If you are
one from top 10 institute of this country and have CS/IT background INFOSYS doesnt
offer that good profile. But if you want to end up working at a big product company,
work at a start up. Thats where actual learning happens. The challenges you face in
there are real and not created by experts in a training center.

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REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Training and development (T&D) is an indispensable part in human resource management, with
the purpose of enhancing the performance of individuals and groups in organizations. Training
and development has a number of names, such as human resource development, and learning
and development. As to its definition, there are several popular explanations.

According to Rothwell & Kazanas (2004), training and development, part of human
resource development, is the process of changing an organization, its employees, its
stakeholders, and groups of people within it, using planned and unplanned learning, in
order to achieve and maintain a competitive advantage for the organization. The main
body of training and development is adults, and the way adults learn and develop is
different from the way students do. Adults' training has more specific purposes, and is
usually more practical, with the aim to solve practical questions. Hence, the organization
or department that are responsible for developing training programs need to know
about theories of adult learning. In the 1950s,

Malcolm Knowles developed a new theory for adult learning, which is called
"Andragogy". Andragogy is in the context of adult learners which is contrasted with
definition of child's learning (called pedagogical learning).

Michael (2007) suggests that the central idea in the context of adult learning is that it is
only after convincing oneself of the rationale of learning that an adult will decide to (and
be able to) learn. Hence, adults cannot be treated like children if one hopes to see
learning. Therefore it is assumed that workshops and seminars organized by the
students themselves create a better learning environment than those organized
externally. This has led to a flurry of recent teaching innovations like student-led tutor
groups and supplemental instruction programs led by above average students.

Another important theory about training and development is Learning Organization

which was created by Peter Senge. Pedler & Boydell (1997) defines that learning
organization is the term given to a company that facilitates the learning of its members
and continuously transforms itself. There is no a single model of learning organization.
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Learning organization is about an attitude toward or ideology of employee and

organization and is a new way of thinking about organization. In leaning organization,
everyone needs to identify and solve problems, so that the organization is able to
constantly try new things, enhancing and improving its capability. The basic value of
learning organization is solving problems, whereas in contrast, the focus of traditional
organization is efficiency. In any learning organization, employees need to take part in
identifying problems, which means that employees need to understand customers'
requirement. Employees also need to solve problems, and this means they need to think
about customers' requirement in a unique way. Learning organization enhances
organization's value by new ideas and information, instead of material production.

OBJECTIVES OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

Develop the competences of employees and improve their performance

Help people to grow within the organization so that its future needs for human resource
can be met from within

Reduce the learning time for employees starting in new jobs on appointment, transfers
or promotion and ensure that they become fully competent as quickly and
economically.

IMPORTANCE OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

Competitive advantage to the firm

Removes performance deficiencies

Reduces accidents, damage, errors and wastage

Improves productivity and profits

Improves satisfaction and morale

Reduces absenteeism and turnover

Helps in knowledge up gradation

Helps meet future personnel needs

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Improves the image of the organization

THE HR PRACTICES OF INFOSYS

On the basic outline of it the HR practices of a company define and form the founding pillars for
the way a company deals with its employees. Infosys was rated as the best company to work
for four times in a row, best employers and the company with the best training and
development modules in the world.
Most of the HR practices of Infosys are a result of the vision of its founders and the culture that
they have created over the years. The founder advocated simplicity and maintained the culture
of the company. The employees are encouraged to share the learning experience. Infosys was
the first company to provide the employees with world class facilities for training and working.
The company's head office at Bangalore is located on a 70 acre campus with multi-cuisine food
courts and recreation facilities like swimming pools, a gym, and a golf course for employees.
Most of the current human resource practices at Infosys result from the vision of the leaders
and the culture that they have created. Narayana Murthy, known for his leadership and vision is
the public image of Infosys. His leadership style is humble and straight-forward, quite
uncommon in the world of Indian business. Narayana Murthy believes in sharing wealth with
his employees and in leading by example. In a knowledge-based business like Infosys, he sees
the importance of consistency in rhetoric and action in empowering employees. Narayana
Murthy is credited with creating a culture of closeness and empowerment at Infosys. His
management style, rare among Indian business leaders, is based on western management.
The other founding members of Infosys contribute their own specialties. Though less known,
they each play a critical part in shaping the culture and running the operations at Infosys. These
unique personalities, with their particular strengths, create the basis for an uncommon culture
at Infosys.
According to Narayana Murthy, what Infosys has on its side is youth, speed, and imagination
and are constantly innovating in every area of operation. The founders' efforts have been
15

paying off. Transparency is one of the important values held by Infosys. A practice illustrative of
this value is its very early decision to adopt the US GAAP standards, the most stringent
standards, for reporting its financial results.
Their emphasis on transparency and communication sets them apart from the prevalent family
owned businesses operating in India at. Their emphasis on getting the employees' emotional
buy-in into the company distinguishes us from the MNC's that have recently entered the Indian
business scene."
The attempt to ensure emotional buy-in is evident in their effort to provide a self-sufficient
work environment for their employees.
Since its inception, till the early 1990s, Infosys recruited employees from engineering colleges.
The training imparted to them was largely informal and consist of on the job training. In the
early 1990s it experienced a shortfall of skilled manpower in the organization due to which it
could not realize its growth plan. The company during that time developed the policy of
recruiting personnel with generic analytical skills and high learning potential and of imparting
them with specific skill required for the job offered in the company.

INFOSYS CITY
Infosys inaugurated its facilities in Bangalore under the name of "Infosys City" in November
2000. Spread over 44.225 acres, it is claimed to be the largest software services campus in the
world. It has the largest `video w all' in Asia which allows for video conferencing simultaneously
from multiple centers. The existing buildings also form part of the Infosys City. The City contains
food courts that serve Chinese, North Indian, South Indian and Western cuisine. A state-of-theart gym, golf course, pool tables, table tennis tables and dance-floor are already in place. The
sauna, grocery store, an Infosys Store, 50 000 square feet swimming pool and a lake with
paddling boats will soon be part of the City. The eco-friendly campus has more than 6,500
trees. The landscape includes stone paths, rose beds, bamboo clusters with benches beneath
them, fountains, and water recycling plants. Besides the enticing work environment, Infosys

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provides state of the art technology to its employees. For example, PCs used by Infocians are
upgraded every two years.

THE HUMAN RESOURCE CHALLENGES

The sheer size and growth that Infosys mean that the HR department has to enable better
communication and create structures where managers would be made more responsible in
handling people and delegating authority and training. Creating enough trained manpower to
sustain the growth of the company, which is currently experiencing high level growth, is the
most important role of the HR department with regard to policies. The HR department needs to
frame policies that support seamless growth, for both the employee and the organization.
The involvement of the HR function is much greater in an IT company like Infosys since it is
highly talent centric, and retaining people is a huge challenge due to the numerous
opportunities that are globally available.

To recruit, enable, empower and retain the best and the brightest

Create a readily deployable talent pool

Competency Based Role Enabling

Sustain Employee Motivation

Address Compensation Challenges

Enable IT in HR & improve processes to enhance productivity

With the IT industry growing at a rapid pace, Infosys planned to recruit around 25,000 people in
the financial year 2014-15, in order to maintain its growth. Though it had started hiring its
workforce globally, it mainly recruited engineering graduates from India. If the industry
continued to grow at a similar pace, analysts opined that companies like Infosys would not be
able to find enough people, especially with several multinationals entering India and recruiting
aggressively. To address this issue, Infosys started recruiting science graduates with a
mathematics background to create an alternate talent pool.

17

TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT AT INFOSYS

Infosys Technologies Ltd. headquartered in Bangalore, provides Information Technology (IT)
consulting and software services to clients globallyas partners to conceptualize and realize
technology-driven business transformation initiatives. It is very essential for the company to
upgrade its workforce regularly to compete in the global market. Retention of employees is the
biggest challenge for every company. To overcome this challenge, Infosys provides training and
development opportunities to its employees right from the start. The company has bagged
many awards from ASTD as the worlds best company for providing best training and
development opportunities to the employees. The company is known best for its Global
Business Foundation School which runs the program for all fresh engineering graduates who
join Infosys and prepare them for the technical and environmental opportunities present in the
market. The Global Business Foundation School has various centers all over the world.
Infosys has achieved awards for its Global Education Center which was set up in 2005. This
center provides training not only in technical skills but also in soft skills. It also provides
leadership program to new entrants to develop leadership qualities. New engineering recruits
undergo a 14.5 weeks Initial Learning Program operated by the company. This aims to
transform engineers from diverse disciplines into software professionals and initiates them into
the Infosys way of life.
CHALLENGES RELATED TO TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
This is another challenging area at Infosys. The company has to chalk out a suitable strategy for
training & development so that employees are well equipped to handle the challenges in
advance.
Rapid and unpredictable technological changes and the increased emphasis on quality of
services are compelling software businesses to recruit adaptable and competent employees.
Software professionals themselves expect their employers provide them with all the training
they may need in order to perform not only in their current projects, but also in related ones
that they may subsequently hold within the organization.

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As observed by Watts Humphrey, Fellow of the Carnegie Mellon University, "as software
professionals gain competence, they do not necessarily gain motivation. This is because a
creative engineer or scientist who has learned how to accomplish something has little interest
in doing it again. Once they have satisfied their curiosity, they may abruptly lose interest and
seek an immediate change". And when the rate of technological change is high; may be higher
than the time required acquiring competence in one area; professionals could undergo
psychological turbulence owing to the need to work in a new technology throughout their
career. They want to gain new knowledge, which will be utilized by their organization. On the
basis of the new learning they want to work in higher segments of software value chain.
Therefore, constant up-gradation of employee skills poses yet another challenge for HR
personnel.
PRESENT POLICIES AND MEASURES TAKEN BY INFOSYS TO OVERCOME THE CHALLENGES
RELATING TO TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
At Infosys, training and development is the next step in building its human assets where the
objective is to match the available skills and abilities to its business requirements.
The spirit of learning ability among the people and an organizational commitment to
continuous personal and professional development keeps Infosys at the forefront in a fastchanging industry. The framework for continuous learning at Infosys is built around a number
of focused programs for the employees. These range from major initiatives such as the Infosys
Leadership Institute to various ongoing management development and personal improvement
programs. They complement a host of technology advancements and on going training
options. The training plan provides a sequence of inputs as individuals grow through their
professional career.
When new recruits from colleges join Infosys, they are trained through fresher training
courses. They are trained then on new processes and technologies. As they reach the higher
levels, they are trained on project management and are later sent for management
development programs, followed by leadership development programs.

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TRAINING ACTIVITIES AT INFOSYS:

After joining Infosys, induction is given to the employees, addressed by NR Narayana Murthy by
an audio visual presentation. During the program, the new hires are groomed to shed their
campus frivolousness and assume their new roles as professionals and corporate citizens. In
the induction program, the core values of company are presented before the employees. In the
company, technical as well as soft skills have its own significance. The main focus of the
company is always on developing technical skills but they also give emphasis on various skills
like leadership qualities, global business etiquette, interpersonal skills, communication skills,
management skills, analytical skills, decision making, etc.
TRAINING PROCESS:
1. Training needs analysis
2. Develop training objectives
3. Review available training methods
4. Design/select training methods
5. Design training evaluation approach
6. Implement training programs
7. Measure training results
TRAINING NEEDS ANALYSIS:
Three types of Training need analysis is conducted in Infosys. They are
a. Organizational need analysis:

Define Infosyss short term goals/objectives.

Define Infosyss long term goals.

Human Resource Analysis.

Efficiency Indexes Assessment.

Assessment of the organizational climate.

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b. Job need analysis:

The specific content of present or anticipated jobs is examined through job analysis. For
existing jobs, Information on tasks to be performed

The skills necessary to perform those tasks.

The minimum acceptable standards are gathered. This information can then be used to
ensure that training programs are job specific and useful.

Information on tasks to be performed.

The skills necessary to perform those tasks.

The minimum acceptable standards are gathered. This information can then be used to
ensure that training programs are job specific and useful.

c. Person need analysis:

Person needs analysis can be either broad or narrow in scope.

The broader approach compares actual performance with the minimum acceptable
standards of performance. Based on the actual, current job performance of an
employee; it can be used to determine training needs for current job.

The narrower approach compares an evaluation of employee proficiency on each

required skill dimension with the proficiency level required for each skill. Used to
identify development needs for future jobs.

Training Methods:
a. Off the job:

Conference

Lecture

Seminar

Demonstration

Role play

Case studies

Simulations

Self discovery
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b. On the job:

Job rotation

Job instruction training

Apprenticeship and coaching

Infosys Training:
1. In- house training team
2. Operational management

Deals with operations complexity

Focus in interpersonal evaluation

Conflict and confidence management

3. Technical training

E-mail etiquettes

Excel training

Presentation skills

4. Training based on Competency

Soft skills training- communication, presentation, cultural sensitivity, client

interface.

MIND- mentoring, innovating, negotiating and developing.

Self- awareness and Self- Evaluation, mainly focuses on EQ.

Transactional analysis- for understanding your own personality.

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Development Techniques:
a. On the job techniques:

Coaching

Understudy

Job rotation

Special Project assignments.

Committee assignments.

Selective readings

Multiple management

Programmed instructions

b. Off the job techniques

Special courses

Case studies

Role playing

Conferences

Management games

Syndicate method

Sensitivity training.

In basket exercises

Development Techniques:
1. Career Path

Chalk out career path for all

Should have completed 18 months in Infosys

Provided by career counselor

2. Higher Education

MBA

50% for the fees is reimbursed

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3. Development assignments (DAs)

They are a traditional and potent form of leadership development. High potential
employees are given experience in diverse functions through internal job rotations and
cross functional assignments. DAs enable employees to gather practical leadership skills
outside his or her zone of experience.
4. There are one-on-one relationships in work settings that facilitate the sharing and
transfer of knowledge and experience between individuals. The Infosys leadership
development model views mentoring as a developmental relationship in the context of
leadership development. A mentoring for leadership pilot programme is operational
and learning's from this programme will be used to refine and extend this element of
leadership development across the organisation.
Evaluation:
a. Performance Development Plan:
A sheet which the employee and manager has to fill where both of them have to
provide information which all areas the employee has improved in.
b. Projects:
Small term projects like on Six Sigma, where at the end of it the employee has to
give presentations to the training team.
c. Questionnaire:

Feedback from the employees on the quality and content of training

Analysis is done on it and then it is scaled.

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THE TRAINING PLAN

Technical Training by Education and Research Department:

Infosys has an entry-level technical training program, which is for duration of 14 weeks. This
program has been certified by educationists as being equivalent to a BS program in the US. The
Education & Research (E&R) department at Infosys offers a variety of training programs on a
regular basis for Middle level employees as well.

Quality Process Training:

Infosys has a strong focus on quality processes and methodologies. This training is tailored to
the role that one is playing i.e. Software Engineer, Programmer Analyst, and Project Managers
etc.

Personal Effectiveness and Managerial Programs:

Programs to enhance the managerial capabilities and leadership abilities, to enable better
customer satisfaction, achieve organizational vision and create high performing multicultural
teams.

ILI (The Infosys Leadership System):

The Infosys Leadership System (ILS) and the Infosys Leadership Institute (ILI) address the issue
of sustained growth in general and create a formal and committed system for developing
leadership capabilities in Infoscions. The most significant attribute of the Infosys leadership
development model is its partnership approach with the other groups in Infosys and the
ownership of the entire process by the top management in what is termed as the Internal
Synergy Model'. ILI is based at a world-class physical infrastructure, in Mysore, India.
The education philosophy at Infosys is to equip the participants with the know-how to find the
best solution, rather than to teach one way to do it' and also to relate to real life situations. It
also encourages employees to go in for further part time and distance education programs
with fee reimbursement subject to eligibility criteria laid down by the policy.
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TRANING NEW RECRUITS

Time Period of Training for Freshers: 14.5 weeks
Cost of training a fresher: Rs.2, 00, 000 per year on training each new entrant
Place: Global Education Center (GEC) in Mysore,
Global Education Center (GEC) in Mysore, has world-class training facilities and the capacity to
train more than 4500 employees at a time.GEC, which was inaugurated in February 2005 is
spread over 270 acres and was the largest corporate training center in the world with 58
training rooms and 183 faculty rooms at that point of time. Other facilities at the GEC included
the largest gym in India, a cricket field a volley ball court,22 tables tennis court, swimming
pool, six lane bowling alley, four screen digital auditorium, meditation hall, and a library.
Commenting on the training facility, fortune wrote," Indeed, the $120mn Infosys center, which
opened last year, is an odd combination of Disney world, club med, and a modern American
university. It's enough to make you forget the poverty outside and believe you're in a first
world fairy tale"
The new employees are trained on the culture and value system of Infosys and also on
technical and managerial skills

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Schedule for training:

Day 1- Day 3:

Orientation about culture and value of

Infosys and its customers

Day 4- Day 39 (around 5 weeks):

Foundation Courses on programming,

systems development, and inter-personnel
skills

Day 40- Day 89 (around 7 weeks) :

C++, UNIX, and HTML.

The training program equips the new entrant for a challenging career in software and
comprises of generic conceptual courses, platform specific courses, a mini project, and an end
term project, which is designed in the form of real life projects. The new entrants are also
imparted training in communication skills, interpersonal skills, customer interaction,
management development, and quality systems.
Care is taken to ensure that the necessary technical skills are provided along with soft,
interpersonal and communication skills, and quality-related competencies. There is a feedback
mechanism to ensure continuous improvement in the training program.

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TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR CURRENT EMPLOYEES

Infosys also conducts training programs for experienced employees. The company has a
competency system in place which takes into account individual's performance, organizational
priorities and feedback from the clients. According to the system, every employee is to have a
training plan based on the identified competencies. The training interventions are organized in
four areas-technical training, managerial and skills training, domain training, and training on
quality processes. Technical training accounts for half of the total training efforts.
Training needs are assessed through the regular planning meetings. In these meetings, the
expected projects for the coming year are forecasted. These projections determine skill
requirements for example 300-400 project managers for 500 projects. Based on current skill
availability and skill demand, training needs are determined. The education and research
department also tracks specific technologies; the number of requests for the technology from
clients may also determine course-offerings.
Infosys also offers training and development support to academic institutions by providing
exposure to industry, in the form of sabbaticals at Infosys, training programs, and sharing
courseware.
Project Specific Training
The E&R department conducts training courses which are mainly project-specific. Most of the
training is class-room based while the training through e-learning is limited. Employees can
nominate themselves for the training programs. For each of the streams project
management, customer interface, technical, program management, and domain consulting,
the behavioral and technical competencies require to be outlined. Training is also imparted in
other streams including quality process training, personal effectiveness, and managerial
development. Every quarter, over 100 technical training courses are offered. The technical
training is imparted for eight days.
Quality process training

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The quality process training is also conducted on a regular basis. For software engineers,
quality process training includes courses on configuration management, defect prevention,
and an introduction to CMM, for the programmer analysts, the quality training comprised
defect prevention training and an internal auditors training. At the program manager level, the
quality process training included implementing CMM and statistical process control.
The need for the managerial development programs was assessed through the performance
appraisal process. During performances appraisal, the employees are asked to choose, in
consultation with their superior, areas in which they need training. Then the required training
is imparted and during the next appraisal the improvement is tracked. The E&R department
takes complete responsibility for imparting the training to the employees. It also conducts
research on emerging technologies and designs the training programs according to the trends
in the industry.
Infosys conducts over 160 middle level training programs. The training needs are determined
depending on the business needs. The management determined the upcoming technology
requirements and communicated these to the E&R department. The senior executives of E&R
and other departments decide on the content and duration of the course. Another way of
determining the training needs was during the process of planning. At the planning meetings,
expected projects are forecasted along with the required skills to arrive at the training needs.
Apart from technical training, Infosys conducts several other training programs including soft
skills, communication, building competency, and personal effectiveness.
INFOSYS FINISHING SCHOOL
Personnel effective training is imparted through the Infosys finishing school, where employees
are trained on business etiquette, business communication, assertiveness skills, and customer
skills for a period of eight days.
PRAVESH
A milestone program-PRAVESH addresses the needs of the employees when they assume
higher positions in the organization. For employees schedule to travel abroad for the first time,
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a program called "first time traveler" is conducted, which aims at sensitizing the employees to
new cultures and workplace. The training is spread over six modules and is conducted over a
span of three days. It includes personal trait understanding, culture and projects elements
appreciation, customer interfacing, communication skills, corporate etiquette, and social
interfacing.
CHIPS - CULTURAL HIGHLIGHTS AND INTERNATIONAL PRACTICES SENSITIZATION
It is targeted at employees traveling to the US, EUROPE, and the Far East countries. A one-day
program, which is meant for employees traveling to different countries. For employees who
are to stay in another country for long time periods; Infosys conducts language training.
Infosys believes that all employees have to ultimately serve the customer, and conducts a
program called C-enabled, or customer-enabled. This program helped the employees to
interact with the customers

CAREER DEVELOPMENT
CHALLENGES RELATED TO TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
Retention and motivation of personnel are major HR concerns today at Infosys, this can be
brought about by proper Career Development procedures in place. It has been observed that
the average tenure for an IT professional is less than three years. Further, the use of new
technologies, the support of learning and training, and a challenging environment ranked
higher than competitive pay structures as effective retention practices. Recent survey has
showed that while the professional gave importance to personal and cultural job-fit, HR
managers believed that the key to retention was salary and career satisfaction.
Money is a prime motivator for 'starters', but for those into their third or fourth jobs, their
value-addition to the organization id more important. Monetarily, offering 'the best salaries in
industry' is the minimum Infosys is doing, apart from performance-based bonuses, long-service
awards, and stock options. Infosys frequently conduct employee satisfaction and organization
climate surveys, and are setting up Manpower Allocation Cells (MAC) to assign 'the right

30

project to the right person'. In fact, Infosys even helps employees with their personal and
domestic responsibilities to satisfy & motivate their workforce!
PRESENT POLICIES AND MEASURES TAKEN BY INFOSYS TO OVERCOME THE CHALLENGES
RELATING TO CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Charged with the responsibility of developing human assets in a fast paced environment,
career management at Infosys faces two challenges: a shift from a focus on technical expertise
in the career to a focus on management expertise, and the speed with which this refocusing
must be accomplished.
Management skills have become increasingly relevant for Infosys because of its ever increasing
volume of business as well as its shift towards consulting business. As the number of projects
to be handed has increased, the demand for project management skills in goal setting,
communication, coaching, delegation and team management has also increased. Invariably the
technical personnel are chosen to move to a management track. This choice is ironic in some
ways because the better an individual is in technical skills (such as writing code) the more likely
he/she is to be moved away from using the technical expertise into a management track
requiring management expertise. Technical expertise provides an individual legitimacy and
respect from co-workers making them a natural choice as a team leader. Within a short time
span the team leaders are required to manage projects, clients and the people working on
these projects. It, therefore, becomes necessary for the individual to abandon their technical
expertise something that has been very salient to their identity in the course of education and
early career, when they aspire to be smart "techies", and start collecting a repertoire of
managerial capabilities.
While developing management skills by attending management development programs 2-3
years ago was one of the "nice things to do"; it has now become a business necessity. The
nature of management skills required is further complicated by the fact that at Infosys,
managers are also required to mange from remote. Team members are spread geographically
and may not meet each other or the team leader for a year or perhaps never. As hiring
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overseas gathers momentum, the demands may be further exacerbated by the fact that team
members may belong to different backgrounds and may not completely understand the
organization and the country culture.
The second challenge facing career management is the "compression" in career, an effect of
the speed at which employees must move from one stage in their career to another. The new
hires are very young (22 years old) and they are put under managers who are 24 years old. At
30 these employees are managers of managers. At 35 an individual can potentially become a
vice-president. Management skills become necessary at a very early stage in the life and career
of an individual at Infosys. Rapid change is a constant challenge. Nandita summarizes this
challenge as follows:
"It is a challenge to teach a 24-year-old to become a manager. The young individual believes, "I
have not yet grown", but you are saying, "you have to do it". Just when you become used to
something you are pulled out of it and it is time to move on to something else. Those who can
cope with this change emerge as leaders (perhaps at the age of 32); others fall back and
become comfortable where they are. The whole career development progress in Infosys is
therefore comparatively shorter than in other companies."
To address the pressing need for management development, Infosys has put in place some
training programs. These include:

First time manager program: This is a 5-day program for new managers, designed to
change a manager's mindset from an individual to a more managerial one, where the
focus has to shift from managing individual performance to managing team
performance.

The manager of managers program: The program is geared towards teaching

managerial skills such as delegation, team work and coordination with other
departments.

Infosys leadership program: The program emphasizes the dynamic environment

outside of Infosys and the adaptation to its environment. Once again, the objective is
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to create a "mind shift" for the senior managers, from looking inward at the internal
operations to becoming aware of external change factors.
Compressed careers bring with them another challenges: stress and burnouts. With
technology-assisted communication devices (e.g., Palm pilots, cell phones and home
computers) employees are multi-tasking, even in meetings. The potential for stress is
enormous, intensified by the time zone differences that make the employees accessible
around the clock. Thus, working around the clock, coupled with extensive travel and minimal
time to manage work and non work needs may cause many employees in the future to
burnout.

33

TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT AS A SOURCE OF COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

Companies derive competitive advantage from training and development. Training and
development programs help remove performance deficiencies in employee.
This is particularly true when:

The deficiency is caused by a lack of ability rather than a lack of motivation to perform.

The individuals involved have the aptitude and motivation need to learn to do the job
better.

Supervisors and peers are supportive of the desired behaviours.

Employees become efficient after undergoing training

Efficient employees contribute to the growth of the organization

Growth renders stability to the workforce

Lower turnover (trained employees tend to stay with the organization).

Training makes the employees versatile in operations. All rounders can be transferred to any
job. Flexibility is therefore ensured. Growth indicates prosperity, which is reflected in increased
profits from year to year.
Accidents, scrap and damage to machinery and equipment can be avoided or minimized through
training. Even dissatisfaction, complaints, absenteeism, and turnover can be reduced if
employees are trained well.
Future needs of employees will be met through training and development programs.
Organizations take fresh diploma holders or graduates as apprentices or management trainees.
They are absorbed after course completion. Training serves as an effective source of recruitment.
Training is an investment in HR with a promise of better returns in future.
A company's training and development pays dividends to the employee and the organization.
Though no single training program yields all the benefits, the organization which devotes itself
to training and development enhances its HR capabilities and strengthens its competitive edge.
At the same time, the employee's personal and career goals are furthered, generally adding to his
or her abilities and value to the employer. Ultimately, the objectives of the HR department are
also furthered.
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CONCLUSION
The new trend in the corporate world is to emphasize more on applying systematic approach to
training and development in order to achieve higher level of organizational effectiveness. It is
found that training function is predominantly structured as an integral part of human resource
department though some organizations have separate training departments. Organizations
attempt to link business strategy and training. Corporate India too has predictable training
initiatives as strategic priority rather than reactive approach, and it is used as a means to
transform in order to survive in the competitive world.
The training programs at Infosys are tailored to not only creating job skills but leaders and
thinkers in their field. With an every changing business environment and dynamics of the
Software industry always on the edge of the swing it is necessary that a company with their size
always has leaders to show them the direction to which the company has to move in.
Infosys Technologies Ltd. headquartered in Bangalore, provides Information Technology (IT)
consulting and software services to clients globally as partners to conceptualize and realize
technology driven business transformation initiatives. It is very essential for the company to
upgrade its workforce regularly to compete in the global market. To overcome this challenge,
Infosys provides training and development opportunities to its employees right from the start.
The company has bagged many awards from ASTD as the worlds best company for providing
best training and development opportunities to the employees.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Reports

http://www.ripublication.com/gjfm-spl/gjfmv6n7_01.pdf

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nizations.pdf

http://www.workforce.com/articles/tiered-mentoring-at-infosys

Websites:

http://www.google.com

http://en.wikipedia.com

http://www.infosys.com

http://www.managementparadise.com

http://www.authorspace.com

https://www.infosys.com/newsroom/press-releases/Pages/employee-training-anddevelopment.aspx

http://www.icmrindia.org/Short%20Case%20Studies/Human%20Resource%20Manage
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http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Infosys_Technologies_(INFY)/Training_Development

http://www.rediff.com/money/2006/aug/03mspec.htm

https://hrcases.wordpress.com/2008/06/25/training-fresh-recruits-at-infosys/

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