A Case Study: All e technologies – NASSCOM Mentorship Program
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Alletec, a company that provides Enterprise Systems and IT Services including ERP, CRM and SCM to mid sized businesses globally recently participated in NASSCOM’s mentorship programme for emerging companies. Alletec CEO Dr Ajay Mian, himself an industry veteran with over seventeen years of experience, believes that it is a good programme, though he had some suggestions for making it more effective. He spoke to NASSCOM, sharing his experience as a mentee.
Q: The six month long NASSCOM Mentorship programme for Alletec just got over. Why did you take up this programme in the first place?
A: The programme was an opportunity to brainstorm and discuss various issues with other industry experts in a formal and structured set up- which is always valuable. This helps you get other view points on issues you have been thinking about.
Q: What exactly were you looking for when you started on this?
A: As an organization we are at a critical juncture. If we take the right steps now, we have the potential to see remarkable growth. We wanted to discuss our market positioning and strategic initiatives with the mentoring team.
Q: So how different were the views that you got?
A: By and large, the mentors’ views were on the same lines as ours. However, the discussions helped better prioritization.
Q: What would you say was your takeaway from this programme?
A: The panel supported our strategy of intensifying of our focus on providing Enterprise Business Solutions based on Microsoft Dynamics (NAV, AX and CRM) – an area where we have achieved market leadership position. They also supported our services to build business applications. Ratification of this important decision by a panel of experienced industry experts was very valuable. The other important message was to strengthen focus on brand building.
Q: What set the NASSCOM panel apart from commercial consultants?
A: For us, the fact that I had known some panel members for a long time brought in personal touch to the engagement. It was set of experienced industry experts – who were also well-wishers. In case of commercial consultants, it is hard to be sure of their competence and interest levels at the beginning of the engagement. The advantage however is – continuity and perhaps some concrete deliverables at the end of an engagement.
Every business needs to keep reviewing itself and we though it would be nice to do an external review and get different points of views
Q: So what changes would you like to see in the programme?
A: In the current format, the mentee companies engage with a team, and it is very hard to ensure continued presence of all panel members in all meetings. This makes follow-ups difficult and some initiatives remain unconcluded. I think it would be much more valuable to attach just one or a maximum of two mentors to a mentee company. A combination of formal and informal interactions – not all of which have to be at the NASSCOM office — would be nice. This will increase ownership and bring a higher focus on concrete or tangible outcome. A larger panel could review progress once a quarter.
Q: Any other improvements that you can suggest?
A: The NASSCOM panelists come from varied backgrounds such as IT, ITES and VC industries. It is important to have the right mix of people for each mentee to make the really effective. If a list of the panelists is given to the mentee companies before the start of the programme, they can indicate their preference for the members they would like to have.
Q: Would you say that this kind of a programme is better suited for younger companies and less experienced management teams?
A: No, that is not true. This program is of value to any organization. While younger companies might have a higher focus on day- to- day operational problems, the program is better suited for a discussion on strategic issues.
A company at a higher level of maturity is more likely to derive value from a program like this
Q: Do you see your relationship with the panel continuing outside the NASSCOM framework?
A: As I mentioned, I have known most of the people on the panel before. Our interaction will always continue.
Interview by Anita Maini, Prayag Consulting for the NASSCOM EMERGE newsletter – Issue no 18
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