Aron Ain, CEO of The Billion Dpllar Enterprise Kronos Inc., In Conversation with Pawan Chabra of B&E, Explaining how after US, UK and Mexico, His Company Plans to Create Waves in The Indian World of Workforce Automation
B&E: While at Kronos, you have dealt with workforce related issues in the West. You have also interacted with Indian business leaders during various forums. And now that you have announced a multi-million dollar investment plan for the Indian market, we ask – how is the Indian CEO mindset different from that of his western counterpart?
Aron Ain (AA): To begin with, I would cite some similarities between the Indian and western business leaders. Both are high-focused, committed and the quality of work of which is produced in India is similar to what see in the developed world as well. There is no doubt about it. But there are differences too, the biggest of them being that the Indian managers have very high ambitions. This is something which you miss in the western work environment, perhaps due to the fact that managers and senior managers in the West have already fulfilled certain sets of requirements in their lives. So, this presents a great opportunity for Indian businesses to grow, as the managers are willing to burn the road.
B&E: So after US, UK and Mexico, you could have chosen any other developing nation, especially in South-East Asia. Why India to invest your dollars?
AA: India is a very important market for us and is therefore a key stepping stone for growth. This is the primary reason why we have announced huge investments for the Indian market. There are many companies in India still which operate on manual processes for handling workforce-related issues, and our competence of getting automation into the system should work well for both the Indian companies and us. More so, India being a knowledge-centric economy, we are very excited to welcome additional skilled Indian workers to join our team of 3000 employees, in our quest to develop, sell, and service software that makes global workforce more productive, everyday.
B&E: During the slowdown period, many companies were struggling with workforce management. At the same time, it could have meant a leaner period for companies like yours. How was your experience during the tough past couple of years? And what behavioural changes, if any, have you noticed during the pre and post-slowdown times?
AA: Actually, our experience at Kronos was quite contrary to what you ask. We had a fairly good time during the recession as the area of work which we are in (workforce management) became a very focussed topic due to the companies looking to trim down their workforce and optimise the output of their manpower. Hence products and services automatically became the need of the hour. In this sense, we are an interesting company – we perform well when matters are good, but better when a slowdown occurs. Talking about the change in workforce mindsets, what we have noticed is that post horrors of the slowdown, people are today thinking less about switching jobs. The inclination is more towards sticking with the company an employee is with for long, rather than looking out greener short-term pastures.
Aron Ain (AA): To begin with, I would cite some similarities between the Indian and western business leaders. Both are high-focused, committed and the quality of work of which is produced in India is similar to what see in the developed world as well. There is no doubt about it. But there are differences too, the biggest of them being that the Indian managers have very high ambitions. This is something which you miss in the western work environment, perhaps due to the fact that managers and senior managers in the West have already fulfilled certain sets of requirements in their lives. So, this presents a great opportunity for Indian businesses to grow, as the managers are willing to burn the road.
B&E: So after US, UK and Mexico, you could have chosen any other developing nation, especially in South-East Asia. Why India to invest your dollars?
AA: India is a very important market for us and is therefore a key stepping stone for growth. This is the primary reason why we have announced huge investments for the Indian market. There are many companies in India still which operate on manual processes for handling workforce-related issues, and our competence of getting automation into the system should work well for both the Indian companies and us. More so, India being a knowledge-centric economy, we are very excited to welcome additional skilled Indian workers to join our team of 3000 employees, in our quest to develop, sell, and service software that makes global workforce more productive, everyday.
B&E: During the slowdown period, many companies were struggling with workforce management. At the same time, it could have meant a leaner period for companies like yours. How was your experience during the tough past couple of years? And what behavioural changes, if any, have you noticed during the pre and post-slowdown times?
AA: Actually, our experience at Kronos was quite contrary to what you ask. We had a fairly good time during the recession as the area of work which we are in (workforce management) became a very focussed topic due to the companies looking to trim down their workforce and optimise the output of their manpower. Hence products and services automatically became the need of the hour. In this sense, we are an interesting company – we perform well when matters are good, but better when a slowdown occurs. Talking about the change in workforce mindsets, what we have noticed is that post horrors of the slowdown, people are today thinking less about switching jobs. The inclination is more towards sticking with the company an employee is with for long, rather than looking out greener short-term pastures.
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
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