Learning Lessons from Leaders: Term Zero’s CXO Connect Series

July 20, 2020 | Posted by BPR Team << back to blog

With the current pandemic triggering acute anxiety among people and businesses over consumer scarcity, security, and expenses, the PGPM 2020-2021 batch had the honour of listening to Shrijeet Mishra, Chief Innovation Officer (CIO) of the Aditya Birla Group, give a talk on the crisis. Mr Mishra, before joining the Aditya Birla Group, spent over 24 years at Hindustan Unilever and several years at BCCL.

He began by speaking about the six senses, six needs, six technologies and three business objectives (6x6x6x3) concept. He emphasised on having a stronghold over our six senses (touch, sight, hear, smell, taste and emotions); fulfilment of 6 needs – look better, eat better, a better home, stay connected, have fun and be well; and learning about 6 technologies – AR/VR, IoT, robotics, 3-D printing, cloud computing, and data analytics. These exercises, in turn, elevate 3 business objectives of top-line growth/bottom-line contribution, enhanced consumer experience, and a sustainable business. He encouraged the students to accept the new normal, be compassionate, and take the responsibility of furthering their dreams. He also talked about the myths of innovation – the roadblocks in innovation and how to deal with them using a seven-point strategy. He ended by reminding us to always return more to society than take from it.

We also had the opportunity of listening to Ganesan Ramachandran, Managing Director of Accenture Strategy. His talk, “Innovating the Student Experience, More Than an Upgrade”, emphasised on the role of technology in managing businesses. He spoke about how an MBA program is both a life-changing experience and a means for learners to become a newer version of themselves. Mr Ramachandran elaborated on the need for innovation and digital transformation, stating that the COVID-19 pandemic had only reinforced the potential of a stable digital ecosystem handle the current, as well as other potential pandemics while staying relevant to the industry. He also spoke about how disruption triggers opportunities, and action triggers advantages.

Given the current level of damage and the susceptibility to future disturbances, he divided the disruption pattern into four distinct periods:

Period 1: Volatility

Companies having endured acute damage from current conditions and increased susceptibility to future disruption. The pressure for survival is very high. For e.g., banks.

Period 2: Viability

Companies with a higher current level of disruption, but lower susceptibility to future disruption.

Period 3: Vulnerability

These are companies with a lower current level of disruption, but higher susceptibility to future disruption. Innovation is a must for survival.

Period 4: Durability

These are companies with a lower current level of disruption, as well as lower susceptibility to future disruption.

Mr Ramachandran further pointed out how only 20% of organisations feel prepared for disruptive innovation against 93% of companies fearing their industry to be hit by a disruption in the next 5 years.

He then moved to the 5 technological trends: The ‘I’ in experience-AI and me, the dilemma of smart things, robots in the wild, and innovation DNA. He also identified the key drivers of growth for an economy: business growth, innovation, and agility. On a closing note, he urged the students to pursue organizational behaviour courses.

Gravitating the spree of learning and knowledge, the students had the privilege of listening to Mr Ananth Krishnan, Chief Technology Officer, TCS. Mr Krishnan started by discussing the three types of innovations at TCS: derivative, transformational, and disruptive. He mentioned that these innovations are distributed over continuous improvements, the extension of current business, and radical game-changers.

Further, Mr Krishnan expounded the basic values of TCS, emphasizing on the importance of trust, which nurtures growth for all stakeholders across the spectrum. To uphold this conviction, TCS has undertaken several initiatives such as TCS Co-Innovation Network, COIN, etc. Through these initiatives, TCS has partnered with and mentored start-ups and other organisations to create products focusing on customer-centricity.

Mr Krishnan then talked about TCS DIGITATE, which developed Ignio Cognitive procurement, an AI/ML-based application to help companies with better purchase decisions. DIGITATE went on to win ‘Best Overall AI Company of the Year 2019’ at Silicon Valley. He also mentioned TCS KNOME, TCS’s internal social network. He went on to highlight TCS’s role in “Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan” where it strengthened Passport Seva, ION and other government initiatives like NSPL, NCPI, Ayushman Bharat, and TCS’s assistance to the government during the pandemic.

Finally, Mr Krishnan spoke about various tenets of ‘Work from Home’ – its pros, cons, and the challenges in its implementation. He concluded by reminding everyone of the constant need to upskill and re-skill themselves in this age of continuous learning.

Written by Aryaman Gupta, PGPM 2020-2021, Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai

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