Building Up A Medium Scale Organisation Date:   Wednesday , November 03, 2010 Building up a medium scale organization needs a focused approach to meet the end goals, which in turn need to be clearly defined right at the onset. While approach and execution depend on various external factors, they can be refined with time to better meet and suit the needs of the organization and its clients. Having said that, building a medium scale organization can be challenging with constant concerns regarding funding, talent and clients. There must be several organizations that have fallen prey to inadequate plans and derisory implementation. The funding is the biggest concern and reason for most ventures not reaching the next levels in growth. In this phase where the organization has just been set up, talent acquisition is another big concern. Talent acquisition and retention in the face of larger competitors is difficult and tricky. Challenges like these are real and faced everyday in the initial term of the business. In this globalized economy organizations are at a greater risk for repercussions that can make or break development. The challenge then arises in aligning your goals with those of your global clients. The fact that our revenues are interlinked with that of another economy makes it tougher to survive global economic meltdowns, such as the one experienced in the past few years. While larger organizations have the funds and the diversifications to help tide over a downturn, the medium and smaller enterprises can be severely affected. Concerns on a local and global scale make sustained growth in any organization a constant battle. Steps need to be taken that can bridge the need of the present with the growth and development plans for the future. An organization needs to align its growth to its long term goals and is consciously taking steps in that direction. The resources, diversification and the strategic decisions are all in tune with the end goal; that of growth and success. While there are no sure shot formulas of success and development, my experience shows that success and development of organizations depend on certain basics. These basics over a period of time become integral to the identity of the organization and also help set it apart from others. Although these may vary by a few degrees; Talent, Values, Commitment to Clients, Quality, Investment in Technology and Corporate Governance are what most successful organizations are built on. These basics are what take a small organization to the next step, that of growing into a medium to large organization. Our world is increasingly dependent on the soft skills of its employees and talent is of foremost importance for a successful organization. Identifying and hiring correct talent is a part battle. The key factor here is the organizational value proposition that helps attract fresh talent. The other, and extremely critical in Information Technology, is retaining that talent. While most organizations wage a headhunting battle, it is critical that the parent organization takes steps to prevent the loss of talent. It should be ensured that employees feel valued and appreciated and that this feeling is prevalent among all tiers of your organization. Employee inclusion in the development of organization, its values, and vision can majorly influence retention. It is essential to give importance to the employee feedback and take that into consideration for various organization-wide initiatives. Employees need to be treated as enablers. They are the ones who can work towards the shared common goal of achieving success and transform an organization by attracting more talent, giving optimal performances, and infusing new ideas into the system. Various mentoring programmes keep talented employees engaged and also help them learn from experienced professionals in other departments. Values help administer the operations of an organization. If values are mere words that employees do not associate with, then they are of little use. It is imperative to promote these values and integrate them into our daily processes. Another way of looking at it is to absorb the basic approved principles that your employees work on and instill them as organizational values. This guarantees that in the long run employees will always make decisions or at least know to make decisions based on these core beliefs. It is my belief that it does not matter how large or small your organization is, all that truly matters is how committed are you to your clients. By commitment I not only mean the timelines and your dedication to the project, but also communication between the two parties. Project managers should communicate openly with clients regarding all aspects of the project. They need to understand in-depth what the client wants and needs. This commitment leads to a better understanding and in turn allows you to offer the best solution. Flexible solutions, offering newer technologies, and open communication go a long way in ensuring that a client is assured of effective and efficient services on a long term basis. Quality is the critical aspect of sustained organizational growth. Certifications like the ISO impart confidence to clients that basic systems are in place for delivery processes and that there is assured product quality. Quality then needs to be applied towards continual improvement and in setting systems approach. Your end product, process and technology when integrated on this base, will help achieve constant augmentation. To ensure continued success and growth of the organization, one needs to focus on growth in competency based verticals. This will allow you to build on domain expertise and bring competencies to better delivery and service approaches. Investments into newer and more advanced technologies and developments also enable organizations to be better prepared for changing global requirements. Sectors like Healthcare and Energy and Environment, which are gaining momentum in India, but have considerable reach elsewhere, ascertain sustained growth. These investments have a global appeal in terms of revenues, geographic spread and technical expertise. This investment in technologies of the future is necessary and yet has to help your organization reach that single end goal. Corporate Governance is the final but most vital building block in the rise of an organization. We have all witnessed the meteoric rise and fall of several organizations just because they lacked in proper governance. There have to be audits that check for accountability, transparency and the roles of various management personnel and strategic alliances and partners. The corporate governance will ultimately help you reach your organizational long term goals by controlling processes and operations to work for benefitting your stakeholders both internal and external. An organization can be on the fast track to success if and only if the planning, implementation and the resources all are focused in providing the necessary push to take the organization to the next level. The basics discussed in this article, are like the dots on the map that help you accomplish your organizational growth faster and reach your destination sooner. The author is Chairman & MD, Acropetal Technologies