January 2007

Executive Summaries

Satyam, founded in 1987 by B. Ramalinga Raju and his brother B. Rama Raju, has grown from a small India-based computer services company to a worldwide purveyor of business services—many of which are offered virtually.

Now operating on six continents in about a dozen markets—including automotive, banking, healthcare, manufacturing, media, and telecommunications—the company surpassed $1 billion in revenue in 2005. In 2006, the Black Book of Outsourcing named Satyam number two on its list of the top 50 best-managed IT outsourcing companies. Satyam also received a 2006 ASTD BEST award.

T+D spoke with Ramalinga Raju, chairman of the company, about the role of learning and development at Satyam. “I believe that change management is at the very core of success these days. Companies that are managing change better are able to provide more assured and consistent growth and create greater shareholder value,” Raju says. “So if change is a transformational process, then what is underlying this magnificent process? In my opinion, it is all about an organization’s or an individual’s ability to learn.”

Developing Global Leaders the Satyam Way
Ed Cohen

Since Satyam’s listing on the Bombay Stock Exchange in 1992, its revenue has grown more than 2,500 times and staff has ballooned from 100 to nearly 30,000 associates.

That rapid growth sparked a major culture change within the India-based IT company.

The Satyam Way is a mindset that facilitates the company’s approach to the work it performs. The foundation includes four types of stakeholders: associates (Satyam’s employees and suppliers), investors (shareholders), customers (internal and external businesses that are recipients of its services), and society (responsibility to contribute to the communities). By matching the right associates with the right opportunities, the company creates value for all stakeholders.

The launch of the Satyam School of Leadership in November 2005, as well as other leadership initiatives—such as the full lifecycle leadership framework and web seminars involving distinguished and international faculty—came about as part of Satyam’s goal to strengthen leadership practices and its leadership pipeline. The focus of the school is to groom leaders for the future.

Satyam takes learning seriously. Each step in a leader’s career is filled with a variety of learning and development opportunities. Satyam benchmarks outstanding companies throughout the world, and uses best practices from the book, The Leadership Pipeline, to plan the right blend of learning opportunities.

PURCHASE ARTICLE

Salary Snapshot: What Drives Pay for Learning Professionals?

An ASTD member demographics survey of more than 2,800 trainers at all levels shows that certain clear factors affect earning power in the learning profession.

The data shows that education level, years of experience, and geography affect earning power in the workplace learning and performance (WLP) profession. The data paints a picture of a profession where there is the opportunity to increase earning potential by taking certain steps: obtaining an advanced degree, working in particular industries, and moving from training design and delivery roles into managerial and executive positions. While this could be true for many professions, the opportunity to work toward corporate-level positions in training is greater now that learning plays a clear role in driving organizational strategy and success. The knowledge economy has given a boost to training jobs.

The future is bright for the learning profession. As business leaders recognize how learning contributes to organizational success, training professionals have even more opportunities to demonstrate their value and the expertise they bring to the table.

As learning professionals move forward in their careers, the key is to continually develop skills and knowledge to be relevant in the organization and in the learning field.

PURCHASE ARTICLE

Serious Gaming: The Trainer's New Best Friend
Michael Laff

The notion of video games as the sole preserve of teenagers idling away in an arcade is as outdated as Donkey Kong. Soldiers, as well as firefighters and physicians, now use them as part of their training.

They are not playing Mortal Kombat or Madden football; rather they are using games to mirror everyday situations they encounter in their work. Ever since flight schools used simulation as a method for training pilots, the value of simulated activity has overlapped with the necessity of functional training.

In contrast to its stereotype as stodgy and out-of-touch, the military embraced game-based simulations earlier than other institutions, according to gaming industry observers.

The effectiveness of games in training and delivering content lies at the heart of what is called the “serious games” movement, which is led by advocates who believe that games can be effective training tools. A Serious Games summit was recently held in the Washington, DC, area to showcase many of the game elements that are being used to train the military and other professionals.

While some fear gaming in the school or workplace, many games already play an educational role. One could argue that the increasing sophistication and the multiplicity of scenarios used in games are becoming more like a simulated environment and less like a game played merely for escape.

PURCHASE ARTICLE

The Trained Eye
Michael Laff

The old joke about the lonely security officer patrolling an empty corridor is long past. Today that same officer is watching your every move and the movements of others without being noticed.

As security procedures grow more aggressive, at times even confrontational, training regimens are changing to reflect this pattern. Security personnel are trained to be constantly alert, yet they must also be subtle enough not to tip off an attacker or intrude upon employees passing through a building or travelers clearing a security check-point.

Because U.S. law enforcement lacks a history of training to prevent terrorist attacks, many government agencies and airport authorities have sought out Israeli counterterrorism experts to retrain security officials on how to recognize and respond to potential terrorist threats.

Such training represents a paradigm shift for most agencies that sharpened their focus on preventing a recurrence of terrorist attacks. By far the most controversial issue in security is profiling. Critics say that airport and law enforcement officials target individuals of Middle Eastern descent or other minority groups unfairly without sufficient evidence. Yet security trainers insist that profiling or taking measure of any individual requires making educated guesses about someone’s dress along with their mannerisms and most importantly, their reason for being in a particular place.

PURCHASE ARTICLE

Being Smart Only Takes You So Far
Bob Wall

In high-IQ professions and companies, what distinguishes the individuals who rise to the top from those who don’t? Research indicates that IQ and training account for as little as 20 percent of the difference between star performers and ordinary employees. The remaining 80 percent is attributed to emotional intelligence.

And when it comes to success in leadership, emotional intelligence is known as the 90 percent factor. Regardless of training and experience, the most successful leaders are those who master the competencies associated with emotional intelligence.

It is no longer sufficient to train leaders to hold people accountable for what they do. Leaders must also hold employees accountable for how they do their work. Because of the enormous impact emotional intelligence has on career success, leaders must be prepared to provide coaching.

Leaders and employees who lack critical emotional competencies must be given developmental objectives that, if not met, result in serious consequences. Otherwise, the organization’s efforts to make emotional intelligence a priority will result in cynicism and despair.

PURCHASE ARTICLE

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