Sumeru Software Solutions: Creating a Culture of Serene Dynamism

Sumeru Software Solutions was a software development consultancy firm headquartered in Bangalore, India, with offices in Washington, D.C., Dubai, and London. It began operations in July 2001 as a single project with two employees, and grew over 10 years into an organization with approximately 200 employees. The founding objective of Sumeru Software Solutions was to support Art of Living’s social development initiatives through profits earned from delivering high-quality services. Art of Living (AOL) was founded in 1981 by Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji as a not-for-profit, educational, humanitarian non-governmental organization engaged in stress-management programs, including yoga and meditation. Sumeru had developed a unique culture that combined corporate culture with the Art of Living principles of Seva, Satsang, Sadhana, and positivity even in the face of adversity. In line with the AOL principles, the four pillars of Sumeru culture were ethics, caring, sharing and trust. It purported to follow a peaceful yet aggressive way of doing business called “Serene Dynamism.” Harish Ramachandran, CEO of Sumeru Software Solutions, had created an enterprise that was different from other IT organizations. He was wondering how he would sustain the culture of the organization and make Sumeru a high-performing company over the next 10 years as it expanded its business and hired new employees.

The primary objective of this case is to illustrate the development of culture in an organization. It discusses factors that can influence founders and members of an organization and illustrates the roles of leadership, values, and human resource practices on building an organizational culture. Other issues that can be discussed include spirituality in the formation of organizational culture and values-based management. This case may be used in courses related to organizational behaviour, human resource management, entrepreneurship, spirituality in organizations, and values-based management.

• Corporate Culture
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Management Philosophy
• Value-based Management
• Work-life Balance
• India
• IIM-Bangalore/Ivey