In August 2018, JK Paper Ltd., a market leader in India’s paper manufacturing industry, acquired the ailing Sirpur Paper Mills Limited, an 80-year-old company that had been declared insolvent. By September 2022, Sirpur Paper Mills Limited was reporting profit margins that were on par with its parent company. The management team was requesting approval from the parent company to double capacity in the writing and printing paper segment, with a proposed investment of US$125–130 million. The company has overcome several key challenges and had achieved some considerable operational improvements. However, the proposed investment would be a long-term commitment in a cyclical industry. There were also some difficulties in attracting and retaining talent in the industry and establishing relationships with key external stakeholders. JK Paper Ltd. had to decide whether to approve a strategic plan to expand and double the capacities of its new business unit in India’s paper manufacturing industry.
Nihilent Limited (Nihilent), established in 2000, is an information technology (IT) services and consulting company based in Pune, India. Nihilent has been led by a charismatic and very creative leader who has been leading the go to market and client acquisition strategies through his design thinking workshops. Most work has been acquired based on his personal credibility. <br><br>How can the company sustain creative disruption through humanizing technology that the founder has so painstakingly built? Can the right leadership be found to carry the company vision forward? Can the government's policies and ecosystem help Nihilent gain competitive advantage?
In 2020, Neha Mathur and Debi Kar co-founded the start-up Wishyogi India Pvt. Limited in Bangalore, India, and launched an online HR platform called Personifwy. Driven by artificial intelligence (AI), Personifwy analyzes employee engagement experiences and integrates data with the client’s own systems, thus serving as an HR analytics platform. During their interactions with clients, Mathur and Kar discovered a gap in the process of recruiting prospective employees. Many candidates were engaging in a phenomenon referred to as “ghosting,” which caused the talent acquisition teams of client firms to constantly restart the process, wasting time and resources. Mathur and Kar wanted to reveal the reason why candidates were dropping out of the recruitment process (or “ghosting” the employer) after receiving an offer letter and find a way to stop the practice. Potential solutions included having the client call these candidates directly or hiring consultants to establish a contact. Could AI technology help to resolve the issue? Could Mathur and Kar design an innovative solution to increase the ratio of job offer to confirmed employee for Personifwy clients? Should the company consider using employees advocates to help resolve the ghosting issue?
The farmer producer company (FPC) Sahyadri Farmer Producer Company Ltd. (Sahyadri Farms) commenced with a mission of safeguarding fair compensation to the small landholding farmers of India in exchange for their produce and hard labour. Sahyadri Farms was a market leader in grape exports, especially to Europe, but when export freight charges shot up dramatically due to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the company was forced to enter into the domestic market to survive. The company’s domestic business, Sahyadri Supply Chain Company Ltd., had very high operating costs compared to those of local intermediaries, who operated without the same professionals, standardized logistics, or software. The company was rigorously partnering with young innovators to incorporate technologies like blockchain into the agricultural sector, and it needed a new business model. However, as a company in a low-profitability sector with jobs that were not lucrative and were situated in remote locations, it faced challenges in attracting and retaining the young talent it needed to support the growth of an increasingly complex business in the domestic market.
Nreach Online Services Private Limited (doing business as Xoxoday) is a technology company that builds digital infrastructure for rewarding employees, customers, and partners through perks, incentives, and disbursement payouts. Incorporated in 2018, it has grown at a scorching pace; in just a little over three years, it has acquired more than one thousand clients that leverage their technology infrastructure to run rewards programs for about two million end-users. Xoxoday has built a sizable suite of reward, recognition, and motivation products for three target segments: (1) corporate workforces, (2) customers and channel partners, and (3) sales teams. The product lines for these three client groups are called Empuls, Plum, and Compass, respectively.<br><br>Employee well-being, both physical and emotional, has been a challenge for Xoxoday’s Empuls (corporate workforce) clients. These challenges have been exacerbated by the pandemic. Another issue apparently catalyzed by the pandemic—and with which corporate employers were grappling, given that most of their workforce had been working remotely since 2020—was that of attrition. Xoxoday’s Empuls clients are looking for novel solutions to stem the tide of what is now famously called the “Great Resignation.” Should Xoxoday implement gamification as a strategic solution to encourage well-being behaviours among the workforce of its corporate clients and to arrest attrition? Why and how could Xoxoday demonstrate responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) while deploying gamification as a strategic solution for addressing the two key human resources management (HRM) challenges of employee well-being and attrition? How can trust pose a potential challenge to the implementation of AI-based HRM solutions? Which approach to business model innovation should Xoxoday adopt while offering such solutions?
In 2021, SunSource Energy was evaluating its growth strategy options. An entrepreneurial venture in the renewable energy sector, it was about to receive a second round of large funding. SunSource Energy had to decide whether it should exploit its expertise in India and other known locales, or whether it should explore new possibilities. It needed to apply organizational ambidexterity and a fresh approach to design thinking, especially during uncertain times in a global context. What strategy should the company use to leverage its new funding for growing the business?
The Happy Turtle was a bootstrapped start-up in Delhi, India, that was focused on driving a circular economy for plastics. The company aimed to offer sustainable and biodegradable lifestyle alternatives to plastic, which could secure a greener future for the planet. The founder of The Happy Turtle had left a successful and flourishing corporate culture to follow her passion for sustainability. By mid-2019, The Happy Turtle had been growing at a slow but steady pace to reach a breakeven point. One year later, however, the company was finding itself at a crossroads. Business uncertainty had arisen due to the Indian government’s new policy on plastic waste management, various underlying issues related to the circular economy, and the challenge of raising money from angel investors. In addition, the founder was finding it difficult to recruit, hire, and retain the right talent to help her achieve The Happy Turtle’s vision. What strategic and routine decisions would she have to make to reach her company’s goals and vision?
The program head for retail talent acquisition at Yes Bank Limited needed to improve the talent acquisition process to fill vacant positions for relationship managers—a critical position within the business unit. Competition for talent was severe, with multiple positions at competing organizations open to suitable candidates, and screening the necessary number of candidates to ensure recruitment success was time-consuming and frustrating for everyone involved. One of the bank’s business leaders, particularly frustrated with the hiring process and the lack of consistency with candidate selection, was pressing for an urgent solution.<br><br>One option was to use an artificial intelligence (AI) platform, which centralized the candidate applications and improved the screening process by using machine learning to review videotaped candidate interviews. AI ranked the candidates, providing access to a larger talent pool and a quicker path to acquiring the needed talent. The process would resolve the bottlenecks that job aspirants typically faced in the traditional interview process, but would the tool dehumanize the entire process and undermine the interactions that ultimately led to better conversions and future integration with the brand and values of Yes Bank?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jeff Bezos, the chief executive officer of Amazon.com Inc. (Amazon), became the world’s richest person by adding US$6 billion to his net worth by the end of March 2020. While the worth of other billionaires was decreasing because of the unprecedented market volatility created by the pandemic, retail sales surged to a record level for Amazon. To meet the additional workforce requirements created by the sudden rise in demand, Bezos announced a new hiring drive for Amazon’s warehouses and delivery network. The announcement came when Amazon’s labour practices were under the scrutiny of New York State and New York City authorities for the disputed “wrongful termination” of a warehouse worker. Amazon’s conduct was vehemently condemned by labour unions, labour supporters, the media, and New York City authorities. At the same time, Amazon employees expressed their concerns about the hiring of additional workers, as more workers could further aggravate the workplace safety issues at the company’s warehouses. Bezos vehemently claimed to be committed to workers’ health and safety and announced new paid sick leave and hazard benefits policies for workers who were not working from home. Was the authorities’ scrutiny of Smalls’ termination and the workplace safety measures at Amazon’s facilities a signal of legal battles looming for Amazon? Was Bezos protecting the wellness of his employees? Did the new policies and safety measures point toward a change in Bezos’s crisis management strategy? How could Amazon move from a greed/profit perspective to a profit with purpose perspective? How should Amazon manage in an almost permanent crisis-like situation?
Google was once considered a dream place to work at for people in the technology industry. However, the company has faced fierce criticism in recent years for its attempts to suppress the voice of its employees. The past few years have been tumultuous for the company, which has had to grapple with employee protests over the mishandling of sexual harassment claims, retaliation for expression of their disagreement with company policies, and ethic crises related to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology. For a long time, workers at Google have enjoyed what has become known as the legendary standards of a democratic workplace and corporate perks. Recently, however, they have taken to the streets to protest the destructive work culture of the company. Some discontented employees left the company; others were allegedly fired in retaliation for their actions.<br><br>Google had historically been characterized as “least bad” among technology giants in terms of the freedom of expression allowed to employees. Is this changing? Why were Google’s employees discouraged from voicing their challenges? What approach should company adopt to maintain the trust of employees in channels provided for freedom of expression of its employees? Could the termination of vocal employees be treated as unlawful retaliation? Has Google been struggling to handle workplace harassment complaints? Would alleged improper handling of workplace sexual harassment attract a legal action against the company? How Google should handle workplace harassment complaints in future to avoid legal battles?
In 2017, Advaith Group was an Indian conglomerate with interests in various businesses including chemicals, infrastructure, and engineering. An advisor to the corporate communications group was employed on a contractual basis. Each year at the time of his contract extension, organizational politics were played out around the decision to renew the contract. The advisor was very good at what he did, but his behaviour with colleagues left room for improvement. The head of human resources had his reasons to stall the extension of the advisor’s contract and tried different means to have his way, including sidelining him within the organization. A new recruit in corporate communications came into the company with hope and the ambition to be successful in the corporate world. However, she was unsure if she could achieve this goal under the current circumstances. The managing director was asked by the chairman of the group to decide on the extension of the advisor’s contract, but he had to look at all possible angles before doing so.
Saankhya Labs Private Limited (Saankhya), was a fabless semiconductor company formed in 2006 in Bengaluru, India. It provided innovative products and solutions used in consumer electronics, wireless communication, and broadcasting applications. Similar to other domestic telecommunications manufacturing companies in India, Saankhya found it difficult to penetrate the domestic equipment market. While its fluctuating fortunes had stabilized to some degree after 2016, the company continued to struggle in the face of regulatory uncertainty and competition from multinational giants, and the expected advantages of government initiatives intended to support the domestic industry had not yet materialized. In 2018, Saankhya's chief executive officer and co-founder wondered how long the company could survive under such competitive circumstances. Should it compete or collaborate with other stakeholders in the industry?
Fluorescent Group (Fluorescent) was an Indian company specializing in manufacturing filament products that were used in incandescent light bulbs. It had been a market leader for over 30 years, and by 2017, it had seven group companies and over 400 employees. Its filament products were exported to 15 countries and sold in the domestic market. However, the group’s chief managing director had begun to embrace the concept of wellness and believed that the wellness industry might be an attractive future business option, since it offered ideal remedies for people leading hectic and stressful lives in the large cities of India.<br><br>Changes in the lighting industry meant the market for Fluorescent’s filament products was in decline and was no longer generating profits. Should Fluorescent simply adapt to the changes in the lighting industry and manufacture LED-related products? Or should it support only a few custom orders for the lighting industry while venturing into the manufacturing of blue water equipment? Alternatively, should it consider exiting the lighting industry entirely and manufacturing only wellness products like blue water equipment or rejuvenation centres?
In 2016, the three co-founders of Coinmen Consultants LLP (Coinmen), an independent business advisory and chartered accountancy firm in New Delhi, faced a dilemma with respect to the knowledge management process at their firm. Due to the firm’s rapid growth, a change was certainly necessary, but the partners held some reservations about adopting a technological process for knowledge-sharing in their company. Would the implementation of a knowledge management system have a negative impact on the learning culture of Coinmen by providing the employees with ready-made solutions? Would it make employees dependent on technology, thus compromising their personal development? How could Coinmen ensure that the new technology would be used in combination with—not instead of— employee expertise? And finally, after a knowledge management system was introduced, should Coinmen also consider implementing a human resources information system and talent analytics?
In May 2013, iGATE Corporation suffered a major blow after terminating its president and chief executive officer, Phaneesh Murthy, as a result of allegations of sexual harassment. Murthy had previously been forced to step down from Infosys Limited for similar reasons. After Murthy’s unceremonious exit, iGATE struggled to fill its top leadership position. Finally, in September 2013, a new chief executive took over and outlined a plan of action that differed completely from his predecessor’s strategy. However, the company, which had been poised to achieve big ambitions, had lost momentum and appeared directionless. Had iGATE made a mistake by hiring Murthy as its top executive just 18 months after he had been fired from Infosys? Why did iGATE not conduct due diligence on its talent acquisition and management, especially for the critical position of chief executive officer? How could other organizations turn around a position of vulnerability to become resilient?
An entrepreneur faced a dilemma regarding the flexible work policy in his start-up consulting firm. The leader of the firm struggled with the complications that arose after the implementation of flexible working arrangements, and the various situations caused him to rethink the concept of trying to help his employees to manage their own work–life balance. Since flexible working hours were granted on a role-by-role basis, a perception of unfairness emerged when a valuable subject-matter expert was denied flextime privileges while many of his colleagues were allowed to take advantage of them. The manager was apprehensive regarding the rising sense of detachment between the users of flextime and the non-users. Should the manager scrap the policy altogether, or should he attempt to find a better way to implement his firm’s flexible work arrangements?
Amazon was the biggest Internet-based retailer in the United States and had frequently been featured on lists of the most admired companies. In 2015, The New York Times published an article that portrayed Amazon as a ruthless employer with brutal human resource management practices and a toxic work atmosphere. Employees were divided in their opinions: some found the culture invigorating and others found it hard to survive in. Leaders in the industry came to Amazon’s defence, while employees at other organizations began to disclose their own experiences of toxic work environments. Could Amazon continue to grow, thrive, and retain employees if it maintained its current employee management strategy? Did stress foster innovation, and, if so, at what point did that stress become destructive?