Indian Indian Information Technology Industry Research Articles

Industry 4.0 and the Changing Employment Relations: A Case of the Indian Information Technology Industry

This article aims to explore the dynamics of employment relations (ER) in the Indian information technology (IT) industry in the context of an ongoing technological revolution. The study utilises the grounded theory approach to draw insights from 32 professionals including project/product managers, senior management representatives and employees from junior to mid-career level currently working in the IT industry. Findings indicate that the following four forces drive the ER in the Indian IT industry: (1) labour laws, (2) compensation and HR, (3) unions and organisations, and (4) health and workplace security. Labour laws need to be updated to suit the requirements of knowledge-based professions. Compensation and HR management styles vary widely due to the disparity and heterogeneity of work. There is scope for a non-politicised union in the industry. The health and security of IT professionals need attention. Findings suggest the changing concepts of workspaces in IT, dilution of HR in IT due to increased outsourcing and the rise of independent workers in future. This article makes theoretical and conceptual contributions to the ER literature. It captures the driving forces of ER in the Indian IT industry. The article also contributes to decent work, convergence–divergence paradigm and outsourcing in Human Resource Management.

Career Satisfaction in Maximising Professionals of Indian IT Industry: Mediating Roles of Contrasting Responses Based on Counterfactual Reasoning

This study conceptualises career maximisation and its consequences in the Indian Information Technology (IT) workforce, a globally significant non-Western talent pool. It examined how maximising tendency in career decision-making (MT-CD) mediated career satisfaction through two contrasting responses based on counterfactual reasoning―career regret (dysfunctional) and career adaptability (functional). The study comprised of two parts. In Study 1, scales for MT-CD and career regret were developed and initially validated using a 172 respondents’ dataset. In Study 2, data from 434 respondents were analysed for psychometric evaluation and further validation of scales along with determining hypothesised relationships. Two dimensions of MT-CD were identified―‘state of internal career ambiguity’ and ‘striving for career excellence’. Both attributes produced career regret (an aggregated measure of ‘corporate regrets’, ‘career choice regrets’ and ‘developmental regrets’ dimensions), decreasing career satisfaction. Only ‘striving for career excellence’ led to career adaptability, which subsequently increased career satisfaction. Altogether, career regret competed with career adaptability, supressing its positive indirect effect on maximising ITPs’ career satisfaction. This study expands the current empirical research on career maximisation into non-Western contexts, adding unique knowledge to the Indian IT workforce’s vocational literature.

Technical Efficiency Analysis of Indian IT Industry: A Panel Data Stochastic Frontier Approach

Globalization and the development of modern technologies have led to the emergence of service trade. The success of Indian information technology (IT) has changed perception of globe about India and has captured the attention of the globe as it seems a paradox that a developing economy is emerging as a global hub for software exports. In the past three decades, the contribution of the Indian IT industry to national income, employment generation and offsetting the current account deficit is remarkable. In this consideration, the present study is an attempt to analyse the technical efficiency of the IT industry of India during the period 2000–2016 by applying panel data stochastic frontier analysis approach. The study reveals that foreign capital, age and profit ratio have a significant impact on mitigating the technical inefficiency of the IT industry while the research and development (R&D) expenditure has turned out statistically insignificant in determining efficiency. Indian IT industry is mostly driven by service exports which are not survivable in the long run. The study suggests that the Indian IT industry has to transform itself from low value-added to high value-added, from service-driven to product-driven.

Freely Engaged: Volition and Work Engagement Among Temporary Agency Workers of the Indian IT Industry

A lack of job security and other challenges mark the circumstances of temporary agency workers (TAWs). Yet, data from 511 TAWs of the Indian information technology (IT) industry captured via a structured questionnaire revealed the presence of volition or TAWs holding temporary jobs by choice. The study was conducted in two phases. In phase one, logistic regression was used to differentiate between voluntary and involuntary TAWs. In phase two, multiple regression was used to analyse the influence of volition on work engagement–overall and its individual components (vigour, dedication, and absorption). Logistic regression analysis showed that TAWs who were younger, single, educated in smaller cities and had worked for less than a year with a client were more likely to voluntarily choose temporary work. Further, multiple regression analysis demonstrated that such volition significantly boosts TAWs’ work engagement, in line with Self-Determination Theory’s perspective on autonomous motivation. The predictive model of categorizing TAWs into voluntary and involuntary groups based on demographic and job characteristics will help client and staffing organizations design customized policies for each group and promote factors enabling voluntary selection of temporary work arrangements.

IDENTIFYING VUCA FACTORS IN A PANDEMIC ERA – A FRAMEWORK FOCUSED ON INDIAN IT INDUSTRY

If ever the acronym “VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous)” felt appropriate to use, it’s now. Organisations at global and domestic levels are experiencing highest levels of uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of which is unprecedented. Organisations across industries have been experiencing volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity time and again. However, there are no parallels to the COVID 19 pandemic in the recent history. Researchers in their earlier studies have identified various VUCA factors and challenges that have influenced these organisations during various crisis situations such as Global Financial Crisis of 2008, demonetisation and BREXIT to name a few. However, there is lack of research that elucidates challenges faced in the presence of a pandemic driven VUCA environment. This study is first of its kind to present insights into the Indian Information Technology (IT) Industry in the context of a pandemic landscape. The outbreak of COVID pandemic in the year 2020 has led to the rest of the industries crippling and Indian IT Industry is no exception. Therefore, this generates a need to identify various challenges i.e. VUCA factors faced by organisations across the Indian IT sector in the context of a pandemic environment. It is a qualitative study accomplished with the help of in-depth interviews of strategic business leaders across the IT sector. The literature in the paper has been enriched with different types of studies. The findings are based on data gathered from above sources (primary and secondary). The research makes an attempt to identify various VUCA factors impacting organisations across the Indian IT sector during a pandemic, incorporated in a framework for future reference.

Work engagement, job crafting and innovativeness in the Indian IT industry

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of work engagement on job crafting and innovativeness in the Indian information technology (IT) industry. The authors also theorized and examined the moderating effect of perceived supervisory support (PSS) and openness-to-experience (OTE) in aforementioned relationships respectively.Design/methodology/approachThe authors base their arguments on the job-demands and resource (JDR) theoretical model and broaden-and-build theory. Field data from 377 working IT professionals were collected using the survey method. The model was tested using partial least squares (PLS) technique.FindingsResults support the main effects hypothesis. The authors find a significant and positive relationship between work engagement and job crafting behavior and innovativeness.Research limitations/implicationsThe study makes a reasonable contribution to existing knowledge on work engagement and its outcomes. However, the use of cross-sectional data may constrain causal inferences.Practical implicationsInnovativeness and job crafting behaviors are valuable to most organizations, but more critical in IT organizations. As illustrated in this paper, work-engaged employees display higher levels of innovativeness and job-crafting behavior. These results suggest that IT organizations should focus on work-engagement for better productivity and faster growth.Originality/valueThis study is an attempt towards a better understanding of work engagement and its micro level individual outcomes which have not been examined earlier.

Understanding the requirements Of the Indian IT industry using web scrapping

Abstract India produces over two million engineering graduates a year as well as another million graduates in related fields such as computer science, biotechnology etc. Employers cite new graduates lack communication skills, problem solving skills and technical skills. The Indian Information Technology (IT) sector has fast changing technical requirements and understanding its requirement is very important for academics and professional trainers so that they can better prepare students with relevant skills. In this paper, we have developed a simple methodology to analyse the requirements of the Indian IT industry by parsing their job portals and extracting information from their job descriptions. We selected the top 10 IT companies by market cap to conduct our analysis. We extracted the number of jobs that contained each keywords like Java, CCNA, SAP, Agile and computed the popularity of each skill and ranked them accordingly. We find that IT industry requires software and skills like Java, Python, SQL are covered by most universities but paid and in demand commercial software tools like SAP, Oracle are not part of the curriculum. This methodology can also track the evolution of skills and predict new skills that can become popular in Industries in the future.

Post internationalization strategies of born global service firms

PurposeExtant literature suggests that post-entry internationalization strategies and performance implications of born globals are an under-researched area. This paper aims to examine the internationalization strategies of born global service firms (BGSFs) and performance implications thereof through strategic group analysis of hand-collected data from Indian information technology (IT) firms.Design/methodology/approachStrategic group analysis has been used to examine if there are any differences in the strategic decisions across firms and if there are any implications of these strategies on the performance of firms. The strategic group approach helps understand not only the antecedents but also the strategic trade-offs that different groups of BGSFs face after internationalization. The study uses Indian IT industry as the context for analysis of BGSFs, as studies have found that the Indian IT industry to have significant presence of born globals.FindingsFour distinct strategic paths were found to be followed by BGSFs. In addition, the nature of services and ways of mobilization or deployment of resources explain the different internationalization paths and consequently performance. The performance differences primarily stem from the choice of degree of commitment and scope of internationalization.Practical implicationsThis study provides distinct insights to practice by charting internationalization paths for an emerging born global.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the theory on born globals by using strategic lens to explain the internationalization paths and their performance implications.

Improving Organizational Performance Through Competitive Advantage: An Empirical Analysis with Reference to Indian IT Industry

ABSTRACTImportant characteristics of resources and capabilities that can help an organization in gaining competitive advantage are discussed. Secondary data for Indian information technology (IT) and Information Technology Enabled Services (ITeS) firms were used for examining the link between core competencies (resources), competitive advantage, and organizational performance. The results indicate that ineffective utilization of resources can have a detrimental effect on competitive advantage. Findings reveal that organizational performance is a function of competitive advantage. Practical implications of the study are discussed. The contribution of this article is that it provides important insights into competitive advantage, which can be used by managers for improving organizational performance.

Organizational and Talent attributes of the Indian IT industry

PurposeThis study is a comparative organizational analysis of the four subsectors of the Indian information technology (IT) industry, namely, IT service (ITS), business process outsourcing (BPO), software products services (SPS) and engineering and R&D (ER&D). The purpose of this paper is to empirically identify the cross-sectorial attributes, organizational characteristics and the talent best suited to it.Design/methodology/approachData were collected using a qualitative research design with semi-structured interviews of 17 industry experts.FindingsFindings suggest there are differences in the internal organization of each subsector and this influences the talent attracted toward it. ITS and BPO are perceived as customer driven sectors where technology is an enabler to facilitate smooth functioning of customer operations. Conversely, technology is the core factor that drives SPS and ER&D. Similar observations and differences in the design, environment, individual motives and competencies are identified. The study also identified the inter-relationships between organizational characteristics, task and social structures in the IT industry using Perrow’s organizational theory.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings identify contextual dimensions and shared patterns that exist between the subsectors. At the same time, it distinguishes each subsector in terms of observable and objective characteristics. Significantly, the study highlights the inter-relationships between technology, task, raw material, goal and social interactions. However, the authors stop short of framing hypotheses to test the relationships identified here.Originality/valueThis cross-sectorial study delineates between the four subsectors and provides a foundation for pursuing future investigations in the right direction. This attempt to systematically analyze and compare all the subsectors of the IT industry simultaneously is a distinctive approach. The sectorial diversity suggests a need for talent management practices that will fit the unique characteristics of each subsector.

Intercultural communication competencies in the Indian Information Technology industry

Low employment rate, owing to lack of aptly skilled workforce, is one of the major concerns of the Indian Information Technology (IT) sector. The study employed ranking-type Delphi method with an aim to identify those communication competencies which the employers of the Indian IT industry deem crucial for intercultural business interactions. A panel of 10 experts was created, and a total of 3 iterations were administered to achieve a satisfactory level of consensus among experts regarding the most important intercultural communication competencies (ICCs) for the Indian IT industry. Initially, a list of 25 competencies, identified through literature review, was sent to experts to be ranked. After the third iteration, the study provided a set of 10 ICCs for which there was strong agreement among the experts. Challenges and limitations have been discussed in brief.

Transformational leadership and contextual performance

PurposeTransformational leaders engage their employees’ self-concept in such a meaningful way that it results in an extra effort exerted by employees in addition to what is expected of them. This extra effort or pro-social behavior leads to contextual performance (CP) which supplements the individual’s task performance and lead to superior organizational performance. The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the influence of transformational leadership (TL) on employees’ CP. The paper also tests the moderating role of integrity on the relationship between TL and CP.Design/methodology/approachData were gathered through self-administered questionnaires from 480 Indian information technology (IT) employees across India. Harman’s single-factor test was used through analysis of moment structures (AMOS 20.0) to test the bias associated due to common method variance. Regression analysis was carried out through a series of hierarchical models in SPSS 20.0 to test the direct and interactive effect of integrity between TL and CP.FindingsThe result supports the assertion that TL has a positive influence on employees’ CP. However, the moderational effect of integrity on the relationship between TL and CP was found to be insignificant.Practical implicationsThe findings of the study have confirmed that employees deriving higher degree of integrity at work will engage in discretionary behaviors and they are more likely open to organizational changes and improvement. The IT organizations may take clues from the findings of the study for creating conducive working environment where affective organizational commitment can influence the CP and job satisfaction.Originality/valueThis study is critical in a sense that as the Indian IT industry has one of the highest turnover rates in the service industry, it would take a strong and compelling reason for the IT professionals to stay committed to the organization, derive satisfaction at work and help peers and others by engaging in extra role of CP.

Linking Work Engagement to Job Performance Through Flexible Human Resource Management

The Problem The Indian information technology (IT) industry has shown a phenomenal growth over the last two decades. These changes such as increased global competition and the shift in the blend and level of the workforce have led to an increasing level of uncertainty in the industry. To overcome this unprecedented change, IT firms need to adopt flexible human resource management (FHRM) that has a direct and/or indirect impact on job performance. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to explore the impact of work engagement on job performance through FHRM among IT professionals in India. The Solution The results indicate that the use of FHRM by the employees is an important mediator between the positive relationship of work engagement and job performance. Both work engagement and FHRM contributed to job performance. The sample firm and responses for the study were limited to IT industry domain only. The results suggest that FHRM should be promoted at the employee and firm levels to boost job performance. The Stakeholders Reflecting on the employee engagement and job performance via FHRM would boost the organizational flexibility in the IT industry. FHRM makes the employee more organization fit and more engaged for their respective job. This study may be helpful in unveiling the importance of flexibility in job performance. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that links work engagement, FHRM, and job performance in the Indian IT industry context. The study helps in the development of theory in FHRM and employee engagement.

Adoption and correlates of Western concepts of high performance work system in the IT industry in India

Purpose An interesting conundrum exists in India with its rise as an economic powerhouse. On one front, there is tremendous pride in asserting its Indian identity. On another front, it seeks to embrace Western practices to announce its entry into the world economy. This paper aims to examine the extent to which Indian information technology (IT) firms adopt Western concepts of a high performance work system (HPWS) and the correlates of such a system (pro-social organizational behavior and employee attitude). Data from 211 IT employees in India show widespread adoption of a HPWS, and more importantly several approaches to assessment indicate that a HPWS positively correlates to pro-social organizational behavior and employee attitude. Design/methodology/approach The sample consisted of IT professionals in India having a minimum of three years of work experience. The study has used a snowball strategy to generate the sample. Eight HPWS practices were included in the survey questionnaire to assess three dimensions of HPWS. Analysis was conducted to examine differences between the highest (i.e. top 10 per cent) and the lowest (i.e. bottom 10 per cent) and bivariate correlations of the surveyed employees regarding pro-social organizational behaviors related to altruism, job involvement and work involvement, and regarding employees attitudes related to job satisfaction, intention to stay in organization, level of morale and optimism. Findings HPWS is positively associated with employee attitudes and pro-social organizational behavior. It reflects the reality that HPWSs, at least as conceived by researchers from the West, have penetrated organizations in India. Moreover, they seem to complement each other and together they seem to have a positive association with employee attitudes and pro-social organizational behavior. As organizations in India continue with the march toward servicing the world in the IT sector, the present study suggests that they have a potent tool in a HPWS to keep employee attitudes and pro-social organizational behaviors high. Research limitations/implications The criticism of survey methodology approach adopted in the present study is that it has common method bias. That is, in the survey, respondents tend to score along a path with a common response. As a validation, the study has performed a treatment-by-subjects analysis of variance with matched participant scores on the three pro-social behaviors to determine whether the means of altruism, job involvement and work involvement were significantly different. As to convergence, much more causal data would be needed to make a definitive conclusion on the findings of the present study. Originality/value This is the first study of its kind to examine the adoption of Western concepts of a HPWS in Indian IT Industry.

Cognizant India: reinventing the value proposition

Subject area Strategic management, IT strategy, Business & IT Consulting, International Business. Study level/applicability PGDM and Executive programmes. Case overview Cognizant Technology Solutions, one of the giants in the Indian information technology (IT) industry, has been continually evolving new strategies and business models to cater to the global IT demand. Starting as an in-house technology unit of Duns & Bradstreet, the case highlights the various pioneering and transformative decisions taken by Cognizant to become one among the Fortune 500 companies of the world. However, despite its supremacy in the global market, they are facing tremendous competition from the other IT giants – TCS, Infosys and Wipro, to name a few. Also, the expansion of global IT players like Accenture and International Business Machines (IBM) in India is making matters worse. This intense competition, when juxtaposed with commoditization and price sensitivity on behalf of the IT demand, makes sustainability a big question mark. The million-dollar question remains “How should Cognizant strategize to ensure inorganic growth in the price-sensitive industry?” Expected learning – outcomes The case highlights the market dynamics of the Indian IT industry – from its humble beginning as an attraction for low-cost labour to being one of the strategic outsourcing geographies of the IT sector – and thereby categorically points out the significance of continuous evolution on behalf of the IT firms to stay alive in this client-driven industry. The students are expected to analyze the IT industry of India, keeping in mind its vulnerabilities – price sensitivity, dependence on developed economies and intense competition – and relate the same to different strategies incorporated by Cognizant to remain one of the powerhouses of the Indian IT industry. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

The Road Ahead for the Indian IT and ITES: Industry Considering its Service Offerings, Domestic Market and Technology Trends

Off-shoring has been a popular mantra over the past two decades. The Indian Information Technology (IT) companies are finding ways and means to retain their competitive advantage by changing delivery locations and giving value added services offering. This paper delves into the current state of the Indian IT services industry and attempts to find out the domestic IT services opportunity from perspective of Indian IT vendors. The paper attempts study the domestic IT market also explores the future of the off-shoring revolution for the Indian IT industry. The papers throws light on the domestic opportunity that are still left untapped and proposes a model for outsourcing, which can be adopted by Indian IT giants for long term sustainability of business.