TCS, Wipro, Cognizant and Tech Mahindra Reveal their Strategies to Deal with COVID19! Details

The novel coronavirus outbreak has forced businesses and especially leaders at the top levels and managerial levels to undergo a paradigm shift in the way they approach work. Leading IT companies too have made changes in their strategies in order to deal better with the disruptions the pandemic has caused to their work. 

A team of 2.90 lakh employees led by CEO Brian Humphries at Cognizant Technology Solutions in India are also facing humongous pressure to thrive. 

“COVID will create winners and losers. On the demand side, we expect all industries to be hit, but some like retail, travel and hospitality will be particularly impacted,” Brian Humphries told The Hindu Business Line.

“We are determined to emerge from the crisis stronger through our close partnerships with our associates, clients and communities. We feel confident that Cognizant will weather the storm better than others,” he added.

He revealed that the company is going to be exclusively focusing on innovation, automation and efficiency through application and platform modernisation. He believes it will enable clients to evolve into modern businesses that are relevant and continue to grow while bracing technological changes.

Tech Mahindra, another leading IT company too has deployed new strategies to battle the pandemic. 

“Though the situation is still volatile, new systems and developments to combat the impact of the pandemic have resulted in realigning management principles, operational procedures, delivery methods, and timelines. Employee trust and confidence-building are crucial,” MD and CEO of Tech Mahindra, CP Gurnani mentioned in the column that was featured in Quartz India. 

Using technologies such as AI, machine-to machine and 5G will not only enable companies to create new jobs but also help in bringing significant socio-economic benefits to the table. 

He further emphasises that “these new technologies will increase productivity, improve service delivery, and optimise the use of scarce resources. But as we embrace these technologies, it is essential to preserve the institutional value and culture of an organisation in order to keep people together and make this transformation more comfortable.”

The measures implemented by Wipro Light are reflective of Wipro’s outlook at large. 

“Fundamental changes to the way organisations function and large office complexes operate has necessitated a complete rethink,” Anuj Dhir, vice-president and business head, Wipro Lighting told Telegraph India.

The company has introduced a smart office technology that aims at better utilisation and flexibility of office space post COVID19 since it will optimise employee productivity.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is not only a major competitor to the aforementioned firms but it also plays a key role in the Indian IT sector. 

Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran revealed that the TCS management is optimistic of coping with the pandemic and maintaining the positive momentum of the company. 

“TCS does not see work from home as a temporary measure or stop gap arrangement. We made significant investments for it beyond just device connectivity to rewire and secure processes, data and access. It has not been done for cost reasons as we have long term leases so currently these (SWBS) initiatives involve additional expenses," he told Livemint. 

While some of the companies are focusing on using newer technologies and shifting the focus to digital transformation, others are transforming their workspaces (online and offline) to get the best results. IT firms are constantly analysing the effectiveness of these strategies in order to brace the virus outbreak that has changed the face of businesses.