Software companies: Time for corporate mentors to step in

[Kalyan]

Software companies: Time for corporate mentors to step in


The slowdown has eroded the profits of several software companies and trimmed training budgets, but corporate mentors feel there could be no better time to help employees polish up their skills.

As project numbers decline and resources get scarce, corporate training budgets are facing the axe. However, mentors believe the current climate is a valuable opportunity for managers to get more hands-on in mentoring and coaching their staff.

"We train managers to handle the resource crunch effectively. This could result in a 30% rise in productivity of trained employees," said S Ranganathan, executive coach and corporate mentor told ET. He was speaking on the sidelines of Tech.ed, Microsoft's technology conclave. Besides impacting companies' revenues, there is tremendous pressure on resources too in the current slowdown. There are fears that the risks of failure could be higher in this phase, when companies are struggling to bag projects.

When faced with a budgetary challenge, mentors feel training should be tailored to specific requirements. Typically, IT companies spend around Rs 2 lakh to train an employee on both technical and management skills.

Recession puts a premium on good people and they need development and motivation to rise above the challenges they face. "In these hard times, it will be prudent to have trained managers who can lead their teams to perform better by keeping their staff motivated at all times," Mr Ranganathan said.

The global financial meltdown, coupled with US President Barack Obama's proposed changes in tax laws to end incentives for US multinationals shipping jobs overseas is threatening to impact their businesses. This could have a ripple effect on Indian companies too.

Hence, project managers need to be geared to handle business risks associated with global events, anticipate risk and show resolution. Inculcating positive attitudes in the workforce has to be their overriding objective. In such an environment, clients could also alter their demands, and managers have to be equipped to handle such situations with care.

"Management training in times of recession helps project managers to efficiently handle all resources including manpower, finance and material. The key to success lies in balancing all these needs", said a project manager of an IT firm who participated in a recent training programme on surfing through the recession.



source : economic times