Think design for digital transformation, says Sikka

'Culture of creativity, learning and purpose will spur innovation'

Emphasising the importance of innovation in the services delivery matrix, Infosys Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Vishal Sikka has pointed out the need for design-oriented thinking with a thrust on all-pervasive digital transformation, which can reshape the software industry.

“I see a world dramatically being reshaped by software and software-driven technology. As a result, we see a great renewal of their existing systems of businesses to derive more efficiency out of that, to instrument that for analytics, mobility, social media or sensors and re-platforming for the crowd autonomy,” Sikka said after the company’s quarterly results announcement in Bangalore on Friday.

Sikka said that there is a revolution in the back office (BPO), maintenance services, IMS, verification services and other services that companies offer on the basis of technological platforms.

“We believe that Infosys is also going for a renewal of its processes, of the way we operate, our internal system and processes and the way we engage with our employees and customers. We have to do our own renewal with a completely new set of thinking to our clients.” he said.

Infosys has already started off on some of its new platforms for Big Data based on open source technology, bringing artificial intelligence-based adoption technologies and creating new methodologies like working with Stanford University on design thinking for entering new areas and acquiring new clients in a systematic and innovative way.

“We have to bring in a culture of learning, creativity and purpose to bring innovation into our business. Here we have to take leverage on efficiency tools such as automation and artificial intelligence. No company can survive provided the employees transform themselves. So we need to educate them,” he said.

When his attention was drawn to Infosys 3.0, he said it was wrong to think of this new strategy in the context of any of the work that the company did in the past. “There is nothing radically different that I am proposing. I prefer not to look back on what Infosys 3.0 was or wasn’t. What we have set out is ideas that are relevant to the clients. One key here is that each one of these ideas are already in execution and the first signs of it are clear,” he said.

He said Infosys had in the past been a next-generation company redefining the dimensions of business for a services company. “I believe we will get back to that level. We will be focusing on consistent profitable growth. We aspire to go back to that and once again become the bellwether of the Indian IT industry,” he said.

Infosys is scouting for opportunities in ventures incubated in Israel, US, UK and other parts of the world.

“The work with regards to the startups has different dimensions. Infosys can be a great accelerator to the roadmap for startups and we can also bring them to our clients,” he said. With more than Rs 30,000 crore in its kitty, Infosys has the firepower to make a large acquisition.