Evolving with Time

Evolving with the changing times of today is one of the most important things corporate leaders should care about. In this podcast, our Philippines head Ayhee talks about:

Developing and sustaining the right focus
Creating a suitable work environment for the teams
Building the right teams

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Podcast Audio Transcript

Alisha: Hello listeners, this is Alisha; thank you for tuning in to yet another exciting and informative podcast from us at Infosys BPM. Today, we are talking about “evolving with the time”. And to talk about this, we have here with us, our Philippines Center Head Ma Rhodora Campos, whom we affectionately call Ayhee. Welcome Ayhee. How are you?

Ayhee: I’m doing good, Alisha. Thank you for having me.

Alisha: The topic of “change” is a very profound one. It’s especially important in the times of the pandemic we are in. What’s your thought on this?

Ayhee: That’s very true, Alisha. The pandemic offered an abundance of lessons at a personal and communal level on the notion of change.

According to anthropologist Jane Guyer, who investigated the impact of time on human beings during this pandemic, we've lost “the ability to structure, manage and manipulate our experience of time.” She used the term “enforced presentism” to describe this state of mind.

For example, many people have already lost track of time, wondering which day of the week it is. It feels as if time has come to a standstill - a feeling of being stuck in the present, combined with the inability to always plan ahead. Essentially, people are stuck in the “limbo” created by the pandemic. But ultimately people have to snap out from only being “present” and start imagining a future that will look different. Today is not the time to stand still or stay lost, rather we should execute change quickly and effectively.

Alisha: I agree, completely. There are days when I find myself wondering which day it is.

Change is a constant process; industry leaders should aim to maximize success while implementing strategic change. Could you tell us how you have managed this?

Ayhee: Yes indeed, change is a constant process. For Infosys BPM Philippines, like most other corporates, the journey wasn't quite so easy, but we were able to overcome most of the challenges presented by the pandemic. We have developed and implemented three strategies with absolute consistency since Jan 2020. They are (1) develop and sustain the right focus, (2) create a suitable environment, and (3) build the right teams.

Firstly, we enhanced our focus on three key areas:

We ensured the safety of our beloved Infoscions and their families.
In the true spirit of partnership, we kept our promise to deliver our commitments to clients.
We also played the part of stewards in the communities we live in.

Secondly, we recreated everything in a virtual environment that closely aligns with our focus areas. We created the right environment for our people:

We connected the dots for them by communicating end-to-end on every aspect, keeping every Infoscion, client, and other stakeholders apprised of every step along the way. We followed the philosophy of 4Hs – Head, Heart, Health, and Happiness.
We designed our organization to win, preparing for the possible worst-case scenarios, securing client approvals for the work from anywhere model, and enabling Infoscions with the necessary infrastructure and policies.

Lastly, I am proud to say that we managed to build the right teams, consisting of:

Our business continuity personnel who helped activate our change management efforts; the team is composed of leaders from Facilities, Administration, HR, Operations, Risk, OSH (Occupational Safety & Health), Communications, and several other groups.
All Infoscions who collectively showed very strong volunteerism to respond to the situation.

Alisha: It’s evident that you acted with a very strategic vision. A key aspect that was triggered by the pandemic is the global acceleration in digital transformation. What’s your take on this?

Ayhee: You’re correct, Alisha. The pandemic has fast-tracked digital transformation for global companies by several years. The crisis has increased reliance on digital tools and technology-led support for rapid automated processing. This is reflected in the “hyper productivity” pillar of our Live Enterprise suite, that helps enable real-time accelerated digital transformation.

Some of the major improvements seen in the digital world include:

Digital client experience has become mandatory.
Remote operating model or “anytime/anywhere experience” will equip us with greater flexibility and collaboration at scale.
Virtual transactions, including ecommerce, telemedicine, online banking, and streamed entertainment will continue to boom.
We will continue to strengthen the core with better infrastructure, better data, robust cybersecurity, intelligent automation, and cloud capabilities.

As you can see, change is happening so fast, and some of our old ways of living are being replaced. This has created new awareness, new habits, and maybe a few new patterns that could yield some positive experiences. Innovations will continue to emerge as demand presents new opportunities.

Most importantly, while these changes are happening every day and organizations are adapting to different conditions, one important lesson is that change management is definitely a human imperative. It's not a checklist item; nor is it a slogan. People need to change first. Their organizations will change subsequently – not the other way around. This notion of “change”, is essential for any transformation initiative to succeed.

Alisha: I do agree with you Ayhee. As John Kennedy said, “change is the law of life.”

Thank you so much for being part of our podcast today. It was such a good experience talking to you.

Ayhee: The pleasure is all mine, Alisha.

Alisha: Dear listeners, if you enjoyed our podcast today, please don’t forget to share and like it on social media. Our social handles are mentioned in the podcast page. The podcast will be available on various platforms like Google Podcasts and Spotify, in addition to our website.

Also, if you have any queries, do reach out to us through the email address on the podcast description. Watch this space for more exciting podcasts coming up. Once again, thank you for tuning in, stay healthy and socially distanced. Have a nice day!