Bangalore Tiger: How Indian Tech Upstart Wipro is Rewriting the Rules of Global Competition

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0071474781 ISBN 13: 9780071474788

Publisher: McGraw Hill, 2006

Of all the tech tigers in India, Wipro is one of a handful that stands out from the pack. In the past five years, it has become one of the most accomplished tech services providers in the world, delivering business value through a combination of process excellence, quality frameworks, and service delivery innovation. Totally dedicated to customer satisfaction, Wipro is known to go above and beyond to make customers happy. It’s a move that’s paid off handsomely, with a 24 percent operating profit in its tech services division―more than twice the industry average.

Bangalore Tiger is the story of Wipro’s transformation and its impact on the tech services industry and the rules of global competition. BusinessWeek senior writer Steve Hamm takes you inside the halls of this transnational phenomenon to reveal the true secrets of Wipro’s superior business: its people, principles, and core competencies.

From Wipro’s triumphs to its missteps, Hamm mines a treasure of business lessons, explaining how and, more important, why it is necessary to:

• Expand quickly without stumbling
• Follow the new rules for outsourcers
• Innovate every day―or else
• Be obsessive about customers
• Motivate employees the Wipro way
• Plan three years ahead to prepare for rapid growth

Hamm also gives you a rare glimpse into the mind of Wipro’s charismatic chairman and thought leader, Azim Premji. Guiding Wipro’s growth every step of the way, Premji was one of the first business leaders in India to decree that his company would not pay bribes. You’ll see how his adoption of world-class business processes helped Wipro thrive―and how Wipro is helping to fulfill his dream of a better educated, more prosperous India. Removing the shroud of secrecy around Indian management principles, Hamm provides a real-world blueprint for operating a successful transnational organization, as viewed through the eye of the Bangalore Tiger.

About the Author:

I'm a communications strategist and writer for IBM, where I have worked since 2009. At IBM, I co-authored the company's centennial book, Making the World Work Better. I write a mix of essays, white papers and blog postings for the Smarter Planet blog (asmarterplanet.com) Previously, I was a journalist for 30 years, the last 12 at BusinessWeek, where I wrote about innovation, globalization, and leadership. Before that, I worked for PC Week, The San Jose Mercury News, The New Haven Register, and other newspapers. I published two other books, Bangalore Tiger, about the rise of the Indian tech industry, and The Race for Perfect, about innovation in mobile computing. I grew up in a coal mining town in Western Pennsylvania.

From Booklist:

One of the most significant effects of the Internet has been the outsourcing of technology jobs. Nowhere has the effect been as great as in India, where the minds of millions of highly skilled workers have been made available to Western businesses. Although plenty of Indian "tech tigers" have experienced explosive growth, the number-three player stands out from the pack. Business Week senior writer Hamm, who has focused on the emergence of India and China as global economic powers, chose to profile Wipro to tell the story of India's rising technology industry. Founder Azim Premji built the company from a failing vegetable oil company into a high-tech engineering lab serving clients such as Aviva and Texas Instruments. Premji (who has been called the Bill Gates of India) pioneered the "Wipro Way," which, much like the famed HP Way, emphasizes ethical values, process excellence, and a central focus on customer relations. On track to become the Wal-Mart of IT services, Wipro is already a fierce global competitor and will be a company to keep an eye on. David Siegfried
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