Diverse Gene Pool

(January 12, 2005 – The Economic Times)

Subroto Bagchi

MindTree’s founders came from three different national origins. Our name was crafted by a California company, while our brand identity was created in India. The Fordham University in New York conducted our employee perception surveys, while a Finnish professor influenced our value system engineering. We raised money from the US and Indian venture sources, and at the same time our people work for American, European, Asian and Australian companies. We could make it happen because instead of following the multinational model, we went the metanational way that better exemplifies the future.

The emergent concept of metanational corporations begins by shifting the balance of power. In it, ideas precede resources. Thought leadership challenges incumbency and access to knowledge is no longer dependent on the fiscal footprint of an organisation. Cross-border availability of capital and a new collaborative model made possible by both the telecommunication revolution and inherently fluid nature of content make hitherto impossible things, possible.

It also puts pressure on the concept of the MNC leading innovation in products, services and-business models. Size no longer remains a critical component of success.

During the last century, access to capital, technology, ideas and market was monopolised by the MNC - it created angst and helplessness among those who had the aspiration but not the ability. However, neither angst nor helplessness can help claim one’s space under the sun. The answer lies in inventing a new balance of competence to unseat the balance of power.

Metanational corporations require the virtues of access, attention and agility- attributes that don’t come because of size. Yet, you don’t become a metanational by serendipity. The thought leadership to be ‘existentially’ global must be front-loaded in the engineering of the enterprise. We have to deeply believe in the power of intellectual diversity. In India, I see a struggle between the desire to be global (in an economic sense) and a traditionally monochromatic mindset (in socio- political sense). If we can step out from it, we can build great institutions that will make India a mainstream player in the global scheme of things.

Given that we’ve witnessed more significant global changes in the past 10 years, as compared to the events of the past 100 years, there’s an emergence of interesting new paradigms that will have significance for building enterprises of the future. When such things happen, incumbency of models and players come into question. This in turn, creates enormous possibilities.

Yves Doz’s concept of the metanational corporation acquires great significance for countries like India from that perspective.