Business Line: Cognizant Vice-Chairman Talks About the Company’s Evolution and Ethos

“Cognizant is a very open, friendly place to work for,” says Lakshmi Narayanan. “People talk about flat organizations; to many people a flat organization is only about access, not levels. To us, a flat organization has a different connotation… it is where the CEO believes that the person who joined the company six months earlier cares as much about its success as the CEO does. He can have as great ideas as the CEO. And, to believe that the customer cares about our success as we do about theirs.”

He adds that the belief that a customer is out to squeeze and push you on price, drive you hard, is not true. They do have to protect their interests, but once that is done “they really partner with you, trust you. When we do well, the first congratulatory messages come from the customers. They are happy to partner with a successful company. That positive momentum… positive attitude is part of our culture. We are a huge company, but have clearly laid out how to maintain the culture of openness, performance, meritocracy,” he says.

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