Best Advice: 'Create a common language to unite the workforce,' says L&T Technology Services boss Amit Chadha

What was the problem you were grappling with?

In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic drastically altered the workspace at L&T Technology Services (LTTS). Our common purpose of working together on complex engineering projects was threatened. Our engineering teams were separated when the R&D environment became inaccessible. Physical closeness across verticals and teams ended, and we knew we needed to completely rethink working paradigms. The demographic transition, with older engineers departing and newer ones joining, compounded the problem.

Whom did you approach for advice and why? 

I consulted our leadership team; also, to get an outside perspective, I spoke to our top 30 customers in North America and Europe, who were facing similar challenges.

What was the advice you received?

After several rounds of discussions, we understood that a common language was needed to unite the remote workforce. In a changing world, staying ahead of the curve on technology was crucial, so a six-dimensional glide path was created, focussing on industry-leading growth, customer centricity, people engagement, technology quotient, a sustainable operating model, and ESG.

How effective was it in resolving the problem?

Since implementing the six-dimensional structure organisation-wide, LTTS has grown from strength to strength. Our workforce has grown from 15,000 to over 23,000 worldwide. Our pre-pandemic operations were mostly in India, but we now have engineering centres in Europe, the US, and Canada for automotive, aerospace, digital manufacturing, and AI. Over the past three years, our diversity has also grown. Now, we
have 23 per cent of women in engineering, and we plan to increase this to 30 per cent in the coming years. Technology-wise, we’ve gone from 50 patents per year to 50 each quarter.