Center for Global Business and the Economy

Infosys: Building a Talent Engine to Sustain Growth

In mid-2007, Infosys was an extremely successful business. Headquartered in India, it had played an important role in transforming global business. Revenues were growing rapidly, and the company was highly profitable. The company’s revenue growth was closely linked to its ability to recruit, train, and retain talented employees. The demand for talent among IT companies in India was straining the country’s education system.

At the end of March 2007, Infosys had 72,000 employees, an increase of nearly 20,000 from the previous year. Increasing growth would require even higher numbers of new employees. Attrition was also an issue, running at about 13 percent annually, and adding to the number of new employees required to meet revenue objectives.
In mid-2006, Mohan Pai moved from his position as CFO to take over human resources, education, and research.

The case describes the Infosys culture and human resources environment in 2007. It focuses on the issues faced by Pai, in hiring, training, motivating, and retaining employees in a business that was dependent on a highly talented employee base. Specifically, the case asks students to consider ways of addressing the issues of hiring, attrition, and allocation of employees.