Sikka: Challenge is to change without losing values, ethos

Infosys Chief Executive Officer Vishal Sikka said transforming the culture of any company is very difficult task, and that too without losing values and ethos.

Talking at Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania Sikka said, “It is very, very tough. Everybody says it is tough, but when you do it in reality, when you exercise it, you realise that it is much more difficult than it seems.”

Sikka’s comment assumes significance at a time when the public spat between Infosys founders and board members got dominance recently over alleged governance lapses.

Commenting on the biggest challenge, Sikka said it was very difficult to ensure the transition to a new generation without losing values and without losing ethos. “That transformation is a very big challenge. People call it cultural transformation,” he said.

He also pointed out that to bring in cultural change, education plays an important role. “But that doesn’t make you inspired. To do that you have to constantly demonstrate that this is something serious, this is something rewarding,”he said.