Wipro chairman Rishad Premji: Modern workplace is for authentic, empathetic, vulnerable leadership
Premji said that the days of authoritarian leadership are diminishing, while the vulnerable leadership style is becoming pervasive
- Mar 1, 2023,
- Updated Mar 1, 2023 7:41 PM IST
Wipro Chairman Rishad Premji on Wednesday said that the dynamics of leadership are changing in modern-day workplaces. Premji said that the days of authoritarian leadership are diminishing, while the vulnerable leadership style is becoming pervasive.
Speaking to Business Today's Aabha Bakaya at the NASSCOM Technology Leadership Summit (NTLS) 2023, Premji said leaders who can empathise and connect with people are very powerful.
“The days of the authoritarian leader are more and more diminishing. The space for authentic, empathetic, vulnerable leadership where I can say ‘I need help, I don't know,’ is very much becoming pervasive,” Premji said.
He added that it is important to encourage an environment of risk-taking and celebrate failures. “It is important to celebrate things that don't work. Because otherwise, you kill the spirit of trying new things continuously. Innovation by design doesn't mean everything will succeed,” Premji said.
Talking about the back-to-office trend, Premji stressed that the future of work is hybrid, particularly in the tech industry. A pure virtual model worked three years ago because employees knew each other in the world before the pandemic, he said.
“I've seen high attrition over the last few years. Around 40, 50 to 60 per cent of people in the organisation are new, they've never walked into an office. They haven’t built any professional relationships before physically,” said Premji.
Wipro chairman said that while work needs to be hybrid, companies need to go to where talent is rather than getting them to bigger cities.
“We should be coming back in some shape or form and connecting because there’s an intimacy to it that is irreplaceable with technology. People should have the flexibility to work from home, but people should also be coming into organisations,” he said.
Recently it was reported that Wipro has written to its fresh candidates asking them whether they can join at a low starting salary. Initially, the IT major had made an offer of Rs 6.5 lakh per annum (LPA), but later it told its candidates that they may cut it to Rs 3.5 LPA.
Wipro has been struggling with many uncertainties, margin pressures, and recessionary concerns, which has led to delays in onboarding the 2022 batch of graduates. Earlier this year, the company terminated 452 freshers it had made offers to because they "performed poorly in assessment repeatedly even after training".
Watch: Key elements of high-performing work culture by Wipro Chairman Rishad Premji
Wipro Chairman Rishad Premji on Wednesday said that the dynamics of leadership are changing in modern-day workplaces. Premji said that the days of authoritarian leadership are diminishing, while the vulnerable leadership style is becoming pervasive.
Speaking to Business Today's Aabha Bakaya at the NASSCOM Technology Leadership Summit (NTLS) 2023, Premji said leaders who can empathise and connect with people are very powerful.
“The days of the authoritarian leader are more and more diminishing. The space for authentic, empathetic, vulnerable leadership where I can say ‘I need help, I don't know,’ is very much becoming pervasive,” Premji said.
He added that it is important to encourage an environment of risk-taking and celebrate failures. “It is important to celebrate things that don't work. Because otherwise, you kill the spirit of trying new things continuously. Innovation by design doesn't mean everything will succeed,” Premji said.
Talking about the back-to-office trend, Premji stressed that the future of work is hybrid, particularly in the tech industry. A pure virtual model worked three years ago because employees knew each other in the world before the pandemic, he said.
“I've seen high attrition over the last few years. Around 40, 50 to 60 per cent of people in the organisation are new, they've never walked into an office. They haven’t built any professional relationships before physically,” said Premji.
Wipro chairman said that while work needs to be hybrid, companies need to go to where talent is rather than getting them to bigger cities.
“We should be coming back in some shape or form and connecting because there’s an intimacy to it that is irreplaceable with technology. People should have the flexibility to work from home, but people should also be coming into organisations,” he said.
Recently it was reported that Wipro has written to its fresh candidates asking them whether they can join at a low starting salary. Initially, the IT major had made an offer of Rs 6.5 lakh per annum (LPA), but later it told its candidates that they may cut it to Rs 3.5 LPA.
Wipro has been struggling with many uncertainties, margin pressures, and recessionary concerns, which has led to delays in onboarding the 2022 batch of graduates. Earlier this year, the company terminated 452 freshers it had made offers to because they "performed poorly in assessment repeatedly even after training".
Watch: Key elements of high-performing work culture by Wipro Chairman Rishad Premji