Suddenly Something

On a languid Saturday morning while the TV channels were dishing out the migraine inducing fare of spot fixing and Srinivasan saga came the news that put the corporate world in a tizzy. The poster boy of India's IT revolution N R Narayana Murthy will be taking back the reins of Infosys - his 'middle child'.

The company, which financial journalists often describe as IT bellwether, of late seems to have lost its byte, much to the disappointment of its shareholders and employees. Hence the top management, in its sheer desperation, decided to press the panic button.

The return of Murthy, though hailed by the corporate world, raises some questions. Infosys right from the early days had tried to project itself as a professionally run company not wedded to any individual or family. All the founders of the company were first generation entrepreneurs. Its management style came as a whiff of fresh air in the Indian corporate world, dominated by clannish Mumbai-centric business dynasties, steeped in crony capitalism.

Murthy himself had always maintained that the CEO should retire at 65 and always kept his family away from the matters of the company. Hence his return and that too along with his son has broken both the above principles, providing ammunition to his detractors. In any other company a former CEO returning along with son in tow would have hardly raised any eyebrows. But Infosys is different and is always viewed with a much loftier yardstick.

Its image of propriety has spread far and wide. Even Government dignitaries from various Western countries while visiting India make it a point to squeeze Bangalore into their itinerary - mainly to visit Infosys campus. Vidhana Soudha - the seat of Karnataka government, is at best an afterthought and often skipped.

Another unhealthy fallout is that Infosys now runs the risk of being seen as a one-man company, something which will not be to the liking of Murthy. Somehow the company failed to groom successors worthy enough to step into the shoes of Narayana Murthy or Nandan Nilekani.

The Infosys co-founder has taken a calculated risk by agreeing to steer the company again and hopefully he does succeed in his task soon and calls it a day for good. Any delay will be good news for his detractors.

Also Read: Bangalore Beat