An excerpt from the visionary, Mr. K Venugopal, Assistant Vice President Production, Grasim who has over 25 years of work experience with the Aditya Birla Group, this article talks about his journey with ABG, and what makes ABG, a truly inspirational organisation.
During the interview, when asked about the primary reason for the success of the organisation, sir mentioned that the
Synergy between the various segments that the conglomerate has spread its wings into is a major cause of its success. The sense of pride they exhibit, evident even in the LinkedIn profiles of every employee who’ve mention themselves as part of the group and not its individual units, is an epitome of that very synergy.
Elaborating upon the culture of ABG, he was of the opinion that the number one thing about the culture of the organisation is the familiarity, the comfort and the family-oriented environment that exists within the workplace. The primary motivating factor that has kept him going throughout the years, and which is perhaps, also a crucial reason for employee satisfaction, is the constant loop of new opportunities that present themselves within and beyond their job roles.
The core values that the Aditya Birla Group stands for and adheres to, are Integrity, Commitment, Passion, Seamlessness, and Speed. While describing the significance of these values, Mr. Venugopal remarked that these values are inherent in the Indian culture itself. The organisation has recognized and given its identity, but these values are an indispensable factor for the success of such a large conglomerate.
Challenges and crises are inescapable in any industry. The group has also seen its fair share of hurdles. But what sets them apart, as Sir asserted, is the training they receive to foresee such challenges and the contingency plans they develop to handle unwarranted situations. Another ingredient in their recipe of success is their attitude to be on the constant lookout for upcoming market trends and industry scenarios, which helps them plan for the future.
The Veraval plant is the first of its kind, in the nation, to possess all the three technologies for sustainable practices: PSY, CSY and SSY. These methods have not only benefited them financially but also given them an edge over the competitors. When asked about the major challenges in the textile domain, Sir elaborated upon quality being the most important factor for the consumers and the main competition they face involve the foreign producers, supplying into domestic markets.
While talking about the Training Programs, he also spoke about the organization’s initiative to take the first step in recruiting women in their workforce, sending them to technical institutes for a fully-funded training program, thereby making a small contribution towards the empowerment of the female population.
Mr. Venugopal’s key piece of advice to every aspirant is that the path to prosperity can be attained only through a constant quest for knowledge, indulging in training to enhance one’s skill set and grasp every opportunity to interact and learn from the experts in the industry. He believed that one of the major reasons that Aditya Birla Group is the dream company for numerous aspirants is the core values of the organization and its culture which entails a family-oriented environment and the pursuit to lookout for the future of its employees.
It is indeed an honor to have the opportunity to be associated with an accomplished conglomerate such as Aditya Birla Group. We are grateful to Mr. K Venugopal for sharing his insights and discussing his journey at ABG. As sir mentioned, the core values of ABG are inherent within the culture of the nation and it is not surprising that these values have manifested itself in the vision and mission of IIM Ranchi. There is an uncanny resemblance between the cultures of these institutions. The students, fondly refer to the institute as their ‘Home away from Home’ and perhaps family-orientation is crucial for the success of any entity.
IIM Ranchi harbors students from various states of the country and possesses the highest ratio of gender diversity. We have been nurtured in an environment where we learn to respect and coexist with people from every corner of the nation and only a diverse organization such as ABG can understand the significance of these values.