Journal of Indian Business Research

A resource-based analysis of recruitment and selection practices of Indian software

companies: A case study approach
Pramila Rao
Article information:
To cite this document:
Pramila Rao, (2010),"A resource-based analysis of recruitment and selection practices of Indian software
companies", Journal of Indian Business Research, Vol. 2 Iss 1 pp. 32 - 51
Permanent link to this document:
Downloaded by Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang At 22:28 08 March 2015 (PT)

http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17554191011032938
Downloaded on: 08 March 2015, At: 22:28 (PT)
References: this document contains references to 58 other documents.
To copy this document: [email protected]
The fulltext of this document has been downloaded 1611 times since 2010*
Users who downloaded this article also downloaded:
Sohel Ahmad, Roger G. Schroeder, (2002),"The importance of recruitment and selection process for
sustainability of total quality management", International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management,
Vol. 19 Iss 5 pp. 540-550 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/02656710210427511
Mohamed Branine, (2008),"Graduate recruitment and selection in the UK: A study of the recent changes
in methods and expectations", Career Development International, Vol. 13 Iss 6 pp. 497-513 http://
dx.doi.org/10.1108/13620430810901660
Ghada El-Kot, Mike Leat, (2008),"A survey of recruitment and selection practices in Egypt", Education,
Business and Society: Contemporary Middle Eastern Issues, Vol. 1 Iss 3 pp. 200-212 http://
dx.doi.org/10.1108/17537980810909823

Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by 609392 []
For Authors
If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for
Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines
are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information.
About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.com
Emerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company
manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as
providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.
Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee
on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive
preservation.

*Related content and download information correct at time of download.

 The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/1755-4195.htm

JIBR
2,1 A resource-based analysis
of recruitment and selection
practices of Indian software
32
companies
A case study approach
Pramila Rao
Downloaded by Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang At 22:28 08 March 2015 (PT)

Department of Human Resource Management, School of Business,

Marymount University, Arlington, Virginia, USA

Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to detail staffing practices of five software companies located
in India.
Design/methodology/approach – This qualitative research paper uses purposeful sampling to
provide rich data on senior-level staffing practices. The interviews conducted in India are
tape-recorded and notes are also taken diligently. The interviews are coded to identify similar and
dissimilar themes.
Findings – This research identifies internal recruitment, employer references, succession planning,
interviews, personality tests, newspaper recruitment, professional search agencies, and bio-data as the
predominant senior-level staffing practices.
Practical implications – The paper identifies successful staffing practices adopted by domestic
software companies. As multinational companies significantly increase their presence in India, global
practitioners can implement successful staffing practices by having a thorough understanding of local
staffing practices.
Originality/value – This paper identifies successful staffing practices of the Indian software
organizations. This paper further provides a staffing model based on the Lepak and Snell staffing
typology and details the main human resource management challenges of the Indian software
industry.
Keywords Recruitment, Resource management, India
Paper type Research paper

Introduction
India has become a very prominent economic power today. Economists suggest that it
will become one of the leading global economies within the next three decades
(Meredith, 2008; Zakaria, 2006). The success of the Indian software industry is very
instrumental for the global attention the country is receiving today (Meredith, 2008;
Friedman, 2005). The focus of the software industry is to provide solutions to their
customers worldwide. The industry is predicted to bring around $110 billion worth of
business by 2010 (Murthy and Abeysekera, 2007; Babu, 2006).
Journal of Indian Business Research The Indian software industry attracted such global interest with the Y2K computer
Vol. 2 No. 1, 2010
pp. 32-51 crisis or the millennium bug in 2000. Organizations worldwide needed computer
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited remediation and Indian software engineers were able to provide superior technical
1755-4195
DOI 10.1108/17554191011032938 services worldwide (Meredith, 2008). Indian software professionals worked closely
 with several multinational companies (MNCs) on Y2K projects and created high Indian software
visibility and established incredible credibility for the entire software industry. The companies
quality of work that Indian employees delivered was rated very high and the software
industry was identified as one of the best in the world today (Friedman, 2005).
India has become an attractive destination for MNCs for several reasons. First, the
government’s trade liberalization policy in 1991 was the first major step in this
globalization process (Meredith, 2008; Manikutty, 2000). Second, the country has a very 33
well-educated English-speaking work force that can communicate easily with other
English-speaking cultures. The British left an undeniable legacy of an English-speaking
school curriculum after their colonial rule (Vijayraghavan, 2008; Khanna et al., 2005).
Third, the country’s work force is commended for its high-work ethic-demonstrating a
willingness to work 12-hour days for six days a week (Zakaria, 2006).
Downloaded by Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang At 22:28 08 March 2015 (PT)

Fourth, professional labor costs are much lower in India, almost 25 percent lower
than that in the USA (Gordon, 2002). Global consultants, McKinsey, identified that if a
MNC of 1,000 employees shifted its operations to India, the organization would save
$18 million in labor costs (Budhwar et al., 2006). The cost of recruiting software talent
is also much lower in India compared to that in the USA. For instance, a programmer
with three years coding experience in the USA would get paid about $67,000, while in
comparison a programmer in India with similar experience would get about $17,000
(Gordon, 2002).
Further, the country has a well-defined private sector, a transparent financial system,
and respect for the law (Zakaria, 2006; Khanna et al., 2005; Friedman, 2005;
Ramamoorthy et al., 2005). The time difference between the USA and India allow Indian
organizations to provide their US customers a 24 £ 7 customer-service culture – an
undeniable business advantage (Wadhwa, 2008; Budhwar et al., 2006; Solomon, 2005).
Finally, India produces an abundant engineering work force conducive to the work
of the software industry. The engineering institutions in India are recognized globally
for their high-academic rigor (Friedman, 2005). In 2005, India produced 200,000
engineering graduates, about three times as that in the USA and twice as that in
Europe. In 2007-2008, this number increased to 300,000 engineering graduates with
India supplying 28 percent of the world’s engineering workforce (Takeuchi and
Nomura, 2008). India provides the highest number (28 percent) of engineers, followed
by China (11 percent) and Russia (10 percent). Table I provides details of the global
supply of applicants with engineering backgrounds.

No. Country Percentage

1 India 28
2 China 11
3 Russia 10
4 Philippines 8
5 Turkey 7
6 Thailand 5
7 Poland 4
8 Brazil 4
9 Others 23 Table I.
Global population with
Source: Takeuchi and Nomura (2008) engineering backgrounds
 JIBR Recently, more than 125 Fortune 500 US companies have their R&D centers in India
2,1 (Zakaria, 2006). In 2007, Cisco’s hired 8,000 employees in India exceeding their US
operations in terms of organizational size (Weier, 2007). The US companies such as Dell
and Microsoft are doubling their work force in India bringing increased attention to
staffing practices (Frauenheim, 2006). The software industry’s phenomenal growth has
brought several human resource management (HRM) challenges right from elaborate
34 staffing to high attrition (Friedmann et al., 2008; Grossman, 2006).

HRM challenges of the Indian software industry

However, this unprecedented growth of the software industry has brought several
HRM challenges (Friedmann et al., 2008). First, the number of employees working in
Downloaded by Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang At 22:28 08 March 2015 (PT)

the software industry increased from 242,000 in 2002 to 697,000 in 2004 – almost
threefold-making staffing a very time-consuming process (Murthy and Abeysekera,
2007; Grossman, 2006). The sheer magnitude and size of recruitment at the entry-level
positions is stupendous and on an average annually large companies recruit about
10,000 entry-level engineers (Schlosser, 2006). Entry-level applicants are subjected to
several tests (such as logical, analytical, and communication skills) and interviews
before the final applicants are chosen (Grossman, 2006; Schlosser, 2006). HRM leaders
spend an enormous time on staffing – almost about 80 percent of their time on
recruitment and selection (Grossman, 2006).
Second, as the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) of this dynamic industry are
constantly changing, predicting the skills “even two quarters away” seems quite a big
challenge (Company D). Organizations rely online managers’ judgmental techniques to
predict future staffing requirements (Companies D and E).
Third, scholars suggest (Nancherla, 2008; Agrawal and Rao, 2002) entry-level
employees need intense training or a “finishing school” touch to integrate and
transition into the corporate. Usually, organizations offer about 12 weeks of training
where work-related skills are offered. The Indian educational system also does not
sufficiently prepare its graduates for business skills which therefore organizations
provide like a “surrogate educational” system (Wadhwa, 2008; Nancherla, 2008).
Fourth, there seems to be a perennial shortage of employees and job hopping is
very common. Potential applicants usually have two to three job offers and spend
considerable time deciding which offer they should accept. Organizations are never
certain about applicants’ acceptance of any job offer until the applicants report to
work (Grossman, 2006; Agrawal and Thite, 2003). The job attrition rate is around
15-20 percent, which further gets amplified at the lower and mid-management level
(Friedmann et al., 2008).
Fifth, Indian employees are very brand-conscious and prefer to work for
organizations that are well-known. This can be attributed to the assertive national
cultural dimension that dictates a very status-oriented society. Indian employees prefer
to work for software companies that are identified as the employers of choice (Chokkar,
2007; Brandel, 2006; Agrawal and Thite, 2003). Therefore, employer branding becomes
an integral part of the recruitment strategy (Grossman, 2006).
Finally, recruiting for mid-level and senior and managers is quite a challenge for
both domestic and multinational software companies. Software engineers with over
three years of experience usually accept more lucrative offers overseas. Further,
software professionals have demonstrated a reluctance to pursue supervisory positions
 and prefer technical positions congruent with their engineering background. The Indian software
shortage of leaders has prompted organizations to promote high-performing junior
employees to leadership positions, albeit they might not be the best candidates
companies
(Agrawal and Thite, 2006, 2003).
Agrawal and Thite (2006) in a study of 117 software leadership participants
identified several challenges experienced by software leaders such as managing global
teams, working on very tight delivery schedules, having work-life balance issues, 35
experiencing communication problems with overseas peers, and accumulating
knowledge at a very fast pace. These additional demands could also contribute to
the reluctance of employees in pursuing leadership positions.
To hire senior talent to work in India, US MNCs usually recruit Indians living in the
USA or Europe and offer them lucrative compensation packages. Meredith (2008)
Downloaded by Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang At 22:28 08 March 2015 (PT)

refers to such overseas talent as “sea turtles” – animals that are known to usually find
their birthing place – and a very attractive recruiting option for MNCs. MNCs lure
such senior-level employees with attractive compensation packages of about $200,000
or 250,000 (Frauenheim, 2006).
Weier (2007) indicates that 20 percent of Cisco’s top Indian talent will move from
USA to India by 2010 to take-up senior-level positions in India. Similarly, in 2003-2004
approximately 10,000-40,000 overseas Indians returned from the USA to their
homeland in search of better opportunities and also to satisfy the “sea-turtle syndrome”
(Meredith, 2008; Takeuchi and Nomura, 2008).
Table II provides a list of these HRM challenges with corresponding reasons and
scholars who have identified these thoughts.

No. HRM challenges Reasons Scholars

1 Shortage of mid- and senior- Indian employees prefer Meredith (2008), Weier (2007)
level talent technical positions and also and Agrawal and Thite (2006,
most software employees with 2003)
three years experience seek
lucrative offers overseas
2 Elaborate recruitment Indian engineering institutions Murthy and Abeysekera (2007)
practices at entry-level have a strong technical focus and Grossman (2006)
and thus entry-level applicants
have an extensive screening on
verbal, interpersonal and
general cognitive skills
3 Intense training for entry- Indian graduate schools do not Nancherla (2008), and Agrawal
level positions prepare applicants for corporate and Rao (2002)
skills, hence organizations
provide for that gap
4 High-job attrition The software industry is Friedmann et al. (2008),
undergoing a phenomenal Grossman (2006) and Agrawal
growth that cut-throat and Thite (2003)
competition is the norm Table II.
5 Brand-conscious Applicants are very brand Chokkar (2007), Grossman Main HRM challenges of
conscious and would prefer to (2006), Brandel (2006) and the Indian software
work for well-known companies Agrawal and Thite (2003) industry
 JIBR Therefore, with so many HRM challenges, recruitment and selection of qualified
2,1 employees has become a very critical HRM function (Friedmann et al., 2008; Murthy
and Abeysekera, 2007; Grossman, 2006). The resource-based view (RBV) therefore
becomes an integral part in interpreting how talent acquisition can become a
sustainable competitive advantage (Murthy and Abeysekera, 2007; Barney, 2001).
This research paper is organized as follows: first, it details the theoretical
36 framework, the RBV, and its impact on staffing practices. Second, it identifies the
methodology adopted for this study. Third, it details the staffing practices as indicated
by the respondents from the interviews. Fourth, it discusses the results integrating
various perspectives from the literature. Finally, it addresses the contributions of the
paper and provides a staffing model.
Downloaded by Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang At 22:28 08 March 2015 (PT)

Theory: RBV and human capital

Barney (1991) provided scholars and practitioners a revolutionary method of
enhancing a firm’s sustainable competitive advantage. He suggested that
organizations look inward towards their employees and adopt HRM practices that
provide value and distinctiveness. Therefore, an increased awareness that employees
and their HRM practices can provide organizations with sustainable competitive
advantage has been completely entrenched (Friedmann et al., 2008; Murthy and
Abeysekera, 2007; Manikutty, 2000; Barney, 2001). The key terms that his seminal
study provided to the HRM and strategic literature are value, rare, inimitability, and
non-substitutability.
Lepak and Snell (1999) integrated concepts of the RBV and provided a staffing
typology that can enhance value and uniqueness, namely: internal, external recruitments,
outsourcing, and partnerships. Employees are considered valuable when they provide
significant contributions to both customers and organizations. Employees are considered
unique when their KSAs are inimitable and therefore not easily available to competitors.
Each staffing option can be used to create and build a firm’s sustainable competitive
advantage. Internal recruitment can be used to develop core strategic skills, such as
leadership and industry-specific talent, so that such talent becomes idiosyncratic and
non-transferable. External recruitment can be used to obtain specific KSA’s, such as
advanced education or superior management skills, to enhance immediate
organizational value. Outsourcing could be used for peripheral skills so that quality
time can be devoted to strategic functions increasing a firm’s competitive advantage.
Hybrid practices between external and internal could also be adopted when such
blending is conducive to the organization’s strategy (Lepak and Snell, 1999).
Further, Pfeffer (1998) identifies several characteristics associated with selective
staffing practices: having a large applicant pool; identifying critical competencies
relevant to the job and the organization; having multiple screening procedures; hiring
applicants with the right attitude; having senior leaders involved in the recruiting
process; and finally evaluating the results of the staffing process.
Several scholars (Friedmann et al., 2008; Khandekar and Sharma, 2005; Singh, 2004;
Budhwar and Boyne, 2004; Manikutty, 2000) have demonstrated staffing practices can
contribute to superior firm performance and provide strategic orientation to firms.
Friedmann et al. (2008) in an empirical study of 80 MNCs in India identified external
recruitment practices and employer branding to increase the quality of hires.
Identifying talent through various external hiring practices (such as online recruitment,
 interviews, and tests) helped spot qualified talent that provided value to the Indian software
organization and therefore increased the firm’s performance. Investing in creating an companies
attractive company image helped organizations attract qualified applicants in the
recruitment process.
Khandekar and Sharma (2005) in an empirical study of foreign and Indian firms
concluded that 68 percent of the managers from the foreign firms and 65 percent from
the Indian firms endorsed that HRM is a value-driven function and provides an 37
undeniable competitive advantage. Further, selective staffing practices that identified
qualified talent contributed significantly to organizational learning. Organizational
learning contributed to enhance a firm’s competitive advantage by providing an
environment of continuous knowledge acquisition.
Singh (2004) in an empirical study of 82 Indian firms across different industries
Downloaded by Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang At 22:28 08 March 2015 (PT)

demonstrated that rigorous staffing practices resulted in superior firm performance.

Rigorous staffing practices that are valid and reliable (like behavioral interviews
and standardized tests) help recruit qualified applicants who could quickly perform at
superior levels and also assimilate the new organizational culture well.
Budhwar and Boyne (2004) in an empirical study demonstrated that 37.5 percent of
the Indian private organizations had a strong representation of HRM leaders on the
board of directors. This suggests that HRM practices are considered strategic and
therefore elicits board representation. Further, the private corporate has a strong
priority on talent acquisition with the influx of MNCs and also intense domestic
competition. In this study, the top three recruitment methods for managerial employees
were external recruitment (60.7 percent), employee referrals (53.6 percent) and
professional recruitment agencies (37.5 percent).
Manikutty (2000) studied nine family-owned Indian business groups to understand
the role of RBV and hiring practices. He suggests that the emphasis on obtaining
qualified leadership talent has spurred family-owned businesses to recruit and develop
business leaders with strong educational backgrounds. In the past, however, just being
a family-member sufficed for obtaining upper-management positions, regardless of the
person’s qualification or work experience. However, today these organizations seek
both family members and non-family members with specific educational backgrounds
and precise professional expertise. For instance, the Reliance Group, a leading textile
firm in India, has created a top management team with functional leaders from its
various business units. Only five members in this leadership team are family members,
while the rest are high-performing non-family business leaders. Similarly, the
A.V. Birla Group hires external talent for leadership positions as it has demonstrated to
bring value to the organization recruiting approach it never considered before. Table III
provides educational backgrounds of select Indian family-owned business leaders
suggesting that these organizations are developing their leaders with distinct KSAs
that cannot be easily replicated.
The software industry seeks applicants with specific competencies such as
innovativeness, team-building (both domestic and global), and quick problem-solving
skills. Further the industry has distinct characteristics such as high attrition, intense
domestic and global competition, and a very project-based recruitment approach.
Thus, staffing (recruitment and selection) has become a very critical function and
domestic HRM leaders are constantly seeking different practices to attract, recruit, and
retain so as to have the sustainable competitive advantage (Ghosh and Geetika, 2007).
 JIBR
No. Organization Industrya Person/title Educational background
2,1
1 A.V. Birla Textiles, petroleum, Kumar, Mangalam, MBA (London Business
Group telecom, and cement Chairman, Birla School)
2 Reliance Textiles, petrochemicals, Mukesh Ambani, MBA (Stanford
Group telecom, and finance Chairman University, USA)
38 Anil Ambani, Managing MBA (Wharton School,
Director University of
Pennsylvania, USA)
3 Thapar Paper, pulp, and chemicals Gautam Thapar, Chemical Engineer (Pratt
Group Managing Director University, USA)
4 Mahindra Vehicles, tractors, IT, and Anand Mahindra, CEO MBA (Harvard Business
Group financial services School, USA)
Downloaded by Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang At 22:28 08 March 2015 (PT)

5 BPL Group Consumer electronics, Ajit Nambiar, Chairman Electronics Engineer

color TVs, audio systems, and Managing Director (Boston university, USA)
and washing machines
Table III.
Qualified leaders of Note: aThe industry list provided is not an exhaustive list of all family-owned businesses in India
family-owned businesses Source: Manikutty (2000)

Methodology
This qualitative study uses purposeful sampling with interviews as the primary
method of data collection. The study analyzes each case followed by a cross-analysis of
the multiple cases (Patton, 2002). The use of multiple cases increases research
reliability and minimizes any bias that could result from a single case study. Several
scholars (Olivas-Lujan et al., 2007; O’Sullivan et al., 2002) have used multiple case
design to get in-depth perceptions on global HRM practices. Qualitative studies allow
interpretation of several interesting themes within specific cases and also analyzing
across multiple cases (O’Sullivan et al., 2002; Patton, 2002).
This research examined how five high profile software companies are recruiting
and hiring senior and middle management. Senior management was defined as
employees who had more than ten years of experience and middle management was
defined as employees having more than four years of experience. The goal of this
qualitative research study was to detail the current staffing practices and also identify
successful recruitment practices. Table IV provides description of these companies in
terms of size, branches, and educational backgrounds of the HRM leaders.
The five chosen organizations were located in Bangalore, India and identified as
high-performing organizations with excellent growth records. Two of the companies
were the US MNCs and three were domestic organizations. The informants for all the
companies were Vice Presidents/Senior directors of HRM. All the interviews were
conducted in Bangalore, India in July-August 2006 and lasted for about 60-90 minutes.
These companies were chosen as one of the researchers (a local Indian professor) had
contacts in two of the organizations and the other researcher was granted interviews
with three of the other companies. The sampling can be considered purposeful as the
main reason for contacting these organizations was that they would provide rich
information on the topic of study (Patton, 2002).
Several steps were taken to make sure that the researchers have accurate
information of the interview. The main research questions were sent to the informants
ahead of time so that the respondents could reflect and provide accurate interpretation
 Indian software
Number of employees Number
Company’s Number of in human resource of domestic HR leader’s educational companies
No. name employees department branches background

1 A 58,000 200 30-40 Master’s in Engineering

2 B 20,000 350 6 Master’s in HRM
3 C 59,000 100 9 Master’s in Business 39
Administration (HR
emphasis)
4 D 10,000 Information not available 9 Doctorate in
Management
5 E 3,500 Information not available 3 Masters in Personnel Table IV.
Management and Demographic information
Downloaded by Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang At 22:28 08 March 2015 (PT)

Industrial Relations of software companies

to the research questions. (The results section provides the main research questions).
Two of the interviews were conducted at a university campus (IIM-B, a leading
business school in Bangalore, India) with the HRM directors, while three of the
remaining interviews were done at the corporate office of the informants.
The interview was tape recorded with the permission of the informants.
A semi-structured interview format was followed so that the answers could be best
captured in the informants’ words. Every effort was made to capture the informant’s
point of view on staffing practices by taking notes diligently during the interview
process. The tape-recorded interview was transcribed to ensure complete clarity of the
interview. Further, the interviews were coded or categorized to provide easy
comparisons of data within cases.
Qualitative scholars (Patton, 2002; Denzin and Lincoln, 2000) compare coding to
breaking down of huge information into specific categories. Coding provides two
important purposes – “convergence and divergence” of interview data such that
researchers can identify recurring themes and also categorize dissimilar data. Patton
(2002) further suggests that interview information should be provided in
quotes wherever applicable so that readers can have a glimpse of the interview
verbatim.
The interviews were heard several times to systematically code the field interviews
into meaningful methods of comparison. Patton (2002) suggests that repeatedly
listening to interview tapes could provide better coding of data. Finally, interview
summaries were sent to the informants to ascertain accuracy. Subsequent email
interactions with respondents were maintained for clarification and comprehension of
interview material.

Results
This section provides a description of the staffing practices as identified by the
informants from the interviews. The four main research questions are:
RQ1. What are the most important goals of your organization for the next five
years?
RQ2. What do you consider the main roles of the human resource (HR) department?
 JIBR RQ3. What are your predominant recruitment and selection practices?
2,1 RQ4. What are your most successful staffing practices?
Case 1: company A: software company
This organization has approximately 58,000 full-time employees, 400 leadership
positions, 39 offices globally, and about 300 employees in the HRM department. The
40 HRM leader has a technical background in engineering with considerable work
experience. The main organizational goal is to become a global software leader by
developing and building long-term relationships with their customers worldwide.
The main roles of the HRM department are talent acquisition, continuous training
and development, and interacting closely with senior management on strategic
decisions.
Downloaded by Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang At 22:28 08 March 2015 (PT)

The main recruitment practices are employee referrals (42 percent) and newspaper
advertisements. Employee referrals were considered a very good recruiting approach to
get quality hires. A very successful recruitment technique as indicated by the informant is:
Successful employees write in their own words about their positive and negative work
experiences in newspaper advertisements thereby providing a very strong reference point to
potential applicants.
In terms of internal recruitment, the organization has developed a very successful
succession planning with a three tier leadership program. In Tier 1, 50 functional
directors get mentored by the top board members. In Tier 2, about 150 high performing
employees from various functional units are selected and mentored by the 50
functional directors of Tier 1. Finally, in Tier 3, 300 high performing employees get
mentored by Tier 2 employees. The goal of this leadership program is that employees
are consistently identified for superior leadership skills and progressed from Tier 1
through Tier 3 in a span of 3-5 years.
The predominant hiring practices were panel interviews (with cross-functional
teams) and using behavioral interviews with specific work-related competencies. Cross
functional panel interviews help identify well-rounded applicants and behavioral
interviews have a strong emphasis on applicants describing their past work
accomplishments.

Case 2: company B: software company

This organization has approximately 20,000 full-time employees, six domestic
branches, and about 350 employees in the HRM department. The HRM leader has a
graduate degree in HRM with about 13 years work experience. The main goals for the
organization are getting more global projects and therefore having the required talent.
The main roles of the HRM department are identifying qualified talent, continuous
employee training and development, and ensuring superior employee performance. On
successful staffing practices, the respondent said:
A successful recruitment approach is the high usage of employee referrals (50-60 percent).
The company has realized that this recruitment method leads to better fit with the
organizational culture, involves less recruiting effort, hiring risk quotient is low, and also is
aligned to the organization’s goals.
The predominant methods of recruiting are employee referrals (about 50 percent) and
professional search agencies (about 40 percent). Employee referrals have been very
 successful and have demonstrated several advantages such as a better fit between the Indian software
applicants’ values and the company culture, less recruiting effort, and also a lower companies
“hiring risk.” Professional search agencies have helped provide unbiased and objective
assessments of potential applicants. Newspaper advertisements are mainly used for
building a brand presence.
The predominant hiring methods are behavioral interviews and personality tests.
The emphasis in behavioral interviews is identification of past accomplishments and 41
also congruence with organization’s core competencies. Further the organization also
uses personality tests (Thomas International Profiling Tests) to get a comprehensive
picture of the applicants’ (knowledge, skills, abilities and other skills) in relation to the
assigned project and global team.
Downloaded by Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang At 22:28 08 March 2015 (PT)

Case 3: company C: software company

This organization has about 59,000 full-time employees, 500 leadership positions, about
40 domestic branches and operates globally in about 25 countries. The HRM department
has about 200 employees and the educational background of the HRM leader is a masters
in business administration with an emphasis on HRM. The main organizational goals
are a strong focus on increased recruitment, organizational growth, training, and
building the brand image. The company plans to recruit about 150,000 employees over
the next five years. Further, the organization is acquiring a lot of non-Indian software
companies globally and therefore would like to ensure smooth transitions with their
global acquisitions. The organization focuses on intense training both at the entry-level
(12 weeks) and also providing leadership training (1 week). High-performing employees
are frequently offered lectures from international experts. Finally, the company is
interested in building its brand image both in the domestic and international market as
the “best employer of choice.” The HRM has a very strategic role and is constantly
interacting with company leaders on a day-to-day basis on strategic decisions.
This organization is the first to be assessed at level five of the people capability
maturity model which is the highest certification level identified by the Software
Institute of Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This certification
ensures that employees’ needs are being constantly addressed, work competencies
appropriately selected, and a strong focus on people’s practices.
The predominant methods for recruiting senior management are professional
search agencies and employee referrals. Professional search agencies help identify
qualified talent globally and employee referrals have brought very qualified hires.
A very successful internal recruiting is encouraging applicants to apply to any internal
vacancy in any department of the firm. Such a cross-functional recruiting approach has
helped the organization fill-up a lot of internal vacancies very quickly and also tap
richly into their internal pool. Succession planning is also carefully executed and each
senior position has about three high-performing employees identified in the talent
pipeline. A very successful recruitment practice as identified by the informant is
having the CEO participate in the interview process:
The Chairman [CEO] of the company participating in selection interviews for senior-level
manager positions sends a strong message about leadership talent.
The predominant selection methods are behavioral interviews, personality tests, and
panel interviews. Behavioral and panel interviews allow identification of well-rounded
 JIBR and qualified talent. Such interviews also help assess qualities such as the ability to
2,1 work in teams, ability to mentor subordinates and peers, problem-solving and
analytical ability. Personality tests, such as personality and preference inventory are
used to help assess applicants’ personality, KSAs and also preferred work styles in
relation to the project and team in hand.

42 Case 4: company D: software company

This organization has about 10,000 full-time employees in India and about 55,000
employees globally with eight domestic branches. The HRM leader has a doctorate in
HR development. The main organizational goals are managing their phenomenal
growth, increased recruitment, and developing attractive retention strategies. The
Downloaded by Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang At 22:28 08 March 2015 (PT)

organization has acquired 23 domestic companies over the past 18 months and is
therefore integrating different organizational cultures. The organization is
experiencing maximum attrition at the junior and the middle management levels
and hence adopting strategies to enhance retention.
The HRM director expressed that the HRM should have more involvement in
recruiting applicants. The director commented that having HRM people with technical
backgrounds could alleviate some of the recruiting burden from line managers. In the
respondent’s words:
HRM leaders need to have technical experience, product expertise, and HRM expertise. Right
now recruitment is done predominantly by the line managers, and HRM is predominantly
involved only in first-level screening. The line manager has the ultimate word on the
recruitment process.
The predominant method is internet recruiting as the organization seeks highly
technical backgrounds and uses a global approach to seek qualified applicants. For
internal recruiting, referral from current employees is considered very successful as
employees generally recommend high-performing peers and also find such applicants
transition better into their work and organization. Succession planning is also
frequently used and usually three high-performing employees are identified for
senior-level positions.

Case 5: company E: information technology

This organization has about 3,500 full-time employees and three domestic branches in
India. The HRM director has a Masters in Personnel Management. The main goals of
the organization are to provide relevant software expertise to clients to achieve higher
levels of productivity. As clients seek specific expertise in software applications, the
company is constantly seeking applicants with precise software proficiency (such as
Java). The major roles of HRM are staffing and training. As the company is
anticipating a phenomenal growth, these two HRM functions are considered very
strategic to the organization. On recruitment being very challenging position, in the HR
in respondent’s words:
Due to the fast growth of the software industry, every person who wants to change the job
has multiple options available to oneself. A candidate might attend the interview, receive the
offer letter and make all the promises to join the company but finally may not show up on the
day of joining. Thus, any number of selections and offers letter is no guarantee that a
company will have requisite number of people as required.
 The main recruitment practice is current employee referrals where high-performing Indian software
employees refer qualified family members or friends. This has been very successful for companies
the company and ensures almost a 100 percent success rate. Further, the CEO of the
company sits on recruitment committees to discuss diverse hiring strategies to acquire
the best.
In addition, the company adopts a rigorous interviewing process and applicants
complete at least five interviews before being hired. Applicants are first screened by 43
the HR team to identify if there is a cultural fit between the applicants and the
organizational culture. This is followed by two technical interviews where applicants
are grilled on their domain expertise by technical leaders. The interview process is
completed with a final interview by management and project leaders. Line managers in
the company undergo training for conducting interviews such that the interview
Downloaded by Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang At 22:28 08 March 2015 (PT)

process is considered valid and reliable. The company constantly seeks applicants that
demonstrate superior technical expertise, creativity and good interpersonal team skills.

Discussion
Recruitment practices
Employee referrals, succession planning and internal recruitment were the
predominant internal recruitment methods used by the software firms of this study.
As senior talent is difficult to recruit, organizations are relying on their internal labor
pool as a predominant source of recruitment (Agrawal and Thite, 2003).
Applicants that are referred by current employees demonstrate a better
person-organization and person-job fit largely because current employees provide
realistic job previews. Such internal information about their new job helps applicants’
make easy transitions into their work environments. In a study of 767 engineers
regarding recruitment sources and HR outcomes (Moser, 2005) demonstrated that
applicants referred by current employees demonstrated three strong HR outcomes;
fewer unfulfilled job expectations, higher job satisfaction and stronger organizational
commitment. Therefore, such employees performed at superior levels.
MNCs such as Deloitte Touche endorse employee referral programs as this
recruitment approach has brought in the most qualified hires. As professional
employees are more likely to socialize and interact with colleagues in a similar field or
industry, employee referrals allow organizations to tap into such professional
networking. Deloitte has added a global touch to this recruitment approach by
encouraging current employees to refer their overseas friends and colleagues also
(Brandel, 2006). In the Indian context, employee referrals are very conducive to the
collective orientation of the Indian culture that likes to promote family and friends
(Chokkar, 2007).
Succession planning is deliberate grooming and developing of internal talent for
leadership positions. The rewards of such internal development are having an
experienced talent that understands the organization, competitors, and customers very
well – therefore such employees make valuable business decisions (Kimes, 2009;
St-Onge, 2007).
Kimes (2009) identifies Procter & Gamble’s (P&G) succession planning program
“Build from within” as very successful as it consistently develops three replacements
for each of their top 50 leadership positions. HR leaders at P&G emphasize that internal
talent that is developed rigorously demonstrated higher organizational commitment
 JIBR and such employees were also able to perform at superior levels almost immediately in
2,1 their new jobs.
Internal recruitment was also an important source for senior and mid-level talent as
such a method allowed the organizations to leverage their internal talent quickly. As
the attrition rate in the software industry is quite high, HR leaders want to fill-up their
vacant positions rather quickly (Agrawal and Thite, 2003). Moser (2005) in an
44 international study identified that internal recruitment applicants’ had realistic job
expectations and hence were more likely to make a better connection between their
KSAs and with their jobs.
Messmer (2004) suggests that apart from being very cost-effective, applicants
recruited internally identify very well with their organizational and peer culture.
Internal applicants usually do not need to acclimatize to a novel work environment and
Downloaded by Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang At 22:28 08 March 2015 (PT)

hence are able to focus on their new job whole-heartedly. Therefore, such a focus helps
these employees perform at superior levels rather quickly. Internal recruitment also
has a better impact when a cross-functional approach is adopted such that internal
vacancies are posted throughout the organization – therefore qualified employees can
be leveraged from other departments into the applicant pool.
The RBV supports the view that staffing practices such as employee referrals,
succession planning and internal recruitment provide a very idiosyncratic network of
employees. Further, these applicants have realistic job expectations, are grounded in the
organizational culture, are very cognizant of their customers and competitors – and
therefore become valuable and unique (Murthy and Abeysekera, 2007; Brandel, 2006;
Clulow et al., 2003; Moser, 2005). Lepak and Snell (1999) add that developing employees
within an organizational context can definitely be a source of competitive advantage as
such internal employees developed within a specific context become very hard to duplicate.
A point to note is the two MNCs of this study, apart from the methods discussed
above, also used e-recruitment and professional search agencies to identify senior and
middle-management talent. The Indian software companies did not rely on these
external methods for recruiting their managerial talent. MNCs use such external
recruitment methods to seek overseas Indians who bring with them their rich
international experience and also their sensitivity to local practices (Frauenheim, 2006).
Other recruitment practices that were identified as successful were having the
Chairman (CEO) as a part of the recruitment process. It is well-known in Silicon Valley that
Microsoft’s Bill Gates and Google’s founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, personally
interact with potential executive candidates to get the very best. The top organizational
leaders participating in the recruitment process portray very positive signals about the
exclusivity of the staffing process to potential applicants (Hardy, 2005; Grossman, 1998).
Another winning recruitment practice was having successful employees write their
personal experiences in traditional newspaper advertisements. High-performers
stating their positive and negative experiences in their own words provide potential
applicants a very reliable reference point. Messmer (2004) suggests any approach to
make newspaper advertisements stand out differently (as employees writing about
their experiences) can be a very useful recruiting strategy to get qualified hires.

Selection practices
Personality tests, behavioral interviews, and resumes were some of the predominant
external hiring methods. Scholars (Goldberg and Cerullo, 2006; Witt and Burke, 2002;
 Barclay, 2001) suggest that investing in a variety of effective selection practices to hire Indian software
the best help identify valuable and unique talent. The first point of contact for external companies
applicants is usually the staffing process and providing a sense of exclusiveness
through the hiring process will reap its own rewards. Employees, the most important
“brands” of any organization, are a reflection of an organization’s selection process
(Tyler, 2005; Barclay, 2001).
Personality tests help organizations identify valuable characteristics such as 45
person-organization and person-job fit. Software companies are predominantly in the
business of serving customers and hence place a paramount on project and relationship
management. Personality tests usually measure work-styles, team-player orientation,
creativity, multitasking, emotional intelligence, and dynamism – diverse work-related
characteristics that are hallmarks of the software industry (Knight, 2006; Witt and
Downloaded by Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang At 22:28 08 March 2015 (PT)

Burke, 2002).
Witt and Burke (2002) in a study of 94 information technology employees concluded
that personality tests help identify important characteristics such as relationship
management, openness to learning, and team-player orientation which is beyond the
traditional definition of job performance per se. Such characteristics are very relevant
to the software industry and comprehensive selection practices therefore help glean the
best (Witt and Burke, 2002).
Behavioral interviewing allows employers to probe in depth about applicants’ past
work accomplishments with specific relevance to core competencies (Tyler, 2005;
Barclay, 2001). From the applicants’ point of view, it allows them to describe their work
assignments just as they experienced it. Therefore, in this rich social exchange, very
critical job-related information relevant to the organization’s context is shared
(Barclay, 2001). In a study of 163 organizations in UK, Barclay (2001) states that
92 percent of the respondents indicated noticeable improvements with the quality of
hires with behavioral interviews and also additional positive outcomes such as reduced
turnover.
Interview-training for both line and HR managers was also adopted to ensure
reliable and valid behavioral interviews emerge. Tyler (2005) suggests that managers
are always not savvy on interviewing techniques and therefore need to be coached and
trained how to identify valuable talent. Organizations such as Daimler Chrysler’s (US
division) provide intense training to their line managers and observed positive
outcomes in terms of the quality of hires.
Panel interviews have been identified as reliable and valid methods of staffing
based on the premise that collective judgments render better hiring decisions. Panel
interviews are successful in identifying leadership talent because multiple interviewers
complement and augment with diverse business and judgments perspectives.
Therefore, having multiple interviewers help establish a comprehensive picture of an
applicant’s KSAs and therefore results in better hiring decisions. Also, panel
interviews help minimize hiring mistakes that result from interviews done by a single
person-hiring errors that can be very costly to an organization especially at senior
management levels (Dixon et al., 2002).
Resumes (bio-data) were also used to identify successful work experiences, career
stability, and relevant organizational competencies (such as openness to learning for
the software industry). Bio-data suggests that past accomplishments will mirror future
job performance (Witt and Burke, 2002). In a study of 672 employees in the health care
 JIBR industry, Becton et al. (2009) demonstrated that bio-data helped identify superior job
2,1 performance and organizational commitment among employees with high and
moderate skills. Bio-data identified applicants that demonstrated fewer medical errors,
better patient care, and increased patient satisfaction. This study indicated that the
items on the bio-data helps organizations identify specific KSAs and competencies
related to the job and therefore make better hiring choices.
46 The RBV supports the view that qualified external talent will definitely enhance
organizational value. Therefore, hiring practices that seek to get comprehensive
applicants will categorically provide a competitive edge to organizations (Lepak and
Snell, 1999). Manikutty (2000) demonstrated that the traditional paternalistic
family-owned Indian companies are investing in superior education for their business
leaders that cannot be easily replicated to provide immense value to the organization.
Downloaded by Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang At 22:28 08 March 2015 (PT)

Further, Ghosh and Geetika (2007) demonstrated in a study of 43 software companies

that software companies are adopting different hiring practices to glean the best as the
industry constantly needs applicants with new skills and also is experiencing
phenomenal growth.
Table V summarizes the staffing practices and provides a staffing model of current
internal and external staffing practices with their main characteristics.

Conclusion
The study is not without its limitations. First, this is a qualitative study of five leading
software firms and therefore the results of this study cannot be generalized to be
representative of the whole Indian software industry. Second, the single-respondent
bias could apply as the respondents’ answers were considered to reflect the firm’s
staffing practices. Finally, all the interviews took place in Bangalore, India and

Internal External
No. recruitment Characteristics recruitment Characteristics

1 Employee Identifying qualified family Personality Identifying characteristics core

referrals and friends through personal tests to the organization’s values
and professional networking and mission
2 Newspaper Current employees providing
advertisements realistic job previews
3 Succession Identifying and grooming Résumés Screening for
planning internal leadership talent “learnability”(ability to learn)-
consistently a core competency in the
knowledge-based industry
4 Internal Cross-functional approach- Interviews Cross-functional team
recruitment leveraging internal talent to conducting interviews
find their best fit
Behavioral interviews with
their strong competency
approach
Table V. Training line managers and
Staffing model of five HR to conduct reliable and
software companies valid interviews
following Lepak and CEO being part of the
Snell’s typology recruitment team
 therefore the results of the study could possibly demonstrate staffing practices specific Indian software
to this location. companies
The study, however, makes four significant contributions. First, this paper details
and describes how domestic senior talent in the software industry is acquired. Further,
it provides a staffing model identifying successful staffing practices with their main
characteristics. The Indian software industry is considered one of the blue chips of the
Indian economy and therefore understanding their staffing practices can help both 47
domestic and MNCs benchmark successful staffing practices (Murthy and Abeysekera,
2007).
MNCs have identified senior talent acquisition as a considerable challenge.
Understanding how domestic organizations acquire their senior talent might throw
insight into staffing strategies MNCs could possibly adopt (Agrawal and Thite, 2003).
Downloaded by Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang At 22:28 08 March 2015 (PT)

Scholars (Brown, 2007; Friedman, 2005) suggest that the best talent will walk in
through your door only if cultural nuances are considered. Friedman (2006) uses the
term “glocalize” suggesting a need to hybrid local and global practices to get the best
talent.
Bjorkman and Budhwar (2007) demonstrated in a study of 76 multinational
subsidiaries in India that adoption of local HRM practices lead to superior
organizational performance. Adopting local practices suggest compatibility and
commitment with domestic norms therefore increasing employee commitment and
organizational visibility. For instance, Japanese organizations in India operate a
hierarchical management structure conducive to the local high-power distance culture,
while they promote an egalitarian management approach in their home organizations
(Bjorkman and Budhwar, 2007; Chokkar, 2007).
Successful local staffing practices such as succession planning, employee referrals
and internal recruitment of the software firms can be definitely attributed to the
high-collectivist orientation of the Indian national culture (Chokkar, 2007;
Ramamoorthy et al., 2005). In a study on national cultures, India ranked very high
for in-group collectivism (fourth) among 61 countries (Chokkar, 2007) suggesting a
national culture that prefers to recruit and hire “known” talent compared to
“unknown.”
Second, this paper contributes to the RBV literature as it details successful staffing
practices that help identify superior applicants therefore contributing to better firm
performance. Personality tests help identify applicants with positive project
management skills, team-building skills, and an openness to learning-skills that are
very essential for the dynamic and unpredictable nature of work in this industry.
Behavioral interviews help interviewers ascertain and determine whether applicants’
KSAs are congruent with the organization’s core competencies. Internal recruitment
practices help develop and groom an idiosyncratic senior talent as external talent is not
easily available. Panel interviews help identify the best with the premise that cognitive
diversity of interviewers results in superior hiring decisions (Barclay, 2001; Witt and
Burke, 2002; Dixon et al., 2002; Agrawal and Thite, 2003). The RBV suggests that
staffing practices, internal or external, can be leveraged to enhance a firm’s sustainable
competitive advantage by creating a talent pool that is very distinctive to the
organization and industry (Lepak and Snell, 1999).
Third, this paper identifies predominant HRM challenges of the software industry
(Friedmann et al., 2008; Weier, 2007; Agrawal and Thite, 2006; Brandel, 2006;
 JIBR Grossman, 2006; Agrawal and Thite, 2003). Recruitment and hiring of senior talent,
2,1 detailed recruitment processes, intense training, high-employee turnover and being
brand-conscious are identified as some of the predominant HRM challenges. Therefore,
MNCs can adopt proactive steps to alleviate some of these challenges. For instance,
Indians are very brand-conscious – both when choosing personal marketing products
and also when looking for organizations to work for. Most Indians, in the software
48 industry, prefer to work for the “Big Three” software companies (Infosys, Wipro, TCS)
regardless of their work. MNCs consequently have to invest sufficiently in employer
brand building as Indian employees like to work for distinguished organizations
(Grossman, 2006; Brandel, 2006).
Employer branding, or becoming an employer of choice, creates a strong emotional
Downloaded by Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang At 22:28 08 March 2015 (PT)

bond between employers and employees. Organizations should strive to make the place
of work the best for employees and therefore create a strong sense of pride among
employees (Sartain, 2006; Sartain, 2005). For instance, Google’s diverse ethnic on-site
restaurants, presentations with high-profile business leaders for employees, work
concept of 70-20-10 (main work/professional development/creativity) are some of their
organizational practices that have branded the organization as the best place to work
for (Iyer and Davenport, 2008).
Finally, this study focuses on an economy that is moving forward in leaps and
bounds (Meredith, 2008; Friedman, 2006). Meredith (2008) suggests that India is one of
the most successful emerging economies and is becoming the world’s corporate
headquarters. MNCs should increase their awareness of management practices in these
upcoming economies and identify how to make their transitions into these economies
easier.

References
Agrawal, N. and Rao, M. (2002), “Developing human capital for the growth of Indian software
industry”, in Pareek, U. (Ed.), Human Resource Development in Asia: Trends and
Challenges, Oxford and IBH Publishing, New Delhi.
Agrawal, N. and Thite, M. (2003), “Human resources issues, challenges and strategies in the
Indian software industry”, International Journal Human Resources Development and
Management, Vol. 3 No. 3, pp. 249-63.
Agrawal, N. and Thite, M. (2006), “Nature and importance of soft skills in software project
leaders”, Asia Pacific Management Review, Vol. 11 No. 2, pp. 405-13.
Babu, V. (2006), “The race to $10 billion: who’ll get there first: TCS, Infosys, or Wipro?”, Business
Today, April 21.
Barclay, J. (2001), “Improving selection interviews with structure: organisations’ use of
‘behavioural’ interviews”, Personnel Review, Vol. 30 No. 1, p. 81.
Barney, J. (1991), “Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage”, Journal of
Management, Vol. 17, pp. 99-120.
Barney, J. (2001), “Is the resource-based view a useful perspective for strategic management
research? Yes”, Academy of Management Executive, Vol. 26 No. 1, pp. 41-56.
Becton, B., Matthews, M., Hartley, D. and Whitaker, D. (2009), “Using biodata to predict turnover,
organizational commitment, and job performance in healthcare”, International Journal of
Selection and Assessment, Vol. 17 No. 2, pp. 189-202.
 Bjorkman, I. and Budhwar, P. (2007), “When in Rome . . .? Human resource management and the Indian software
performance of foreign firms operating in India”, Employee Relations, Vol. 29 No. 6,
pp. 595-610. companies
Brandel, M. (2006), “Fishing in the global talent pool”, Computerworld, Vol. 40 No. 47, pp. 33-5.
Brown, F. (2007), The Global Business Leader: Practical Advice for Success in a Transcultural
Marketplace, Palgrave Macmillan, New York, NY.
Budhwar, P. and Boyne, G. (2004), “Human resource management in the Indian public and 49
private sectors: an empirical comparison”, International Journal of Human Resource
Management, Vol. 15 No. 2, pp. 346-70.
Budhwar, P., Luthar, H. and Bhatnagar, J. (2006), “The dynamics of HRM systems in Indian BPO
firms”, Journal of Labor Research, Vol. 27 No. 3, pp. 339-60.
Downloaded by Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang At 22:28 08 March 2015 (PT)

Chokkar, J. (2007), “India, diversity and complexity in action”, in Chhokar, J., Brodbeck, F. and
House, R. (Eds), Culture and Leadership Across the World: the GLOBE Book of In-depth
Studies of 25 Societies, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, NJ.
Clulow, V., Gerstman, J. and Barry, C. (2003), “The resource-based view and competitive
advantage: the case of financial service firms”, Journal of European Industrial Training,
Vol. 27 No. 5, pp. 220-32.
Denzin, N. and Lincoln, Y. (2000), Handbook of Qualitative Research, 2nd ed., Sage, London.
Dixon, M., Wang, S., Calvin, J., Dineen, B. and Tomlinson, E. (2002), “The panel interview:
a review of empirical research and guidelines for practice”, Public Personnel Management,
Vol. 31 No. 3, pp. 397-428.
Frauenheim, E. (2006), “Indian leaders in demand amid rapid expansion”, Workforce
Management, Vol. 85 No. 7, pp. 6-9.
Friedman, T. (2005), The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century, Farrar, Straus
and Giroux, New York, NY.
Friedman, T. (2006), The World is Flat (Updated and Expanded), Farrar, Straus and Giroux,
New York, NY.
Friedmann, C., Holtbrugge, D. and Puck, J. (2008), “HRM in foreign firms in India:
a resource-based view”, LASER Discussion Paper No. 15, Labor and Socio-Economic
Research Center, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Nuremberg.
Ghosh, P. and Geetika (2007), “Recruitment strategies: exploring the dimensions in the Indian
software industry”, Asian Journal of Management Cases, Vol. 4 No. 1, pp. 5-25.
Goldberg, J. and Cerullo, M. (2006), “Research staffing – the right staff”, Brand Strategy, June.
Gordon, J. (2002), “India or bust”, Forbes, Vol. 169 No. 8, pp. 65-9.
Grossman, R. (1998), “Hurry, hurry step right up: how recruiters woo high-demand candidates”,
HR Magazine, Vol. 43 No. 13, pp. 20-5.
Grossman, R. (2006), “HR’s rising star in India”, HR Magazine, Vol. 51 No. 9, pp. 46-53.
Hardy, Q. (2005), “Google thinks small”, Forbes, Vol. 176 No. 10, p. 198.
Iyer, B. and Davenport, T. (2008), “Reverse engineering Google’s innovation machine”, Harvard
Business Review, April, pp. 59-68.
Khandekar, A. and Sharma, A. (2005), “Organizational learning in Indian organizations:
a strategic HRM perspective”, Journal of Small Business and Enterprise, Vol. 12 No. 2,
pp. 211-27.
Khanna, T., Palepu, K. and Sinha, J. (2005), “Strategies that fit emerging markets”, Harvard
Business Review, Vol. 83 No. 6, pp. 63-76.
 JIBR Kimes, M. (2009), “P&G’s leadership machine”, Fortune, Vol. 159 No. 7, p. 22.
2,1 Knight, V. (2006), “Personality tests as hiring tools”, Wall Street Journal, March 15 (Eastern
edition).
Lepak, D. and Snell, S. (1999), “The human resource architecture: toward a theory of human
capital allocation and development”, The Academy of Management Review, Vol. 24 No. 1,
pp. 31-48.
50 Manikutty, S. (2000), “Family business groups in India: a resource-based view of the emerging
trends”, Family Business Review, Vol. 13 No. 4, pp. 279-92.
Meredith, R. (2008), The Elephant and the Dragon: The Rise of India and China and What it
Means for all of Us, W.W. Norton Company, New York, NY.
Messmer, M. (2004), “Locating top job candidates”, Strategic Finance, Vol. 85 No. 12, pp. 11-13.
Downloaded by Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang At 22:28 08 March 2015 (PT)

Moser, K. (2005), “Recruitment sources and post-hire outcomes: the mediating role of unmet
expectations”, International Journal of Selection and Assessment, Vol. 13 No. 3, pp. 188-97.
Murthy, V. and Abeysekera, I. (2007), “Human capital value creation practices of software and
service exporter firms in India”, Journal of Human Resource Costing & Accounting, Vol. 11
No. 2, pp. 84-103.
Nancherla, A. (2008), “Eye of the tiger”, Training & Development, Vol. 62 No. 12, p. 16.
Olivas-Lujan, M., Ramirez, J. and Zapata-Cantu, L. (2007), “E-HRM in Mexico: adapting
innovativeness for global competitiveness”, International Journal of Manpower, Vol. 28
No. 5, pp. 418-34.
O’Sullivan, S., Applebaum, S. and Abikhzer, C. (2002), “Expatriate management best practices in
Canadian MNCs: a multiple case study”, Career Development International, Vol. 7 No. 2,
pp. 79-86.
Patton, M. (2002), Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods, 3rd ed., Sage, New York, NY.
Pfeffer, J. (1998), “Seven practices of successful organizations”, California Management Review,
Vol. 40 No. 2, pp. 96-125.
Ramamoorthy, N., Gupta, A., Sardesai, R. and Flood, P. (2005), “Individualism/collectivism and
attitudes towards human resource systems: a comparative study of American, Irish and
Indian MBA students”, International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 16
No. 5, pp. 852-69.
Sartain, L. (2005), “Branding from the inside out at Yahoo!: HR’s role as brand builder”, Human
Resource Management, Vol. 44 No. 1, pp. 89-93.
Sartain, L. (2006), “Brand from the inside”, Leadership Excellence, Vol. 23 No. 12, p. 18.
Schlosser, J. (2006), “Infosys university”, Fortune, Vol. 153 No. 5, pp. 41-3.
Singh, K. (2004), “Impact of HR practices on perceived firm performance in India”, Asia Pacific
Journal of Human Resources, Vol. 42 No. 3, pp. 301-17.
Solomon, J. (2005), “India poaches US executives for tech jobs”, Wall Street Journal, February,
(Eastern edition), p. B1.
St-Onge, S. (2007), “Planning ahead”, CA Magazine, Vol. 140 No. 1, pp. 51-3.
Takeuchi, K. and Nomura, M. (2008), “IT-based industrial development in India and trends in
human resources development with the aim of realizing a knowledge-based society”,
Quarterly Review, Vol. 26, pp. 36-51.
Tyler, K. (2005), “Train for smarter hiring”, HR Magazine, Vol. 50 No. 5, pp. 89-94.
Vijayraghavan, K. (2008), “Knowledge and human resources: educational policies, systems,
and institutions in a changing India”, Technology in Society, Vol. 30, pp. 275-8.
 Wadhwa, V. (2008), “A disciple becomes the guru: should United States learn from India?”, Indian software
Harvard International Review, Vol. 30 No. 3, pp. 72-5.
Weier, M. (2007), “As hiring soars in India, good managers are hard to find”, Information Week,
companies
Vol. 1124, p. 33.
Witt, L. and Burke, L. (2002), “Selecting high-performing information technology professionals”,
Journal of End User Computing, Vol. 14 No. 4, pp. 37-50.
Zakaria, F. (2006), “India rising”, Newsweek, March 6. 51
Further reading
Grant, E. (2008), “How to retain talent in India”, MIT Sloan Management Review, Vol. 50 No. 1,
pp. 6-7.
Downloaded by Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang At 22:28 08 March 2015 (PT)

About the author

Pramila Rao is an Assistant Professor in HRM at Marymount University, Virginia, USA.
Her main research interests focus on cross-cultural management practices specific to India and
Mexico. Her articles and learning modules have been published in Cross-Cultural Management,
Employee Relations, The Business Journal of Hispanic Research, Encyclopedia of Human
Resources Information Systems, and Society for Human Resource Management among others.
Pramila Rao can be contacted at: [email protected]

To purchase reprints of this article please e-mail: [email protected]

Or visit our web site for further details: www.emeraldinsight.com/reprints
Downloaded by Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang At 22:28 08 March 2015 (PT)

This article has been cited by:

1. References 167-196. [CrossRef]