One year of Sikka: Is his Infosys revival plan working?

Away from earnings, the last 12 months have seen technology behemoth Infosys undergo a sea change, largely for the better. It is not just the business strategy and performance or but the fact that employees can wear casuals to work on a Saturday. The Sikka Regime: Hits and MissesVishal Sikka, MD and CEO stepped into the head office of Infosys at the most trying of times. The company was bleeding employees, even at the top level, growth engines were sputtering or stalled and the company's image had taken a battering. But Sikka had a plan--one that centered around innovation and next-frontier technology. Infosys: Growth OpportunitiesThis new and renew strategy saw Sikka, the first outsider, to be given the company's reins, make sweeping changes to the 8.6 billion dollar company. Winds of change at InfosysHe reworked management structure to ensure greater flexibility and accountability across business verticals, encouraged greater employee participation in strategy and management decisions. He also got aggressive on acquisition-led growth, with three acquisitions already under his belt to shore up the company's digital footprint. While some of these changes are slow-acting, others have already brought hope.Talking about Sikka’s performance, NR Narayana Murthy, Founder and Chairman Emeritus, Infosys says: “Well, he (CEO Vishal Sikka) has been working very hard; he is a great leader and he has brought in lots of good ideas. I am sure, they will all provide results but we have to be patient. He has set a very ambitious target for 2020”But are Sikka's 2020 plan achievable? And this is what Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Independent Director, Infosys says: “I am very confident that Vishal Sikka will play a fantastic role for Infosys. As a board member, I am very impressed by the way he has engaged himself in all the issues head on, he has rolled up his sleeves, he has straightaway got into the transformation journey.”“I think he has certainly inspired a lot of people across Infosys. And I think the results are showing,” she adds.However, not everyone agrees with his methods. Speaking to CNBC-TV18, V Balakrishnan, Former CFO, Infosys says “The IT sector is getting changed and we have to protect the legacy business which is getting commoditised and invest in new technologies.” But even his critics cannot deny that under Sikka, clients, rivals and even shareholders now see the company in a more favourable light.When Sikka took over at Infosys, Infosys' problems were pretty fundamental -- arrest attrition and get the deals flowing and make the margins stronger. To his mind, these fundamental problems are now being addressed, and he's ready to build on his new and renew strategy, where new-age digital services will drive growth.