‘Professionals must learn to deal with multiple cultures’

Prayagraj: Infosys Limited co-founder and chairman, NR Narayana Murthy, on Sunday said, “A professional’s value to any organisation comes from his ability to think, to collect relevant data, to analyse, to draw logical conclusions, and to take quick and decisive actions. He achieves progress while taking tough and fair decisions, upholding his value system, and enhancing the confidence, enthusiasm, and energy of his team.” He was speaking as chief guest on the occasion of the 20th annual convocation of the Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT) held in the city.
He further said, “We live in an increasingly globalised world. Global corporations operate in multiple countries across time zones in a seamless manner. They draw talent and other resources from where it is best available, produce where it is most cost-effective, source funds from where it is cheapest, and sell where it is most profitable, without being constrained by national boundaries. Hence, professionals must learn to deal with multiple cultures and multiple points of view with open-mindedness, tolerance, confidence, courtesy, and respect.”
“This also requires the suppression of individual and national egos. Being confident and open-minded helps one to absorb the best practices from other cultures. Being successful in multinational corporations, which leverage a 24-hour workday, requires a professional to make tremendous personal sacrifices,” he added. Murthy, meanwhile, said, “It is important to remember that, without a national identity, a professional has no identity and no purpose. Therefore, the first duty of a professional is to contribute to his nation’s progress. Such progress depends on having high aspirations, converting them to actionable decisions, taking those decisions with a sense of alacrity, and demonstrating excellence in executing those decisions in whatever area the professional chooses to operate in.”
He said, “Your responsibility to drive progress is even more compelling in a developing country like India where your less fortunate brethren have made huge sacrifices to provide you, the professionals, with the best of education.”
“While you have received education from a prestigious institution, most of our citizens do not have access even to basic college education, shelter, clean water, clean air, minimum nourishment, and basic healthcare,” he said, adding, “By practising the universal values of pluralism, honesty, discipline, tolerance, hard work, fairness, transparency, accountability, commitment, and decency, you will ensure that future generations have a larger share of high-quality professionals,” he added.tunity for betterment.”