A People-First Approach: Driving an AI Transformation

TL;DR

Modern organizational evolution requires balancing technological velocity with cultural stability. Successful initiatives prioritize workforce upskilling and psychological safety over mere software deployment. By centering people in the transition, companies unlock cognitive offloading, allowing talent to focus on high-value creative and strategic tasks. This framework ensures sustainable growth, higher retention, and a competitive edge in an increasingly automated global marketplace.

Beyond the Algorithm: Why Tech Mahindra Puts People Before Platforms

AI Transformation at Tech Mahindra begins with a people-centric foundation. A company’s greatest asset is its people, and the ability to attract, groom, and retain talent distinguishes market leaders from the rest. At Tech Mahindra, this belief drives every aspect of its operations. The company operates on the philosophy that people are at the heart of every outcome it aims to achieve. With talent in short supply and the "war for talent" intensifying, Tech Mahindra focuses not just on hiring but on nurturing a culture of continuous learning and growth. It invests deeply in developing its employees, equipping them with the skills and mindset to be “future ready.” This dedication extends beyond the organization—into its ecosystem of partners—creating a collaborative and transparent environment that fosters shared success. Through this holistic approach, combining people, partnerships, technology, and AI, Tech Mahindra embraces change as an opportunity for innovation and growth, ensuring that every AI Transformation journey starts with empowered people.

Grooming Talent for the Future

Tech Mahindra’s commitment to its people begins with its hiring philosophy. The company believes in a diverse workforce, actively seeking individuals from all backgrounds, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or nationality. The most important quality they look for is a desire to succeed. While skills can be taught through training and certifications, the attitude to learn and grow comes from within. Additionally, the company places a strong emphasis on grooming in-house talent. Evidence of this exists as many of Tech Mahindra's leaders are homegrown and have been elevated from within the organization. This strategy creates a strong sense of loyalty and ensures that institutional knowledge is preserved and passed down. The company invests in making its entire workforce "future-ready" by providing certifications in all major technologies. This proactive approach ensures that employees are equipped to handle the rapid pace of technological change. The average tenure of employees at Tech Mahindra testifies to this culture, with some individuals having been with the company for 30 or even 35 years. This is rare today, as job-hopping is common and speaks volumes about the company's ability to retain talent. Focusing on performance and a fair compensation structure also significantly retains top talent. This dedicated approach to talent creates the human-centric platform for a company-wide AI transformation.

Embracing AI for Transformation

There is a lot of fear and hype surrounding AI and its potential to eliminate jobs. However, Tech Mahindra sees AI not as a threat but as a powerful tool for transformation. The company has a long history of embracing new technologies and has worked with AI for a long time. In fact, they used AI to build their own foundational large language model (LLM), which they put into production in Indonesia. This LLM, called Basha Sahabat, helps citizens interact with the government in their own dialects, not just languages, making services more accessible to a diverse population. The company also used AI to develop the first therapeutic molecule during the COVID-19 pandemic and to create apps for farmers in India, impacting 140 million people. These examples demonstrate that AI can solve real-world problems and create new opportunities rather than displacing people. Tech Mahindra's philosophy is that when AI frees up resources, those people are retrained or utilized more effectively. The entire organization is undergoing AI transformation training, not because they are being forced to, but because they want to adopt the technology and see its potential to make their jobs easier and more productive. This proactive and positive stance toward AI sets the company apart and ensures it remains a leader in the digital services industry. This company-wide embrace drives a powerful AI transformation.

Conclusion

A company’s ability to adapt depends on its people and its partnerships. Tech Mahindra’s commitment to building a people-first ecosystem is a strategic advantage that allows it to navigate the complexities of digital and AI transformation. By investing in its workforce, grooming internal talent, and fostering a culture of continuous learning, the company ensures it has the right people to deliver on its promises. Furthermore, its positive and proactive approach to AI demonstrates that it is not afraid of the future but is actively shaping it. The lessons learned from Mayank's insights are clear: success in the modern business world requires a combination of strong talent, transparent partnerships, and a focus on delivering outcomes that truly matter to the customer. The fear of AI is often misplaced; the right strategy can be a powerful tool to enhance human capability and create new growth opportunities. This is the core of Tech Mahindra's philosophy, and it is a model other organizations can learn from. The company’s focus on the human element ensures that as technology evolves, its people will remain at the heart of its success, driving AI transformation from within and for its clients.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most critical factor for a successful AI Transformation?

The most critical factor is aligning your organizational culture with a mindset of continuous adaptation and psychological safety. Technology succeeds only when the workforce feels secure enough to experiment with it. Without human buy-in, even the most advanced systems will suffer from underutilization or active internal resistance.

How does a people-first approach impact long-term ROI?

A people-first approach maximizes ROI by reducing the costs associated with employee turnover and failed implementation. When staff members are trained to act as technology orchestrators, they produce higher-quality work at a faster pace. This creates a sustainable competitive advantage that outlasts specific software life cycles or trends.

Can AI Transformation happen without replacing current employees?

Yes, AI Transformation is designed to augment human capabilities rather than replace the individuals themselves. The goal is to automate mundane, repetitive tasks to free up personnel for high-level strategic and creative endeavors. This shift allows the existing workforce to deliver significantly more value to the organization and its customers.

What are the primary risks of ignoring the human element in tech adoption?

Ignoring the human element leads to fragmented data silos, low morale, and the proliferation of "Shadow AI" across the company. When employees feel excluded from the transformation process, they may use unvetted tools that compromise security. This creates significant legal, ethical, and operational risks for the entire enterprise.

How do you measure the success of a human-centric AI strategy?

Success is measured through a combination of efficiency metrics, employee engagement scores, and the "Information Gain" of output. Organizations should track how much time is saved on administrative tasks and whether that time is being reinvested into innovation. High adoption rates across all departments indicate a successful cultural integration.

Which industries benefit most from a people-centric AI Transformation?

While every sector benefits, knowledge-heavy industries like SaaS, healthcare, and finance see the most immediate impact. These sectors rely on complex decision-making and relationship management, areas where human-machine collaboration is most potent. In these fields, AI handles data processing while humans focus on empathy and nuanced ethical judgment.

How should leadership communicate the transition to AI-integrated workflows?

Leadership must communicate with radical transparency, focusing on the specific ways technology will empower—not diminish—each role. Providing clear roadmaps for upskilling and career advancement helps demystify the technology. Consistent, two-way communication ensures that the workforce feels like active participants in the company’s evolution rather than victims of it.