Tata Consultancy Services (TCS): Talent Acquisition and Development in China By Wee Beng Geok & Ivy Buche

Abstract

Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS), India's largest IT service provider reached a major milestone when manpower strength crossed the 100,000 employees mark in October 2007. In an industry heavily reliant on low wage software engineering talent, TCS had been highly successful in ramping up its workforce to match the soaring growth momentum in the industry over the last decade.

The lynchpin of TCS' success in growing its workforce was a talent acquisition and development programme centred on the recruitment and systematic development of engineers, mainly graduates from top universities in India, who formed the backbone of its IT consultancy and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) services across the globe.

TCS established operations in China in 2002, following its multinational clients which had set up operations there. By February 2007, TCS China employed nearly 800 consultants and served more than 25 clients in the Asia Pacific region.

In tandem with China's growth momentum and TCS' "near market" strategy, the company's goal was to build its China operations into the second global delivery centre after India. It needed to increase its Chinese workforce strength from 800 to 6,000 by 2010/11. Given the tight supply of IT talent in China, in April 2008, TCS faced major challenges in talent acquisition and development.

What must the company do to meet its manpower target for 2010/11? Could its highly successful software engineer development model in India be transplanted to China? What would TCS need to do to attract top Chinese engineering graduates and professionals to join the company?

Issues: Building competitive advantage through people, Talent acquisition in a new market.

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