VATech Wabag

VA Tech Wabag,an Indian MNCA and an industry leader in total water management had a
unique growth story.

It offered a wide range of solutions in the B2B space on water conservation,
optimization, recycling, and reuse, and
aspired to address water challenges worldwide. It had seen consistent growth in its
revenues, from less
than USD 150,000 when it started in 1996-1997 to USD 135 million (Mn) in 2010-2011,
when it got listed in the Indian
Stock Exchanges, and on to USD 335.6 Mn in 2019-2020. It had acquired and executed
large challenging projects such as that with Reliance Petroleum, a project for
Chennai Metro to name a few. It had acquired prestigious
clients across three continents, including the water authority from top metros in
India, South and Southeast Asia,
the Middle and Far East, Europe, North Africa, and sub-Saharan regions. The
company’s clientele also included oil
majors like Reliance, IOCL, and ONGC from India, Aramco from Saudi etc.
NEXT SLIDE
Let us know a bit about strengths-based development before we proceed further.
According to Gallup which is a management consultancy firm determined strenths (the

ability to deliver consistent, near-perfect performance in a specific task) as a
product of talent ( a natural way of thinking, feeling or behaving) and investment
(time spent practicing, developing skills and building a knowledge base)
This approach focused on identifying and investing in individuals’ natural

talents and was contingent on individuals identifying their unique strengths,
ranked in 34 themes (Exhibits
1 and 2). Gallup Organizations created CliftonStrengths, an instrument that
unveiled an individual’s natural themes which held the maximum potential to
succeed. Gallup3 survey found that individuals who knew
and leveraged their strengths were happier, healthier, more engaged, and productive
at work. Among 34 possible
themes, the top five were termed as “signature themes”, unique to an individual and
were fairly
consistent throughout the individual’s life.
The assessment to evaluate strengths was based on 177 questions administered online
through the Gallup site and The assessment
report called out the top five strengths (signature theme report) and suggested
methods to set and achieve goals.
Therefore, it allowed individuals to leverage their strengths and direct themselves
to achieve the desired behaviors and outcomes critical to them.
NEXT SLIDE
The company like many others adopted the competency-based approach to baselining
selection criteria and performance in roles,
using a competency framework and used it to link core activities within a job using
language to communicate the competencies,6 knowledge, skills, abilities, and
behavioral themes required to perform the activities.
Organizations used competency frameworks to generate required standards of

behaviors that aligned with their
mission, vision, and values for each job. The complexity of the scope of the
competency could increase as employees
moved higher up within the organization. For instance, collaboration may be defined
as a competency for an
individual contributor. At the same time, the enhanced requirement for people
managers and functional and
business leaders could translate to building partnerships, strategic work
relationships, and finally, networks. Hence,
the use of competency frameworks and assessment of competency could also be
incorporated into promotion
decisions.
This framework was also referenced during recruitment decisions to assess the
applicant’s role fit.
NEXT SLIDE
Like other organizations, the learning departments within VA Tech Wabag initiated
the individual and organizational
learning programs from the TNA, which formed part of the annual appraisal document.
The competency gap at the
individual, team, or organizational level, in many instances, led to specific
training interventions, which focused on
enhancing the level of competency.
Arguing against this approach, the trainer this time suggested a strengths based
training considering the fact that effective leaders leveraged what was innate
within them
LOOK in PPT for next point (post which next slide- in PPT itself)
Mittal was the head of the Indian operations of Wabag, originally a European
company founded in 1924.
As the person heading India operations for 10 years since 1995, Mittal had
envisioned a specific cultural and strategic
roadmap for the business. He soon realized that most of the prospective bidders
would not align with the vision he
had created for the company. The conventional options for Mittal were either to
serve the new management or to
quit the organization. However, he opted for the uncommon option of a management
buyout (MBO)(A management buyout (MBO) is a transaction in which a company’s
management team purchases the assets and operations of the business
they manage). With his top
three strengths, Focus (single-minded perseverance of a goal), Competition (desire
to win), and Self-Assurance (deep
belief in one’s abilities), Mittal believed in the vision he had for the company
and his ability to navigate the company
to achieve it. He saw this divesture as an opportunity and obtained 75% financial
support from ICICI Ventures to
fund the buyout. Along with his investment, he also convinced the management team
to fund the balance equity.
Within 2 years of the bold step of an MBO, in 2007, Wabag Global wanted to sell the
entire Wabag group of
companies worldwide. Mittal again saw this as an opportunity to build an Indian
multinational company.
Mittal’s natural strengths influenced the entire management philosophy at Wabag. As
a Maximizer (drives personal
and group excellence), Mittal ensured his organization stayed true to its domain of
pure-play water
management and technology company. Mittal’s Competition strength made him focus on
sectors where they had a
competitive advantage. Keeping the company agile and scalable, and ensuring high-
quality standards,
As a Relator (ability to build authentic relationships), Mittal always had his ears
to the ground, and he maintained a
close relationship with his team members and their families.
Over time, leading from the front, he transformed the company from being an Indian
subsidiary of a European
company to a true Indian multinational.
Next Slide
Look in PPT for a few points
He leveraged his strength of Connectedness (build bridges connecting individuals

for a common goal) and launched a common ERP project globally. His
Individualization strength (ability to understand unique qualities of people)
enabled SV to observe the unique characteristics across the diverse and
multi-cultural talent, understand preferences and apprehensions, and identify
avenues of collaboration and conflict.
SV felt his Arranger (ability to multi-task) strength was the key enabler of his
success in managing multiple roles. Being Futuristic (ability to vividly imagine an
optimistic future) he was able to ideate the vision for the company, energize the
organization and support its growth from USD 27 Mn to an announced target of USD
135
Mn in 5 years.
NEXT Slide
Shelley, a mechanical engineer was asked to lead the ERP (enterprise resource
planning)
implementation of a complex project. Even with no prior experience in this domain,
being an Activator (ability to
launch initiatives), Shelley jumped at the opportunity.
He used his Communication strength to engage in deep conversation with people

helping them express themselves freely which in turn enabled Shelly to learn more
about ERP. Using his innate communicating abilities, he overcame the resistance to
accept the
new business processes, even though he could not communicate in their native
language. As an Includer, by
increasing participation, information sharing, and inviting suggestions, he helped
the teams feel essential and
connected to the larger organizational goal.
Shelley’s Focus strength helped him prioritize and kept him single-minded on the
goal, and as an Arranger, Shelley could orchestrate the exercise across multiple
regions, through multiple
stakeholders who knew much more on the subject than he did. After successfully
implementing the ERP in 2 years,
in 2010, he was asked to take on the challenge of growing the Philippines market,
which had seen stagnant. Shelley despite the challenges, grew the business in the
Philippines market to over USD 13.5 Mn in 5 years with a healthy
bottom line from a zero base.
LOOK in PPT for next slide
Articulate how the strengths initiative is connected to the organization's identity

(purpose, brand, culture).
Think about the people they are talking to at any given time and consider how their
talent DNA is at work.
Openly share their own strengths with others and communicate how they use them.
Communicate how applying the strengths of each person will enable their company to
achieve its purpose and business objectives.
Create an ongoing plan for incorporating strengths for new team members.
Give employees tools and resources to understand how to embed strengths into their
specific roles and everyday behaviors.
Mindful of their own talents and assume responsibility for developing them.
Understanding and appreciative of their employees' strengths and capable of using
and communicating that information to set up each person for success.
Make regular adjustments to align work with team members' strengths, when possible.
Align internal and external messaging on the "why" and "how" behind the importance
of strengths.
Audit all internal programs and identify improvement opportunities to transform it

into a strengths-based approach.
And lastly Incorporate strengths into the employment brand, which will help
attract job candidates who are the ideal "culture fit."

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VA Tech Wabag,an Indian MNCA and an industry leader in total water management had a

unique growth story.

Let us know a bit about strengths-based development before we proceed further.

According to Gallup which is a management consultancy firm determined strenths (the

This approach focused on identifying and investing in individuals’ natural

Organizations used competency frameworks to generate required standards of

He leveraged his strength of Connectedness (build bridges connecting individuals

He used his Communication strength to engage in deep conversation with people

LOOK in PPT for next slide

Articulate how the strengths initiative is connected to the organization's identity

Audit all internal programs and identify improvement opportunities to transform it

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