Abstract

Microsoft started its Indian operations in the year 1990 setting up Microsoft India Corporation (Pvt) Ltd in New Delhi. Later, Microsoft expanded its footprint in India by bringing all its six main units of business into the country. The headcount at Microsoft India Development Center (MSIDC) at Hyderabad grew from 20 in 1998 to more than 1,500 by the end of 2008, making it the company’s second biggest development center in the world. Microsoft India’s HR strategy was focused on building the organizational capability and strengthening employee engagement to leverage the limited human resources to achieve the company’s mission. According to Microsoft India’s HR growth model, HR was ultimately expected to be a change leader and busi-ness driver. Set in a context of a challenging global business environment, this case discusses the talent management and employee retention practices at Microsoft India, and its use of HR metrics to build accountability of the HR function toward business success.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• The HR function as a change leader and business driver
• Aligning local HR practices to the corporate mission and global/local business environment
• Talent management and employee retention in the Indian IT industry
• Managing knowledge workers and their work-life balance
• and HR metrics and Return on Investment (RoI).

Keywords

Human capital management, HCM, Employee Value Proposition, HR metrics, Best Companies to Work For in India, Microsoft India Development Center, MSIDC, Employee surveys, Learning and development, Succession planning, Recruitment and selection, Talent acquisition and development, Performance evaluation, Work-life balance, Workforce diversity, Mentoring, Attrition and retention, Information Technology, IT industry, Leadership development, Microsoft Global Technical Support Center, MSGTSC