CARING@Nagarro: Suman Jagga on being ‘Global’

CARING - being empathetic, respectful and non-judgmental - is a core value here at Nagarro. At the same time, it’s an acronym for six other core values⁠ - Client-centric, Agile, Responsible, Intelligent, Non-hierarchical, and Global⁠ - that are part of our org DNA and reflect our unique culture. After interviewing Nagarrians from around the world to understand their perspectives about these values, I created a series of blog posts, with each post focusing on one of our core values. Here’s the sixth blog from the CARING series, ‘G for Global’.

Our colleague Suman Jagga recently joined me for a walk during which we had a nice chat about the value of being Global. She is originally from India but has now found a new home in Vienna, Austria. As Suman says, “Nagarrians feel at home everywhere”, so it was perfectly fitting that she reflects on our global value.

Suman has been with Nagarro for 13 years now. During this period, she has moved from being a trainee to the hybrid role of a Scrum Master and Solution Manager. Today, she works with one of our largest clients in Austria. Suman describes Nagarro as “a small world where we get our own space” because she enjoys the freedom and opportunities of working in a global community, and stresses that this cannot be taken for granted. I enjoyed every moment of our conversation and, as a matter of fact, felt like spending a couple of months in every Nagarro office! 😉

[Sabrina Floh] I realize that it’s already been 13 years, but do you remember why you decided to join Nagarro?

[Suman Jagga] That’s a good question. I had already received a job offer from another big name in the IT market, so I was unsure when I got the offer from Nagarro. However, not once have I ever regretted my decision to become part of this unstoppable organization. I have worked with a wide variety of clients from multiple locations and this has always kept my mind fresh, because I have learned a great deal about how different people work.

Looking at our core values: what do you associate with the value ‘Global’?

In terms of technical programming, ‘global’ is a special word. In this context, global means remaining visible throughout a system. In the same manner, global values reach across the cultural, religious, and political boundaries that unite all of us in this new world. Together, we begin to see similarities rather than differences. We view each other as one team with the same goal of seeking win-win solutions. Working in an organization with one global value grants us distinct opportunities to develop relationships outside of our own world. Understanding and empowering each other through our respective roles can be a transformative experience, as we learn to see ourselves as part of a greater global community.

And why do you especially like this value?

What I appreciate most about this value is that employees are given a unique opportunity to work outside of their comfort zone and expand their abilities to communicate with people from different cultures. It is a promising paradigm for this new emerging world.

In a few words, what is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about the term ‘Global’?

My first thought is “cultural diversity” in every sense.

And the second one?

Global thinking is a complete package: unity, empowerment, integrity, sustainability, and creativity are all terms that immediately come to mind in this context.

Looking back on your professional career, can you recall the first time when you encountered being ‘Global’?

At the beginning of my career, I worked for a US customer for the first time. Having meetings and communications in English was not an easy task in those days, but the more we spoke, the easier it became to break the ice. However, the real exposure for me was when I visited Austria for the first time - a different country with a completely different language! I travelled to Vienna in 2013 for about three weeks, and I returned home carrying so many different experiences and impressions. The direct contact with colleagues, the culture, the language: all these aspects have broadened my global mindset. Over the last couple of years, client interactions have become a cakewalk. One could say that my professional career has gone ‘global’ rather quickly.

In addition to your professional career, has this value influenced your private life?

Yes, certainly. The three weeks I spent in Austria allowed me to understand and love the country and its people. These experiences became the reasons behind my decision to move to Austria as an expat. Today, I can proudly say that I call a foreign country my home and can communicate comfortably with people here. In the meantime, I have also learned German, which shows that this value’s influence exceeded my expectations.

By now, you know the interaction between the Austrian and Indian cultures very well. What advantages do you see in a company like Nagarro, with more than one culture?

I would say, we feel at home everywhere. One is always welcomed with open arms and can quickly find or make friends among colleagues from any location. I would say home is where the heart feels good.

Besides, we have become fearless and more confident, as we stand together as one global community. It’s like we have our own small world, where diversity and acceptance towards each other are celebrated. In my opinion, this is what defines a global mindset.

Do you see other areas where this value can be found?

Yes, I also see the value ‘Global’ reflected in the common business goals of the company. This definitely causes a ripple effect that begins with a team and makes its way to each and every employee. In addition to this, the day-to-day interaction on our intranet platform (Yammer) is a fantastic way to learn about projects that our colleagues are working on around the globe. Yammer offers us the opportunity to stay updated with each other, exchange questions and answers, and meet new Nagarrians, regardless of their location. This is truly global thinking!

Can you recall a situation at Nagarro through which this value can be made more tangible to others?

I can tell you a story about our AYCM (All You Can Meet) event in Austria. As you know, this event takes place once every quarter at each of our locations. Nagarrians get the latest company news, meet new employees and have an opportunity to exchange thoughts and experiences. The latest AYCM was held entirely in English to accommodate a few folks who didn´t understand German. The team supported this decision and put in a lot of work and effort into changing the presentation to English. Isn’t this a great example of being a truly global company?

As an employee, how do you experience or live globally at Nagarro?

I experience the global value in so many ways. It can be something like learning and trying new languages, including brushing up on my English skills. By meeting our colleagues from different parts of the world, we can learn and adopt great ideas by learning about their work culture. As I said earlier, connecting with our colleagues from other countries through different platforms gives us a truly global experience.

How do clients benefit from this value?

I think there are several ways where Nagarro's clients benefit from our ‘Global’ value. For instance, many clients have told me that they appreciate having a local, single point-of-contact available, who speaks their language. Additionally, we can coordinate any client request with a global workforce behind us. In this way, we have complete access to Nagarro's ‘mind hive’. This ability to easily communicate with each other helps us to quickly solve very basic problems as well. For example, it is always helpful that we can reach out to our global community for inputs about local regulations and laws.

Do you also think that our customers notice that we practice and thrive under this ‘Global’ way of working?

Definitely! Customers appreciate the global aptitude of Nagarrians immensely. This appreciation is reflected on a daily basis. As a tech company working on a global scale, we can come together with our customers through our similar yet hybrid work culture. This collaboration is smoother and removes the tradeoff that many customers experience when working with a vendor that is not local.

I once had a customer ask if he could join us at Nagarro because he truly admired the global culture we practice. Need I to say more? 😊

This sums up another talk around our CARING values. Check out this cool video where other Nagarrians reflect on this core value:

You can view the previous blogs from our CARING series here: C for Client-centric, A for Agile, R for responsible, I for Intelligent, and N for Non-hierarchical. The next and last blog in the CARING series will sum up all our core values. Keep checking our blog page!