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Mr Robert S. Kaplan, Marvin Bower Professor of Leadership Development, Harvard Business School. — G.R.N. Somashekar

Bangalore , Sept. 14

DR Robert Kaplan, creator of Balanced Scorecard, a widely used tool in strategy management, on Wednesday said that Indian IT companies should look at offering better customer solutions rather than just providing `low-cost options.'

He was talking to newspersons during his international workshop on `Competing in the Information Age: Using Balanced Scorecard for Competitive Advantage,' here on Wednesday. Having an office for strategy, aligning HR and IT to strategy and treating BSC as a tool for senior executive performance are some of best practices followed by companies who have successfully implemented the tool, he said.

The BSC, already used by 80 per cent of the Fortune 1000 companies, enables organisations to clarify their vision and strategy and translate them into action.

It encourages companies to create vision and strategy from four perspectives: financial, internal business processes, customer and learning and growth. Among Indian companies that have implemented the tool are Infosys, Cognizant Technology, companies of the Tata group and LMW. Mr Kaplan said that Tata Motors and Trent Ltd are now featured in the BSC Hall of Fame. In India, the BSC is administered and implemented by CustomerLab, a Balanced Scorecard Collaborative affiliate.

Balanced Scorecard

Balanced Scorecard and strategy management may soon become buzzwords in the country's power corridors. CustomerLab, a Balanced Scorecard Affiliate in the country, is in talks with the Government and PSUs to implement BSC among all Government departments.

Speaking to Business Line, Dr Muhamed Muneer, CEO and Chief Consultant, CustomerLab, said, "We have already spoken to the President and the Finance Minister. To start with, we want to try with the Planning Commission and then implement it in other departments."

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