As organisations navigate geopolitical uncertainty, rapid advances in AI and a shifting talent landscape, building an enterprise that lasts requires more than investment in technology. It calls for leaders who can adapt as fast as the environment around them and build a culture in which people are ready to change.
In this conversation with People Matters, Kapil Mahajan, Group CHRO, Aequs, shares his perspective on the forces reshaping organisations, how humans and technology are co-creating outcomes in precision manufacturing, and where the real gap in transformation lies.
He also discusses how Aequs builds talent through its buy and make models, the culture pillars of clarity, empower and care, and why adaptive foresight is the leadership capability he believes will matter most.
Some responses have been edited for readability and flow.
Q. What do you see as the biggest forces reshaping organisations today, and what challenges are they creating for leaders like you?
I see three forces shaping and reshaping business models that are very high priority.
The first is geopolitical uncertainty across the world. Physical boundaries are no longer very relevant to operations, which is giving organisations a lot of options to relook at the way they define their geographic boundaries and the markets they operate in.
The second is the digital landscape, which is knocking on every single industry right now. With the entry of AI and machine learning, and the way generative AI is knocking at the door, the entire industrial transformation has taken a very different perspective. That is helping many organisations rethink their business models.
The third and most critical is talent liquidity. All the traditional talent roles today are diluting. Organisations are creating a culture where people are more adaptive rather than getting aged into one set of competencies and skills. Rather than having a few specialists or subject matter experts on a couple of skills, we ensure those skills are distributed equally within the organisation, so that you have more predictability when you need talent to grow together.
Uncertainty is becoming the norm, and organisations have started looking at it as part of the process. Leaders have started looking at job crafting as one way to make jobs more meaningful and empowering. Every leader is looking at how to remain relevant by adapting to these changes, not as a resistance but as an opportunity to rephrase the entire business model.
Q. As technology changes how work gets done, how do you see the relationship between technology and human capability evolving over the next two years?
There are two sides to this. Some organisations are still waiting to evaluate whether technology is making a difference to the current business model. Another set has started looking at technology as a co-pilot to human capabilities, not only as an enabler but as something that enhances human contribution.
As an organisation, we are continuously understanding which jobs, activities, and tasks are largely repetitive, have chances of error and can be automated. If we put technology into these activities, we ensure sustainable, error-free outcomes, and human capability is spared from repetitive tasks. It can be invested in far more critical areas of innovation and creativity.
We are not in the category where humans simply use technology. We are an organisation where humans and technology are co-creating the outcomes. For us, technology adoption is a competitive advantage because it helps us scale in the least possible time and gives us very predictable outcomes.
Q. How ready are organisations today across people, processes and technology, and where do you see the biggest gap?
Organisations are investing very aggressively in technology, and I see that as a very positive sign. The challenge is processes. When you adopt technology to change processes that have been legacy for a long time, processes and workflows become a constraint on smooth adoption. A lot of work is needed to bring people into the conversation, so they understand that the processes and workflows that brought us here will not take us there. It is important to reflect on what can be changed, what can be continued and what needs to be stopped.
On people, I don’t see the biggest gap. The only challenge is in multi-generational organisations, where there is a greater need to address anxiety, to set an adaptive mindset towards the newness technology is bringing, and to invest in acquiring skills so that humans can work very closely with machines.
How your culture enables a spirit of collaboration is very important. A culture that supports individual outcomes largely creates conflict with collaborative outcomes. I call the spirit of collaboration “micro moments of care”. If your culture has those and you bring them into your culture, integration, technology, processes, and people can live in harmony and deliver better outcomes than they would in isolation.
So if you ask me where the larger gap is: transformations fail, even those started with a lot of fanfare and commitment, not because the intent was wrong but because the culture could not bring the glue between technology, processes and people. It is not one individual’s or function’s responsibility. It needs to be driven by every colleague, so that each contribution has a compounding impact on collaboration.
Q. As you scale your presence in aerospace and precision manufacturing, how are you building the talent, capabilities and culture needed for the next phase of growth?
We focus on two larger concepts: capacity building and capability building. Our culture must have an element of striving. Striving is about helping people believe in the power of that vision and dedicate themselves to deliver it with the best of their ability.
We buy talent where we think it will take longer to prepare it, with a very specific skill that is critical at this juncture of the organisation. The make model is where we take young talent from academia, from ITIs and apprentices to postgraduates. By using make and buy, you keep creating a talent supply chain, so that as the organisation grows, you have a sustainable supply of desired talent.
We keep investing in people’s capabilities to manage and navigate uncertainties. We build their capabilities in digital understanding and adoption, and train them on IoT and digital manufacturing processes. We also keep investing in future engineering capabilities because, being a precision manufacturing organisation, our core strength is all about engineering.
Our culture is supported by three strong pillars. The first is clarity: create clarity, seek clarity and ensure that everybody has clarity. The second is empower: ensure that everybody is empowered to make decisions and make them right, and has everything required to deliver the outcomes. The third is care: when you have clarity and empowerment, everyone in the organisation is equally cared for. Our three values, transparency, respect and trust, are the core ingredients of our culture.
We very strongly believe that technology is an enabler, but the experience has always been human. How your culture drives the human experience is what Aequs has always focused on.
Q. As you look ahead, what is the one leadership capability that will matter most in building a future-ready organisation?
For every leader building an organisation at this time, it is very important how adaptive they are to the changes happening, and how well they can visualise what can go wrong in the process. Then they need to build adaptability and flexibility in the organisation, so that when we want to make a directional change, we don’t meet resistance. Adaptive foresight is something leaders must develop these days.
When you are building an organisation, you are not building it for today. You must have a long-term view, building an organisation beyond your own age.
That visualisation beyond what is visible to people today is very critical for leadership. So is how you bring that visibility into the organisation and help it continuously keep preparing and looking for redirection. That is where leadership impact creates value for the organisation.
Q. Any last thoughts on how leaders should act in the future in terms of building a future-ready enterprise?
This is an amazing time for the country. There is no dearth of capability and no dearth of intent. What is important today is that every colleague comes together and starts doing their best version every day.
Leaders must not only inspire but keep creating that ecosystem of clarity, empowerment, and care, so that every individual who looks to add value every day can do their best.
I am very excited for the country and for the manufacturing landscape. Aequs is adding value to nation-building and giving global OEMs like Airbus and Boeing the confidence to keep investing in and trusting India.
