As one of India’s top companies, Reliance Industries, gets ready to deliver its latest entity, the 4G services under the Jio brand, it has also brought with it a rather quiet, but telling transformation in the refining-to-retail group’s corporate culture.

For the top executives leading a 17,500-strong, full-time team, including chairman Mukesh Ambani, gone are the wood-panelled, plush rooms. Not even closed glass-door cubicles.

The top 70 leaders in the team, which includes his son Akash Ambani, daughter Isha Ambani and long-time associate and confidant Manoj Modi, are having to make do with a work station in an open office — a culture that started on Wednesday at the 7th Floor of what is called “PC 22 Building” of Reliance Corporate Park in Navi Mumbai.

This, officials at Reliance said, was a part of what Mukesh Ambani had told shareholders about the “Jio” project some months ago: “One of the largest transformational, green-field digital initiatives anywhere in the world.”

“No walls, no barricades,” is how the officials additionally described the office of Jio venture, touted as the largest start-up project in India with an investment of Rs.100,000 crore already deployed.

Image caption
RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani with son Akash Ambani and close associate Manoj Modi at Reliance Jio’s open office in Mumbai on November 4, 2015. The open office, which houses 70 of Jio’s top executives, including the chairman, became functional on Wednesday.

IANS