Pros

The work culture is excellent. People are relatively more courteous than at other firms. The work load is quite low and hence work-life balance should not be an issue. Depending on the group, you can have enough exposure to the latest technologies.

Cons

Highly political environment in India. Senior management in India has absolutely no competence - technical or managerial. They are rooted in conventional thoughts and do not dare to take bold steps to revitalize the organization. Promotions are based on politics and I have seen some people rise really fast just by playing politics. The senior mgmt functions like a government organization. I have never seen the managers do anything more than using a spreadsheet for assigning people to projects. Any efforts to improve technical competence are very shallow and fizzle out quickly. These efforts are normally taken only to include them in slides that are presented to the management in the US.

The work load is so low that people waste a lot of time. A single visit to the cafeteria at any time of the day should be sufficient to illustrate it. Over a period of time, individuals lose their ability to be sharp and intelligent and to work hard. When they move to other firms, they may find it difficult to survive.

The compensation is low, especially at lower employee levels. The mgmt doesn't show any interest in junior employees and it treats them like non-living things.

If you are from a good school and you are above average talent, this is definitely not the place for your first job. You can join Motorola India when you feel like retiring.

Advice to Senior Management

Please make the environment more meritocratic. Please realize that there are some really talented people below you in the organization and so give them a chance to take on critical roles. If you are not interested in work, my sincere advice would be for you to leave. The management in the US has to play a more proactive role in measuring the performance of offshore centers like those in India and appropriately take actions. Groups that perform well should be given due importance, more control, and competitive compensation. All employees should be provided challenging work and should be pushed harder. Cut down the flab and keep a nimble organization. Instead of hiring 100 mediocre people, hire 20 good talent. This will be both more productive and ensure lower costs. Junior employees should get the right first impression. This can happen by challenging work and adequate compensation. If you want to be a leading handset/network equipment company, stop comparing yourself with Wipro, TCS, and Infosys and start benchmarking with Google or Microsoft.