Sanjay Dhar, Chief General Manager (HR-L&D), SAIL speaks to India Employer Forum about industry 4.0, artificial intelligence, productivity, diversity, inclusion and more.
He said, “When you look at productivity, it is a function of technology and capability, and the synergy between them. Neither can work in isolation. So the real challenge is: how do we work on building capability, and how do we work on adopting technology, and more importantly, how do we build the capability to leverage new technologies effectively? This applies to every new technology that comes our way. What we’ve observed is that when it comes to capability and application of technology, people need to have a strong understanding of why something must be done in a particular way; that’s the “know-why” part. This forms the root of innovation and is critical for discovering the next big productivity gain. But beyond just understanding the theory or having a cognitive experience, one must be able to translate that into real-world skills, that’s the “know-how,” which includes knowing what to do, and when to do it.”
Speaking about gender diversity in the manufacturing sector he said, “The basic demographics of the country demand that we open up more sectors to women. Today, more women are educated, skilled, and aspirational. They are knocking at our doors so to say that they should limit themselves to a particular niche is not fair. It’s not just unfair to them, but also detrimental to the overall productivity of the nation. We’re essentially losing out on national productivity, and that’s not good for the industry either. The industry needs talent, and that talent can be of any gender. Nowadays, it’s not just engineering students. There are many girls who are doing ITI and diploma courses. These women will join the workforce, and they have grown up in an environment where they don’t carry many inhibitions. They are quite ready for the industry.
The real challenge arises when they actually enter the workforce. They have certain preferences, and often, they are nudged toward certain industries and away from others, particularly core and heavy industries like steel. But even so, we are seeing progress. Currently, more than 8% of our workforce comprises women, and we’re aiming to increase that to over 16–17% in the near future, maybe even 25%. We are trying to ramp it up steadily.”
This episode of IEF Samvaad was moderated by Subburathinam P, COO, TeamLease Staffing Services.
TeamLease serves as the knowledge partner, contributing their expertise, insights, resources, and research findings while actively supporting IEF’s events, webinars, and other initiatives.
Watch the full interview: In Conversation with Sanjay Dhar | Chief General Manager (HR-L&D), SAIL
About Sanjay Dhar
Sanjay Dhar serves as the Chief General Manager (HR-L&D) at SAIL and heads the Management Training Institute — the corporate Learning & Development Centre of the Maharatna PSU. With over 27 years of experience as a passionate learning evangelist, trainer, and innovator, he has played a pivotal role in shaping the learning culture at SAIL. His contributions span across aligning L&D initiatives with organizational performance, institutionalizing leadership development frameworks, driving knowledge management strategies, and embedding performance consulting practices. Under his leadership, SAIL has strengthened its position as a learning-driven organization, with robust systems that support continuous development and facilitate large-scale organizational change management initiatives. You can connect with Sanjay Dhar here
Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed in this article, including any accompanying data, are the sole responsibility of the author and should not be construed as reflecting the official policy or position of India Employer Forum.
