THE TATA GROUP

THE TATA GROUP:
From Torchbearers to Trailblazers

Tatas. A name synonymous with Indian industry for 150 years. A name near-ubiquitous in the life of an average Indian. A name associated with salt to software, cars to communications, power to pesticides, tea to trucks, housing to hospitality, steel and gold. With over 100 companies offering products and services across 150 countries, 700,000 employees contributing a revenue of US$100-billion, the US$145-billion Tata Group is India’s largest and most globalised business conglomerate. How did they come so far? What did they do that others did not? How did they groom leadership, delight customers, ignite innovation, drive business excellence, and acquire global corporations? Above all, how did they maintain a brand and corporate values that are considered a gold standard in India Inc.? All of these and more give you a rare glimpse on what is ‘The Tata Way of Business’.

To unravel the Tata principles of business, their success strategies and contribution to nation building is to understand the struggle and potential, adventure and achievements of business in India over two centuries. From colonial rule to independence; and from License Raj to the dawn of a new millennium of globalisation – the Tata Saga has been nonpareil – deeply interwoven with the destiny of a resurgent nation. It encompasses the stupendous role of visionaries such as Jamsetji and Dorabji Tata, and doyens such as JRD and Ratan Tata in building iconic institutions – commercial, social and educational, that have played a role extraordinaire in the making of a self-reliant India.

A deep-dive into the Tata universe brings forth hitherto lesser-known facts and insights that have sublimely influenced the world of business. Did you know that:
- Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was a union leader at Tata Steel and Mahatma Gandhi worked towards industrial harmony at Tatas that has lasted 90 years?
- Foremost group companies like TCS, Tata Steel, Tata Motors, and Titan were advised to close-down their businesses at some time of their existence?
- Post-liberalisation, Tatas created greater shareholder wealth than even Berkshire Hathaway and leading multinationals like Siemens, Mitsubishi and GE?

It also brings you face-to-face with business decisions and outcomes that are most intriguing:
- Why wasn’t Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) listed during the IT-boom?
- How did Tata Motors turnaround Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) when Ford Motor Company failed to do so?
- Why did employees of Taj Hotel Mumbai shield their guests from terrorists’ bullets?
- How did three successive central governments stall Tatas’ entry into the aviation sector?
- Why wasn’t the Corus Steel acquisition successful?
- How did Chief Minister Narendra Modi help Tatas in their journey from Singur to Sanand?

This definitive book tells you such riveting tales and insider accounts of adventure and achievement, conflict and compassion, perseverance and performance across leading group companies including TCS, Tata Steel, Taj Hotels, Tata Motors, Titan, Tata Chemicals, Voltas, Tata Global Beverages, JLR, Tetley, Daewoo and a score more. With over a decade of rigorous research, personal interviews with nearly hundred CXOs and senior leaders across dozens of Tata companies, pan-India site visits and study of archival records, this book decodes tenets of business - The Tata Way. It’s an exceptional blend of a business biography, a leadership handbook and a management classic. If there was one book you had to read about the Tata Group, this would be it.