Tata Chemicals is aggressively pursuing its journey to be a global player in chemicals and fertilisers. It has migrated from being a manufacturing company to a customer-centric organisation

Being a multi-locational, multi-product company, it is imperative to have an organisation building agenda to manage the present and future challenges before the organisation.

The HR team has evolved a human resources model for the company. This was brought about through an involved process wherein employees played an active role in developing it. The team documented the key change criteria based on the business imperatives, derived from internal and external environmental factors as well as the vision, mission and values of the company.

The team has also worked out an intervention plan for preparing the organisation to develop a climate of excellence centred around the dimensions of learning, achievement and collaboration.

Human Resources Management Model

The path of learning
Organisational learning has four distinct levels of progression: behavioural, functional, managerial and leadership, intrinsically linked to the requirements of the organisation and the parent group. The company uses this classification to customise its training.

Learning cycle


The cycle begins with 'need identification', an annual exercise where the learning needs of each employee are identified and classified. Interactions are then arranged between the concerned employees and trainers and resource persons in order to bring about the learning plan.

In 'live application', employees are encouraged to take up projects in their specific areas of work, corresponding to the concepts just acquired. This facilitates transfer of learning into action and helps in internalisation.

Trainees are then encouraged to document their experience of the learning process, which is shared with a larger group, according to its relevance. Functional learning is shared with the department or unit, whereas managerial learning is shared with a cross section of managers in the organisation.

In the 'upgradation phase', knowledge of existing practices is enhanced by putting new knowledge into practice.

Some initiatives in learning:

Management Development Programme
The MDP encompasses several behavioural, managerial and functional modules, and a special workshop on achievement motivation for a cross section of managers and senior managers from each division in the company. Participants work on a three-month live project which has an achievement theme. There are forums where these projects get public visibility and recognition, so that the employee knows that his shift in mindset has been noticed and appreciated by the management and his peers.

Competency building
A unique programme under way in TCL, this initiative is a structured intervention for building capabilities and competencies among the people handling the HR function. The group is taken through a series of courses, ranging from the basics of psychology, sociology and anthropology to HR systems, change management, group dynamics and process skills. Such focused competency building is intended to create well-rounded HR professionals who can contribute to the organisation-building agenda.

Himalayan trek
Each year, a group of employees from across TCL participates in a unique leadership-building exercise in collaboration with the Tata Steel Adventure Foundation. The programme is conducted under the guidance of Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to scale Mount Everest. Apart from the physical challenge, the exercise promotes mental and emotional learning, teamwork, collaboration and achievement, which enrich the abilities of the individual and the team.