On JRD Tata's 120th birth anniversary, Harish Bhat & R Gopalakrishnan launch new book on 8 core principles at the heart of Tata Group

JRD Tata 120th birth anniversary: Statue of Jamsetji Tata holding a model of his first greenfield industrial venture: Empress Mills in Nagpur; and the bust of JRD Tata in the foyer of Bombay House. (Photos by Harish Bhat)

"JRD Tata is well known as an iconic business leader and an aviator.  However, in his role as Chairman of Tata Sons, he constantly faced dilemmas which tested the principles that he held close to his heart," says Harish Bhat, former brand custodian of the Tata Group and now a Tata Sons adviser and non-executive member on the boards of Tata Starbucks, Trent and Infiniti Retail (Croma).

July 29 marks JRD Tata's 120th birth anniversary. In an email interview from Bengaluru, Bhat spoke about the legacy of Jamsetji Tata and JRD Tata, and dedicating his new book to Bombay House, which completes 100 years this year. Read on:

Your new book, 'Jamsetji Tata: Powerful Learnings for Corporate Success', is dedicated to Bombay House, which completes 100 years this year. Could you tell us about its significance today?

Bombay House is the global headquarters of the Tata group.  Yes, this iconic building celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.  The construction of Bombay House was completed in July 1924.  It came up on a plot of land measuring 21,273 square feet, and it was designed by the Scottish architect George Wittet – who, incidentally, also designed the Gateway of India.  Initially, Bombay House was headquarters to four major businesses of the Tata group at that time – textiles, hotels, steel and power.  This was under the leadership of Dorabji Tata, the elder son of Jamsetji Tata, who was then the Chairman of the Tata group.  It is also noteworthy that the building was named “Bombay House” and not “Tata House”.

Bombay House is today a youthful and vibrant heritage building, that integrates heritage, technology and agile spaces. What is remarkable about this stately building is that it is a temple of the Tata group, the place where the philosophy of Jamsetji Tata has been nurtured by the leadership of the Group over many generations.  Some of the finest corporate leaders of India – including J.R.D. Tata, Naval Tata, Ratan Tata, Dr. John Mathai, Nani Palkhivala, Sumant Moolgaokar, Darbari Seth, Russi Modi, Jamshed Irani, R.K. Krishna Kumar – they have all worked in this building over the decades. So many historic decisions that have shaped Indian industry have been taken within Bombay House. Indeed, some of the very interesting stories in this book are based on events that have happened in Bombay House.

Cover of 'Jamsetji Tata: Powerful Learnings for Corporate Success' by R. Gopalakrishnan and Harish Bhat (Image courtesy Penguin Random House)

Why did you choose to write a book on Jamsetji Tata, when there are already published biographies about him?

Let me begin by clarifying that this book is not a biography of Jamsetji Tata.  On the other hand, this new book is about Jamsetji Tata’s ideas, and how these ideas have guided the Tata group for over 150 years now.

You know, it is rare for a business to begin with a simple powerful philosophy. It is much rarer to be able to perpetuate that philosophy over six generations with fidelity. So, how did this magic happen?  What are these powerful ideas which have enabled the Tata group to be one of the most consistently successful business Institutions in India for several decades now?  And what lessons can today’s managers, entrepreneurs and students of business take away from this fascinating journey of an iconic Indian Institution?  This book attempts to answer these questions.  I would venture to say, if you are looking for an MBA in leadership wisdom packaged into a single, easily readable book, this is that book.

You’ve woven anecdotes into the book to illustrate the eight core Tata principles. If you could share one or two of these principles and a couple of anecdotes?

Yes, this book illustrates eight core Tata principles which have guided the Group over the past 150 years – the overall Philosophy, Purpose, Pioneering, People, Progress, Persistence, Principles and using Profits with responsibility.

Let me talk about Purpose.  The core purpose of the Tata group has always been around nation building, about contributing to the communities that it is part of.  One of the beautiful anecdotes that we have narrated in the book is about why Sumant Moolgaokar, the man who led Tata Motors for several years, insisted on building a huge lake next to a new factory in Pune.  This was in the 1960s. Moolgaokar was determined to create a world-class manufacturing facility that India could be proud of. However, he also felt that the unit should give back to the environment. So he planted 2.5 lakhs trees within the factory campus, and then also created a large lake capable of holding 60 million gallons of water. This lake has today become the best bird sanctuary in the Pune region. It is a haven for 150 species of birds today. This man-made wetland has also supplied thousands of fruit trees to surrounding villages. At that time, Moolgaokar was criticised for spending Rs 15 lakhs to create this lake. But he stood firm, because he was adamant that the factory should give back as much as it could to the community, which is the driving purpose of the Tata group.

Sumant Moolgaokar

Let me also talk about another principle, People. Building strong professional leadership has been at the heart of the Tata group’s success. In a very interesting and little known story, we narrate how Jamsetji Tata built a remarkable leadership team way back in the 1890s.  Have you heard the names of Bezonji Mehta, Burjorji Padshah or Charles Page Perin, who worked closely with Jamsetji?  You will read about them in this story.  Jamsetji Tata was his own Chief Human Resources Officer, and the manner in which he put his core team together holds many lessons for us even today.

The book is releasing on JRD Tata's 120th birth anniversary, on July 29, 2024. As you mention in the introduction, much has been written about the Tata family in books and articles that are typically released on similar occasions. Are there still some things about Jamsetji and JRD Tata that you feel are less known or less understood?

Jamsetji Tata was a very persistent man. While he is known as a visionary and a nation builder, what is perhaps not known as well is his great persistence in driving initiatives which he thought were very important.  Some of his key projects, such as Tata Steel and the Indian Institute of Science, took a couple of decades or more to come to fruition. Along the way, there were multiple challenges, not to mention scepticism and resistance from the then British Government of India. Yet Jamsetji persisted and persisted, and he made these ventures happen. Some of the stories in this book contain invaluable lessons about his persistence.

JRD Tata is well known as an iconic business leader and an aviator. However, in his role as Chairman of Tata Sons, he constantly faced dilemmas which tested the principles that he held close to his heart. In a couple of very interesting stories in this book, we narrate these dilemmas and the thoughtful choices that JRD arrived at. Equally importantly, we try to take you through why he made these choices.  There are learnings here for each of us.

Jamsetji Tata

The chapter on Perspectives is quite fun. What was the idea behind it, and why did you want to include a fictional, intergenerational conversation in this book about core principles?

The chapter titled “Perspectives” is quite unusual, I agree.  This chapter has been conceived and written by my co-author, R. Gopalakrishnan.  It imagines a fictional panel discussion amongst four former Chairmen of the Tata group – the founder Jamsetji Tata, Dorabji Tata, Nowroji Saklatwala and J.R.D. Tata. It is a very enjoyable conversation where these four Chairmen meet in today’s day and age. The location is not indicated, but I would imagine it to be on the fourth floor of Bombay House – which is where the offices of the Chairman of the Tata group are located.  They discuss how the Group has progressed, and why it has shown such great resilience over the years.

I think that sometimes fiction is required to bring out great truths. That is why some of the greatest life truths are contained in books of literary fiction. Perhaps that is the reason for this chapter too. I also believe that this fictional conversation can make for a great piece of engrossing theatre.  Is someone listening?

The chapter on Perspectives covers over 120 years from 1868 to 1991. If were you to make a further leap, how do you think the over-150-year-old Tata principles can connect with / be useful to Gen Z and Gen Alpha which should start entering the workforce in five or six years?

Young people increasingly want to work in a corporation that does good to the planet and its people.  They wish to be part of Organisations which have a sense of purpose.  The “why” of the Company is more important to them than the “what” and the “how”. I have come across multiple research studies which testify to this.  Therefore, I think the eight principles of the Tata group which this book talks about will appeal greatly to youngsters who belong to Gen Z and Gen Alpha.  This book is for all age-groups.  The essays and stories in this book are short and simple, yet deep and powerful.  They will appeal to one and all.