Ratan Tata Critical, Under Intensive Care In Mumbai Hospital: Report

Mr Tata, 86, who ran Tata Sons for more than 20 years and is credited with expanding and diversifying the company, said on Monday he was undergoing routine medical investigations due to his age and related medical conditions.

Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of one of India’s biggest conglomerates, Tata Sons, is in critical condition in intensive care at a Mumbai hospital, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Wednesday.

Mr Tata 86, who spent over two decades with Tata Sons and could be credited with making the company national and more diversified, said on Monday he was going through routine medical investigations considering his age and related medical conditions.

While a spokesperson for one of the world’s largest conglomerates-Tata with revenues of $165 billion in 2023-24-did not respond to a request for an update on his condition on Wednesday, his sources-one of whom is close to the Tata family and both with direct knowledge of his medical condition-would only say that they don’t want to give more details about the nature of his illness “.

The statement was published on his social media profiles on Monday. Mr Tata claimed he remained in good spirits and so there was nothing worth worrying over. He has been admitted to Breach Candy hospital in Mumbai, they said.

Mr Tata does not take as active an engagement in the day-to-day running of the group as he used to, but he is kept on key decisions at Tata Sons, said a senior company executive close to the matter to Reuters.

He does keep himself engaged with running of Tata Trusts, the philanthropic organization running by the group, of which he remains the chairman.

On the Tata Sons website, a profile lists several appointments to the boards of Tata Industries and Tata Chemicals as well as international advisory board memberships with Mitsubishi Corporation and JP Morgan Chase.

Mr Tata headed the autos to steel conglomerate from 1991 and ran the group founded by his great-grandfather over a century ago until 2012.

##What have been some of the major successes of Ratan Tata while serving at Tata Sons ?

Significant achievements by Ratan Tata on behalf of Tata Sons, served from 1990 through 2012

-External Growth: He led the strategic acquisition of Jaguar Land Rover and Corus. Ratan Tata took the diversified Tata to every nook and corner of the globe with over 65% of revenues coming from international markets.

-Diversification: Ratan Tata went on diversifying the group’s portfolio by divesting some of its non-core businesses while concentrating the sectors like IT, telecommunications, and hospitality.

-Innovation: He launched the Tata Nano, targeted as one that makes car ownership reach the masses, with a sign of commitment to innovation.

-Philanthropy: Ratan Tata worked on strengthening the Tata Trusts, by establishing social responsibility in significant charitable contributions to health and education.

#Through which ways was Ratan Tata’s leadership style compared with those of his predecessors.

Ratan Tata’s leadership style was strikingly different from his predecessors as follows:

-Visionary Leadership: The earlier leaders did not believe in globalization, but Tata embraced globalization as a challenge and repositioned the Tata Group as an international company through targeted acquisitions in companies such as Jaguar Land Rover and Corus through innovations as well as managed risks.

-Empowerment and Teamwork: He instilled an empowerment culture with openness toward young talent and succeeded in team building across levels. Tata had also been different from earlier leadership where structures were critical and did not support teamwork.

-Ethical Leadership: Tata concentrated on integrity and CSR, where he was continuously reminded and assured that even at the toughest times, such as the financial crunch in 2008, he had protected jobs at any cost rather than the profit statement.

-Involvement: He was said to be an intrusive leader who directly involved himself in the functioning at the operational level. He exhibited the kind of leadership style in comparison with other predecessors, who were very remote in management.

##How did Ratan Tata empower employees?

The Ratan Tata empowered his employees through several key strategies:

-Accessibility: He maintained an open door policy whereby the employees would feel free to share their ideas and concerns that lead to a culture of trust and communication.

-Delegation of Authority: Tata promoted a sense of ownership by delegating responsibility, allowing employees autonomy in decision making, which led to innovation and engagement.

-Empathetic and supportive environment, including even during hard times, besides opposing lay-offs and promoting teamwork within the workforce.

-Leading by example: He was known for a very practical approach in his leadership role – engaged directly in operations or provided frontline operational activities, thus triggering employees to take initiative and work together.

## What were the leading practices adopted by Ratan Tata to achieve a collaborative workplace?

Inclusive Leadership: He adopted an inclusive approach. He always believed in the saying that “Input of each employee is expected”. This ushered in invitation of participation and group decision-making .

Empowerment: Tata empowered employees through delegation. He gave the employees the liberty to take risks and innovation thus this encourages entrepreneurial culture .

Open Communication: He made open communication be possible through being friendly and keeping the ‘open door’ door open. He encouraged employees to air the their grievances and ideas .

Teamwork and Trust: Tata ensured teamwork and instilled trust among the employees, which further deepened collaboration throughout the organisation

#What were some of the examples of participative leadership by Ratan Tata

Ratan Tata’s participative style of leadership was displayed through a variety of initiative plays

Employee Engagement: He established open communication ensuring that employees’ thoughts and opinions are heard, building a feeling of ownership and cooperation within the organization .

Promotion of Innovation: Tata encouraged innovation by giving teams the leeway to try, err, and learn, and in the case of the Tata Nano, involving employees on a massive scale in the design process .

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Promotion of Diversity and Inclusion: He led from the front regarding gender equity and equity. He showed, in the decision-making process, that there is value to diverse thinking .

Social Community: Again, under the Transformation Rural India Initiative, Tata could engage employees in CSR efforts whose corporate intent worked in tandem with the intent of the community

##How did Ratan Tata’s approach to corporate social responsibility benefit the Tata Group.

Ratan Tata’s CSR approach had greatly benefited the Tata Group in many different ways:

-Improved Reputation: His dedication to ethical practices and social welfare has enhanced the group’s reputation, enabling this to attract customers, employees, and investors who perceive value from corporate ethics and responsibility.

Long-term Sustainability: Tata invested 8-14% of net profits in social causes; so, CSR became the integral part of the business model, which not only supported long-term sustainability but also community trust.

Employee Engagement: CSR initiatives were possible from where pride and engagement were generated among employees. This eventually improved motivation and loyalty within the workforce.

Innovation and Market Adaptation: In a perfect example, the Tata Nano showcased how CSR could be driven in areas of innovation and realization of society’s needs with the group emerging as the champion of sustainable practices

##How did Ratan Tata’s philanthropic initiatives contribute to the Tata Group’s corporate image.

Several ways in which Ratan Tata’s philanthropic initiatives enhanced the corporate image of Tata Group is:

Building Respect: His efforts for social causes through Tata Trusts had earned the company the respect of people as a firm leading in corporate responsibility and had elicited the trust and loyalty of the public .

Touching Lives: Health, education, and rural development initiatives gave opportunities for enhancing quality life to hundreds of people and thus encouraged society as a whole to lead a happy lifestyle .

Attraction of Talent and Investment: The ethical strength of the group along with a philanthropic commitment attracts ethical employees and investors to the organisation, which ultimately boosts the overall performance of the business .

Legacy of Integrity: Humility and integrity are personal values and attributes of Tata, which set a benchmark for ethical leadership further making Tata Group the trusted organisation in the business world.