EP 19: Own Your Culture

Only you can truly build and shape your organisation’s culture. To Sitaram Kandi, CHRO of Tata Motors, every leader must take ownership of the shared values that make a company special. With that foundation, it becomes possible to drive business direction, to engage and keep talent, to make your people future-ready.

In this episode, Sitaram joins host Cheshta Dora, Head of Research & Community at People Matters, to share the approach that has kept the culture and values of Tata Motors so strong over the years that people come and stay just for it.

Key Takeaways

• Business owns the teams, and business must drive the culture; HR is the facilitator helping the action plan to happen.

• Ask yourself: How can we do more for our people, more for society, more to give back to society? That brings a fresh burst of energy to every conversation.

• Engaging people is about giving them the opportunity and the foundation to better themselves in multiple different ways, so that they in turn can better the business.

• Challenge your high performers, give them the opportunity to compete, and appreciate their efforts; that is the best way to keep them with you.

• Make your niche capabilities broad-based, spread them to as many people as possible, in order to be future-ready.

• Organisations must remain agile with their policies and systems, constantly revisiting and reviving them to ensure that they meet the expectations and aspirations of each new generation.

• Keep structure, process, and people part of every discussion, so that your talent needs are pre-emptively met as part of every initiative.