Tata Guidelines for Community Development

"Community Development is a well understood objective and important cornerstone of the TATA business philosophy. In fact, it is a key element in the Tata Business Excellence Model. Therefore it is incumbent on every Tata Company's management to consider it to be on essential component of its strategic plan towards achieving the Company's and the Group's objectives. The strategy that each Company evolves, needs to be focussed on the real needs of the communities in which the company operates and which it seeks to serve. There needs to be a dovetailing of the skills and strengths of the Company and its employees with the immediate and long-term gaps in the overall development of those communities - be they in the field of education, health, environment, civic amenities, infrastructure, family planning, vocational skills etc. Essentially, one has to ensure that the strategic economic well-being of the community is brought about expeditiously. Our Founder's humanitarian objectives of over a century ago need to become strategic to the Group today."

- Mr. F. K Kavarana, Executive Director - Corporate Affairs, TATA Engineering

Sustainable development in Business and the triple bottomline

We recognise that sustainable business development includes environmental and social considerations as part of development cost and is part of long-term business survival and growth.

Environmental and Social considerations have a strategic position in outcomes and purpose of the business - as bottom lines. The adoption of the triple bottom-line concept is an explicit integration of human development considerations in business processes.

In Tata companies we encourage the management to make a declaration of policy, strategy and budgets for environment and community development, and run activities as part of a non-negotiable minimum programme aimed at generating the reputation for the Tata Brand.

Council as Group level policy maker reviews performance

In annual convention of Meeting reviews the overall performance of the programmes and actions taken of various levels and generates fresh direction and focus. It assumes responsibility for laying down the approach to programmes and raise/deploy resources through Tata companies.

Executive Committee and Secretariat as the implementing agency

The Secretariat has an annual schedule of action with thrust areas, specific goals and activity available with Regional Co-ordinators and key persons concerned with implementing the same. GM, TCCI visits regions twice a year to facilitate this process further.

Regional Groups as local area networks

Regional Groups have annual programmes comprising of Community Projects. A general mandate for the Group for Regions and specific agenda are also worked out. Regional Groups are autonomous in the raising and deployment of resources required to implement their programmes.

The Secretariat facilitates the Minimum Programme in all Companies

The Council directly and with the help of Regional Group encourages Tata Companies to implement the Minimum Programme. Based on requirement and the status of implementation, the Secretariat conducts workshops for orientation and action at company-level. In the course of time, there will be a six monthly convention.

Annual Report to share experiences at Group level with reference to specific cases and activities

The Secretariat brings out an Annual Report with the year's specific focus. It takes up themes, Regional activity, company-level performance as a Group level framework to invite participation from companies.

Review Company's social performance

In the second year of the reconstituted Council, there will be convention to set up Regional level committees to evaluate social performance and surface good work for recognition at Regional, Company, Facilitator and Volunteer levels.

Facilitators are covered under the HR Performance Management System as a strategy to ensure that five to six planned issues and set of actions are taken every year to build this system.