Grooming the managers of today into the leaders of tomorrow, that's the broad objective of the Tata Group's leadership development programmes and processes. The Group's high-value, superior-quality training interventions are targeted at maximising the potential of its pool of managers. This is done by encouraging their cross-functional exposure and by making cross-company mobility an integral aspect of all leadership development efforts.

The primary instruments of the Group's learning and development endeavours for its people are the Tata Management Training Centre (TMTC), which aims to provide training to high performers within the Group and to act as a cradle of change for Tata executives, and TAS, which recruits fresh graduates and postgraduates from leading business schools with the objective of putting them on the business leadership path.

TMTC offers management development and leadership development programmes for high-potential Tata managers. TAS is perhaps the only employment brand in Indian business that consciously recruits for lifelong mobility — across companies, industries and functions — in order to impart a macro view of business. The Tata Group has also created a basket of high-value leadership development programmes in partnership with some of the best universities in the world.

At the Tatas the mix of leadership development inputs differs by level. At the entry level there is a greater focus on results; at the top level the management of people is of greater importance. The Group's human resources division has crafted a 'leadership development series' whose aim is to equip Tata managers with the knowledge that will enable Tata companies to stay competitive in a global business environment. These distinctive courses draw on the best of international faculty from the world's top business schools and specialised institutes.

Additionally, the Tata Group is a member of the International Consortium Programme, an executive education partnership involving, besides the group, six top-notch companies: Asea Brown Boveri, Zurich; Benfield Group, London; BHP Billiton, Australia and South Africa; Standard Bank, South Africa; ABN Amro Bank, Amsterdam; and the Boeing Company, USA. Some of the Consortium's goals are to bring leaders together from diverse regions of the world; develop and deliver an exceptional global leadership development experience for senior executives; and focus on executive development through business driven, action-learning projects.

The 'Tata Work Levels', yet another of the Group's employee initiatives, is a methodology wherein high-potential managers are identified after putting them through various performance potential filters. These managers are then given specific developmental inputs, including training initiatives and cross-company mobility. The goal is to develop leaders who will deliver organisational results.