Profile
Tata Quality Management Services, or TQMS, is a division of Tata Sons, the principal promoter company of the Group. The TQMS mandate is to help Tata companies achieve their business objectives. It undertakes this task through comprehensive, enterprise-wide processes that have come to characterise the Tata way of improving and conducting the Group's business endeavours. These processes essentially relate to and revolve around the themes of business excellence and business ethics.

TQMS's mission statement reflects its purpose: to be a trusted partner to Tata companies in building and realising their potential to excel. This, along with the organisation's articulated values of integrity and maturity, unity and understanding, learning and sharing, and passion for excellence, defines the idea behind TQMS.

As part of an effort to create a harmonious convergence of thought and behaviour in matters of business performance and principles among Tata companies, the Group has a formal process called the Brand Equity and Business Promotion (BEBP) Agreement. A Tata company, for the pride it takes in being part of the Group and for the right to use the Tata Group Composite Mark, adopts the Tata Business Excellence Model (TBEM) and the Tata Code of Conduct (TCoC) and its adjunct, the Management of Business Ethics (MBE).

TBEM
TBEM is a 'customised-to-Tata' adaptation of the globally renowned Malcolm Baldrige model. The TBEM philosophy has been moulded to deliver a combination of strategic direction and concerted effort to maximise business performance. It contains elements that enable inculcation of the best of global business processes and practices. The model, through its regular and calibrated updates, stays in step with the ever-changing business environment.

TQMS helps Tata companies use the model to gain insights on their strengths and their opportunities for improvement. This is managed through an annual process of 'applications and assessments'.

The commitment a Tata company makes when it signs the BEBP contract compels it to attain explicit business excellence scores over specific time periods. A result-driven scoring mechanism enables the company to track its progress over time, and ensure that it keeps improving. There is also an annually administered, Group-wide recognition system for companies that exceed a certain score, thereby reflecting excellence, industry leadership and consistent improvement.

TCoC-MBE
The TCoC-MBE methodology has a variety of components. The most important of these are:

• Internal initiatives to communicate and train companies and employees on TCoC, which is a comprehensive policy document that details the ethical standards required from a Tata enterprise and its people.
• 'Listening-post' mechanisms to address concerns and dilemmas that companies may have to confront.
• Framing and disseminating policies and guidelines specific to individual companies in the TCoC framework.
• Vigilance and whistle-blowing practices.

The CEO of the company is also its 'chief ethics officer'. An 'ethics counsellor', nominated by the CEO, is the process owner of the TCoC-MBE mechanism. Typically, each company also has an 'ethics network' comprising ethics counsellors from different functions, locations and geographies. The ethics counsellor is TQMS's window to the TCoC-MBE process in each company.

The TQMS team
TQMS, through an experienced team of domain experts, business managers and quality professionals, assists Tata companies in making TBEM, TCoC and MBE a way of life in their respective enterprises. The organisation is guided by an executive committee that functions like an internal board. The members of this committee are:

• JJ Irani, director, Tata Sons, and chairman of the executive committee
• R Gopalkrishnan, executive director, Tata Sons
• RK Krishna Kumar, director, Tata Sons
• Alan Rosling, executive director, Tata Sons
• MN Bhagwat, advisor, Tata Sons
• Prasad Menon, managing director, Tata Chemicals
• Praveen P Kadle, executive director, Tata Motors
• Sunil Sinha, chief executive officer, TQMS

Looking inside
TQMS has an 'assurance module' that captures how executives perceive their own company's progress on the TBEM, MBE and 'corporate social responsibility' (CSR) chart. This module provides objective feedback to the management of each organisation as well as to the Group Corporate Centre on the perceptions of company insiders on the progress made in business ethics, business excellence and CSR.

TQMS's surveys explore whether a structure is in place in the company, whether processes are deployed, whether senior, middle and junior management are personally involved in leading and supporting the processes, whether change and improvement initiatives are vibrant, and whether planning and review mechanisms are being used by the leadership to stimulate continuous advancement.

Implicit in the TQMS approach is the belief that its wide-ranging methodologies will help Tata companies become exemplars on business as well as ethical parameters in their respective spheres.

Contact
Head office
TMTC Campus,
1, Mangaldas Road,
Pune 411 001,
India.
Phone: +91 (20) 5623 8076
Email: tqms@tataquality.com

Mumbai office
Fort Chambers-C,
Tamarind Lane, Fort,
Mumbai 400 001,
India.
Phone: +91 (22) 5636 6693 / 94, 5606 4126
Email: tqms@tataquality.com