EYES OF JANUS: EVALUATING LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT AT TATA MOTORS

EYES OF JANUS: EVALUATING LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT AT
TATA MOTORS

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Copyright © 2014, Richard Ivey School of Business Foundation Version: 2014-07-28

It was January 2013, and the chief human resources officer (CHRO) of Tata Motors Limited (TML) had
just concluded a performance review with Vikram Bector, chief talent officer (CTO) and his learning and
development (L&D) team. The main focus of the L&D review was Tata Motors Academy (TMA), a
corporate university that TML had established at its Mumbai headquarters in early 2011. TMA was a
critical piece of the company’s newly formulated human capital strategy, whose overarching objective
was to transform TML into a world-class destination for top talent.
The CHRO was pleased that TMA’s programs had attracted participants from TML’s various
departments, many of whom wanted TMA to increase the number and variety of its programs. This was
an important endorsement. However, in his opinion, there were three main criteria for evaluating TMA’s
performance: 1) the number and quality of internal specialists TMA could attract as faculty for its
programs; 2) the self-learning and career development culture created by TMA’s interventions, especially
through its e-learning programs; and 3) the impact of TMA programs on leadership development and
performance improvement. While TMA’s performance regarding these criteria was commendable, the
CHRO was concerned about the queries from the top management regarding the financial returns on the
investments made in TMA. This was a question Bector would have to face during the forthcoming budget
meeting.
Closing the review, the CHRO said:
You know, in Roman mythology, Janus, the God of beginnings and transitions, was reputed to be
blessed with two sets of eyes, one set looking forward and the other set looking back. Today, Tata
Motors HR and L&D teams epitomize the change and the beginning of a new era. So, ladies and
gentlemen, the question for the Tata Motors Learning & Development team is: should the eyes of
Janus only look forward or is it time that the eyes also open and look back?”