Published on November 22, 2024
The Corporate Performance Excellence (CPE) team went on a Learning Mission to various innovative and customer-centric companies in India, such as BOSCH, Titan, 3M, Bangalore International Airport, and Tata Elxsi. This is consistent with Tata Motors’ (TML’s) objective of continually improving its performance by conducting benchmarking. This journey was initiated to gather insights into best practices in innovation, design thinking, customer centricity, and knowledge management, in order to bring back impactful strategies to TML. TML senior leadership received the key learnings from the CPE team after the Learning Mission. This resulted in the prioritisation of particular practices that were the most aligned with TML's strategic needs and aspirations.
Key insights from the Learning Mission
The Learning Mission yielded several notable practices. The CPE team observed 3M's structured innovation process, which cultivates innovation culture. BOSCH emphasised the importance of design thinking, a user-centered approach that encourages creative problem-solving. Bangalore International Airport's practices showed an impressive level of customer centricity, with a clear emphasis on delivering an optimised and enjoyable passenger experience. The efficient and innovative capacity of well-organised knowledge sharing and collaboration was demonstrated by Tata Elxsi's sophisticated knowledge management system.
Prioritising design thinking, key innovation tools and knowledge management
The CPE team, along with senior leadership, has determined three primary areas for TML: design thinking from BOSCH, key innovation tools from Titan, and knowledge management techniques inspired by Tata Elxsi. These practices were selected for their potential to bring about the most significant improvements, from fostering innovative thinking to creating a structured approach to knowledge sharing across TML.
Deep-dive engagements with BOSCH, Titan, and Tata Elxsi
BOSCH, Titan, and Tata Elxsi were reconnected by the CPE team to have in-depth discussions and workshops about the prioritised practices. Each company provided valuable insights into their approaches and practical advice for successful implementation.
1. TML way of design thinking – Methodology & benefits:
a) Design thinking from BOSCH
A design thinking workshop for TML was hosted by BOSCH in their Bangalore Learning Centre, where they provided training to CPE team members on the principles and practices of this innovative approach. BOSCH's L&D Head and TML collaborated to tackle six real-world business challenges. Problem-solving workshops were conducted by the CPE team and senior leadership to expand this learning to key departments, including the trucks business team, customer experience teams, engineering team, and spare parts and non-vehicle business team. The strategic challenges were addressed in these workshops, which resulted in innovative and impactful solutions, with some ideas now eligible for patenting. Following these initiatives, the CPE team has conducted several more workshops in TML, and each one received positive and encouraging feedback from participants.
b) Incorporating key innovation tools from Titan
Tools like the 'Art of Interviewing', 'Ethnography', 'SCAMPER', and others were integrated into design thinking by the CPE team after incorporating Titan's insights. The workshops were made more valuable by the technique that focused on understanding customer needs and perspectives, which enabled TML teams to generate solutions that resonate with genuine customer demands. This addition strengthens TML's customer-centric approach in all problem-solving endeavours.
2. Developing a knowledge management portal inspired by Tata Elxsi
The CPE team received invaluable guidance on how to enhance TML's internal knowledge sharing through Tata Elxsi's knowledge management practices. Tata Elxsi's best practices and engagement features were discussed by the CPE team to foster an effective knowledge-sharing environment. The CPE team incorporated multiple interactive features inspired by Tata Elxsi into their new knowledge management portal for TML, based on their insights. The portal, which will be rolled out in November, is designed to effectively capture, disseminate, and leverage TML's collective expertise, resulting in a workforce that is more connected and well-informed.
The CPE team's Learning Mission, followed by detailed engagements with BOSCH, Titan, and Tata Elxsi, with the support of TBExG, has brought impactful changes within TML. These industry leaders' strategies are being actively applied, leading to improved problem-solving, enhanced innovation, and streamlined knowledge sharing. The CPE team is excited to continue their journey of learning and collaboration, bringing transformative practices to TML, and making it possible for the organisation to exceed industry standards and customer expectations.
Participants speak
Design thinking workshop helps us to convert the customer verbatim into meaningful insights. We as a team were engaged in a collaborative manner to understand better and connect with customer voices through use of simple tools such as persona mapping and rose thorn bud. This sets the foundation for our problem solution journey. Prototyping allows the team to visualise the proposition and incorporate quick intervention for idea scope strengthening. We have used DT technique in ILMCV - Hack-a-Future workshop and it is a good tool to explore to solve the complex problems.
— Rajesh Khanna, Sr. GM, TMCV - Product Planning HeadDuring the design thinking workshop I attended, participants engaged in a collaborative and iterative process to solve complex problems. Through empathy-building exercises, ideation sessions, and prototyping activities, we explored solutions from diverse perspectives. The workshop fostered a creative environment where feedback was encouraged, ultimately leading to actionable insights.
— Charu Gulati, TMCV - Customer ExperienceUnder guidance from industry experts, the design thinking workshop gave us the unique experience for solving wicked problems through creativity, problem-solving, and innovation. The power of empathy-driven design, hands-on activities, collaborative approach facilitated idea generation and development of prototype solutions. What truly distinguished this approach was its emphasis on fostering a culture of experimentation and iteration and to embrace failure as a natural part of the creative process, viewing it not as a setback but as a catalyst for innovation. Finally, it equipped the team with a versatile toolkit of methodologies (Rose, Bud Thorns, etc) and mindsets that can be apply across a myriad of contexts.
— Ajay Kumar, TMCV - Cost EngineeringIt was a great learning for myself personally along with the team. The concepts were explained clearly, the tools provided systemically addressed the problem which brought in a focused approach for all of us. We have been working within the team with guidance from the CPE team on projects identified and have seen significant progress.
— Gaurav Kumar, TMPV - Sales & Marketing