One of the key qualities that contribute towards making a successful company sustainable is its ability to conduct business in an ethical manner. The paradox is, though everyone understands this – at times when faced with competitive pressures – it is possible that one could trip and cause an ethical transgression. Therefore, it becomes imperative for leaders and managers to watch and encourage conversations that enable employees to raise and clarify issues in order to strengthen the ethical fabric of the organisation.

Over the years we at Tata Chemicals have worked together to foster an ethical framework not only within us but also across our larger eco-system. This has been possible due to the unstinted support from our employees across all levels. It is a journey that would seem to have no end as the world around us is constantly evolving and the business environment becomes even more dynamic.

“Market dynamics are never calm, so there are times when a supplier can exploit the situation of tightness and shortages. We are globally known for fairness, trust and integrity through all situations. A large part of that is because we are not seen as opportunistic by the customers,” says Shohab.

“In India, the Tata brand is held in high esteem. This is reinforced daily by the way our team conducts business with customers. We’ve found it to be a key differentiator sometimes. Being driven by a clear set of values makes our job much easier and satisfying. It also has a bearing on the customers that would want to be associated with us. Global leaders like Unilever, P&G, Saint Gobain and Asahi partner with us deeply as we share like-minded values to theirs,” he says.

“The Tata Code of Conduct is the foundation stone of our reputation for integrity and the whole team takes pride in that. Being driven by a clear set of values makes our job much easier and satisfying,” he adds.

TCL employees believe success is important but not at the cost of compromising on integrity. It is a strong value that drives Tata companies and its people. We are vigilant not to inflate numbers to serve any personal agenda. We work in ways that reflect the integrity of the Tata group of companies.

It’s been ten years since Tata Chemicals acquired Magadi Soda adding new natural soda ash capacity to its portfolio and welcoming Kenyan colleagues into the fold. Employees from Tata Chemicals Magadi (TCM) reflect on the role integrity has played in the journey. Lucy Kaburia, head International Sales and Market Development says there are various ways in which the value of integrity has benefitted the business during the past decade.

She cites two events that have had a major impact at TCM. In 2011, as part of the integration of the business it was rebranded as Tata Chemicals Magadi. In 2013, the premium soda ash plant was closed as part of a restructuring in which more than one third of positions at Magadi were made redundant.

“Renaming the business was a big moment but it was done with integrity,” says Lucy. “Key stakeholders, including employees and our local community, were consulted and had an opportunity to input to that decision. People felt their voices had been heard. Retaining Magadi in the name was important for us since Lake Magadi holds a special place in the psyche of our country. Because that process was well managed and done with integrity it was less dramatic than it could’ve been.”

Closing the premium soda ash plant was a difficult decision, but, says Lucy, the fact that integrity had been at the heart of how Tata Chemicals had gone about the acquisition and integration laid an important foundation for that action.

Says Lucy: “Once we had made the decision to shut the plant we had to tell people. Because they had come to understand that the business was being managed with integrity their response was, of course disappointment, but at the same time people were able to see that the decision was being made for the right reasons. It meant that the process was less traumatic than it could have been.”

As Human Resources manager with the responsibility for employee relations and welfare, John Kabera echoes Lucy’s sentiments. He says the whole process was managed with integrity and that meant that when the process had been concluded there was absolutely no hostility. “I believe the company’s reputation was enhanced because of the way we managed that difficult process,” says John.

For Craig, integrity is integral to keeping stakeholders satisfied at Tata Chemicals Europe (TCE). Long, established partnerships based on high values are the building blocks of TCE’s business.

Says Craig: “Given that we operate in increasingly competitive markets, value conviction can, on occasion, be put to the test. We strongly believe that being true to our values, no matter what the circumstances, is what sets TCE apart”.

The need to act with integrity is reinforced in TCE’s culture through the Tata Code of Conduct. “To complement the Code of Conduct, we also provide training for our client servicing colleagues on competition and anti-bribery law,” says Craig.

Shraddha Shah joined Tata Chemicals more than 10 years ago after qualifying as a chartered accountant in Mumbai. She first joined the Corporate Accounts Department and spent three and a half years as assistant manager in Corporate Accounts. For the past six and a half years she’s been in the Chemicals Business’ Commercial team where she heads the Commercial Function and also handles the Imports Procurement for Chemicals.

Early in her career she encountered a peculiar situation. Says Shraddha, “I received a bonus payment twice. It was a mistake that would have gone unnoticed had I not pointed it out. For me, integrity is doing the right thing even when no one’s watching.”

Shraddha served as an ethics counsellor for two years. She says she felt honoured to take up the role, “It was an opportunity given by the organisation for me to work on something that is so close to my heart,” she says. In this role, apart from handling concerns, she spends time in educating and reinforcing these values through innovative ideas.

Running a three-member team, Varun Mehta manages sales and business development for Tata Chemicals’ soda ash business in South East Asia. He supervises the exports of soda ash from Tata’s Magadi plant to markets across Southeast Asia.

Says Varun, “some time ago we had some complaints about the quality of soda ash. We took the moral high ground that as a Tata brand we had made a promise to our customers to supply them the promised quality of soda ash available in the market.” So, Varun and his colleagues in Singapore, India, and Kenya set out to resolve the problem.

The team understood the production issues at the heart of the problem and had a meeting with the plant managers to remedy the issue. After considering both production and technical processes, the company took a commercial decision and negotiated claims with the guiding principle of a long-term partnership.

“Our decision to take back supplies has reinforced our position as a business partner who understands their company’s long-term goals.”