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Tata Steel seems to have scaled new heights in team building at a time when the manufacturing sector is being plagued by strikes and a slowdown.
The 104-year-old company is sending 30-40 employees in groups on an all-paid 10-15 day trekking expedition to the Himalayas to cement comradeship 12,000 feet above the sea level at sub-zero temperatures.
The trekking programme, which is also open to other Tata Group companies, is conducted by Tata Steel Adventure Foundation, a subsidiary of Tata Steel.
Ms Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to have scaled Mount Everest, heads the Foundation and overseas adventure sports such as rafting and kayaking.
Trekkers are acclimatised to mountaineering by a rigorous training schedule at a base camp in Uttarkashi. The five-day programme focuses on team formation, leadership exercises, risk-taking abilities and creativity. One event calls for making an improvised raft with bamboo and tubes to take teams across a lake.
After acclimatisation, the teams head for Surya Top, which is at an altitude of 12,000 feet. It offers a great view of the upper Himalayan peaks such as Bandarpoonch and Dropdikadanda.
Ms Pal strongly believes that leading a team is very much like running a company. “You need a CEO and departments for equipment, ration and communication, among other things. The goal has to be achieved within a timeframe and a given budget. The team should make sure that resources and energy are used optimally. You do not want to lug excess load to great heights and then realise you do not need it. You also need skills for disaster and people management. The leader has to think on his feet and plan for uncertainties. One wrong decision and you could be dead. It is very much like a company in the business environment of our times.”
The response from Tata Group employees has encouraged the Foundation to open up the programme to other corporate houses and general public too.
Asked whether she takes it easy now after the Everest expedition, Ms Pal said, “Mountaineering makes one realise where one stands in the larger scheme of things. You are like a tiny ant up there. Before I begin a trek, irrespective of the height of the mountain, I always bow my head to it in respect and humility.”
“It is also a soul searching journey. The hostile environment, extreme climate and hardships induce a dialogue within our souls and makes us realise our weaknesses and flaws, besides the strengths,” she said.
(The trip was made on an invitation from Tata Steel).
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