Ratan Tata said NO to cabin in Mumbai office. Lottery decided it

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Ratan Tata, renowned for his humility and clarity, exemplified his down-to-earth leadership even in the smallest decisions. When he was transferred to the Mumbai headquarters of Tata Steel from Jamshedpur in the mid-1960s, an unusual event unfolded. In a moment that highlighted his modesty, Tata refused preferential treatment despite his family legacy.

According to Rediff.com, at that time, the Bombay office of Tata Steel was compact, with limited space available for its senior staff. Tata, along with two other executive officers, shared the same designation, yet there was a suggestion that he should have a separate cabin, as he was being moved to the company’s headquarters. Ratan Tata, however, declined the offer unless his colleagues received similar accommodations. He firmly believed that no special treatment should be extended to him because of his last name.

Arun Maira, a former colleague and author of The Learning Factory: How The Leaders Of Tata Became Nation Builders, shared this anecdote during an interview. Maira noted how Tata’s simple and fair-minded approach was pivotal in shaping the values of the Tata Group. “He was humble and didn’t want anything different just because he was a Tata,” Maira recalled.

Jamshed Bhabha, who was overseeing the office design, was tasked with building three identical cabins in the small office space. Since Tata, an architect by training, insisted on equality, all three cabins were constructed to the same specifications.

Ratan Tata's Fair Solution

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