EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION AT TATA STEEL:
EMPLOYMENT OF TRANSGENDER INDIVIDUALS
CASE STUDY SOLUTION
e
pl
SYNOPSIS
m
Sa
In February 2022, Sudhir Kumar Singh, head of human resources (HR) at Tata Steel Limited (Tata Steel),
one of India’s oldest, largest, and most vertically integrated steel producers, was preparing for an upcoming
meeting with Atrayee Sanyal, vice president of HR at Tata Steel. In this meeting, Singh was required to
present a progress update and propose the way forward on a unique and ambitious pilot project for
n
employing transgender individuals in a variety of core and support roles at Tata Steel. The long-term
tio
objective of the initiative was to help improve diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) 2 at Tata Steel and
contribute toward achieving a 25 per cent diverse workforce by 2025.
lu
While the pilot project at the West Bokaro mining division had been useful, Singh realized that scaling up
So
The Case Solution Starts From page 5
,OBJECTIVES
Explain the significance of setting and making public a company’s DEI targets.
Understand the challenges involved in employing transgender individuals in companies in developing
countries such as India.
Understand the role of leadership and human resource policies in promoting DEI goals.
Ensure the successful organization-wide scaling-up of a pilot initiative.
ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS
1. What was the significance of the DEI target set by Tata Steel?
e
2. What were the prerequisites for ensuring the success of this DEI initiative at Tata Steel?
pl
3. What was the key learning from the pilot project?
4. What challenges were foreseen in the organization-wide scaling-up of the pilot initiative to employ
m
transgender people at Tata Steel? How can these challenges be overcome?
Sa
n
tio
lu
So
The Case Solution Starts From page 5
, e
pl
m
Sa
n
tio
lu
So
ANALYSIS
1. What was the significance of the DEI target set by Tata Steel?
It is widely recognized that building an organization that is diverse and inclusive has positive effects on its
work culture, innovation, and organizational performance metrics. Despite this realization, many
organizations make little progress on the complex and difficult DEI journey. As with any other
organizational endeavour, the first step in the DEI journey is to set and publish clear, measurable, and
ambitious DEI goals. For instance, Accenture declared in 2020 that by 2025 it would increase representation
The Case Solution Starts From page 5
,4. What challenges were foreseen in the organization-wide scaling-up of the pilot initiative to employ
transgender people at Tata Steel? How can these challenges be overcome?
The essence of any pilot project is to test an idea in a limited and controlled setting within the organization.
The purpose is to understand and refine the idea before its wider rollout. ask the
participants to list the challenges that are likely when scaling up a pilot program in general. Participants
might argue that when a new initiative is piloted, there is an unusually high level of interest from
management, who therefore make more resources available. However, the cooperation of various
organizational groups and the wide management bandwidth often seen in the pilot do not reflect what
actually happens when the organization-wide rollout is attempted in the future.
Further, the people or teams chosen to participate in a pilot are often particularly receptive to trying new
e
pl
m
Sa
n
tio
lu
So
The Case Solution Starts From page 5
, The Case Solution Starts Here
EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION AT TATA STEEL:
EMPLOYMENT OF TRANSGENDER INDIVIDUALS
CASE STUDY SOLUTION
SYNOPSIS
In February 2022, Sudhir Kumar Singh, head of human resources (HR) at Tata Steel Limited (Tata Steel),
one of India’s oldest, largest, and most vertically integrated steel producers, was preparing for an upcoming
meeting with Atrayee Sanyal, vice president of HR at Tata Steel. In this meeting, Singh was required to
present a progress update and propose the way forward on a unique and ambitious pilot project for
employing transgender individuals in a variety of core and support roles at Tata Steel. The long-term
objective of the initiative was to help improve diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) 2 at Tata Steel and
contribute toward achieving a 25 per cent diverse workforce by 2025.
While the pilot project at the West Bokaro mining division had been useful, Singh realized that scaling up
the initiative across an organization as large and complex as Tata Steel remained challenging. He needed
to adopt a multi-stakeholder approach, plan holistically, and integrate the learning from the pilot project
into a clear, coherent, consistent, and comprehensive plan that could be discussed with Sanyal.
POSITION IN COURSE
This case is suitable for use in a master of business administration or other undergraduate or graduate-level
management programs. It can be useful in courses on (a) strategic human resource management, (b)
diversity, equity, and inclusion, and (c) strategic management. The case can be used to create awareness
and sensitize participants on DEI, to learn the benefits of creating an inclusive organizational culture, and
to discuss issues pertaining to transgender communities, especially in India. It can also be used for creating
awareness about DEI in executive education and training programs aimed at organizational leaders, general
managers, entrepreneurs, and human resource managers.
2
The term “DEI” (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) will be primarily used, aligning with the terminology adopted by Tata Steel.
EMPLOYMENT OF TRANSGENDER INDIVIDUALS
CASE STUDY SOLUTION
e
pl
SYNOPSIS
m
Sa
In February 2022, Sudhir Kumar Singh, head of human resources (HR) at Tata Steel Limited (Tata Steel),
one of India’s oldest, largest, and most vertically integrated steel producers, was preparing for an upcoming
meeting with Atrayee Sanyal, vice president of HR at Tata Steel. In this meeting, Singh was required to
present a progress update and propose the way forward on a unique and ambitious pilot project for
n
employing transgender individuals in a variety of core and support roles at Tata Steel. The long-term
tio
objective of the initiative was to help improve diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) 2 at Tata Steel and
contribute toward achieving a 25 per cent diverse workforce by 2025.
lu
While the pilot project at the West Bokaro mining division had been useful, Singh realized that scaling up
So
The Case Solution Starts From page 5
,OBJECTIVES
Explain the significance of setting and making public a company’s DEI targets.
Understand the challenges involved in employing transgender individuals in companies in developing
countries such as India.
Understand the role of leadership and human resource policies in promoting DEI goals.
Ensure the successful organization-wide scaling-up of a pilot initiative.
ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS
1. What was the significance of the DEI target set by Tata Steel?
e
2. What were the prerequisites for ensuring the success of this DEI initiative at Tata Steel?
pl
3. What was the key learning from the pilot project?
4. What challenges were foreseen in the organization-wide scaling-up of the pilot initiative to employ
m
transgender people at Tata Steel? How can these challenges be overcome?
Sa
n
tio
lu
So
The Case Solution Starts From page 5
, e
pl
m
Sa
n
tio
lu
So
ANALYSIS
1. What was the significance of the DEI target set by Tata Steel?
It is widely recognized that building an organization that is diverse and inclusive has positive effects on its
work culture, innovation, and organizational performance metrics. Despite this realization, many
organizations make little progress on the complex and difficult DEI journey. As with any other
organizational endeavour, the first step in the DEI journey is to set and publish clear, measurable, and
ambitious DEI goals. For instance, Accenture declared in 2020 that by 2025 it would increase representation
The Case Solution Starts From page 5
,4. What challenges were foreseen in the organization-wide scaling-up of the pilot initiative to employ
transgender people at Tata Steel? How can these challenges be overcome?
The essence of any pilot project is to test an idea in a limited and controlled setting within the organization.
The purpose is to understand and refine the idea before its wider rollout. ask the
participants to list the challenges that are likely when scaling up a pilot program in general. Participants
might argue that when a new initiative is piloted, there is an unusually high level of interest from
management, who therefore make more resources available. However, the cooperation of various
organizational groups and the wide management bandwidth often seen in the pilot do not reflect what
actually happens when the organization-wide rollout is attempted in the future.
Further, the people or teams chosen to participate in a pilot are often particularly receptive to trying new
e
pl
m
Sa
n
tio
lu
So
The Case Solution Starts From page 5
, The Case Solution Starts Here
EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION AT TATA STEEL:
EMPLOYMENT OF TRANSGENDER INDIVIDUALS
CASE STUDY SOLUTION
SYNOPSIS
In February 2022, Sudhir Kumar Singh, head of human resources (HR) at Tata Steel Limited (Tata Steel),
one of India’s oldest, largest, and most vertically integrated steel producers, was preparing for an upcoming
meeting with Atrayee Sanyal, vice president of HR at Tata Steel. In this meeting, Singh was required to
present a progress update and propose the way forward on a unique and ambitious pilot project for
employing transgender individuals in a variety of core and support roles at Tata Steel. The long-term
objective of the initiative was to help improve diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) 2 at Tata Steel and
contribute toward achieving a 25 per cent diverse workforce by 2025.
While the pilot project at the West Bokaro mining division had been useful, Singh realized that scaling up
the initiative across an organization as large and complex as Tata Steel remained challenging. He needed
to adopt a multi-stakeholder approach, plan holistically, and integrate the learning from the pilot project
into a clear, coherent, consistent, and comprehensive plan that could be discussed with Sanyal.
POSITION IN COURSE
This case is suitable for use in a master of business administration or other undergraduate or graduate-level
management programs. It can be useful in courses on (a) strategic human resource management, (b)
diversity, equity, and inclusion, and (c) strategic management. The case can be used to create awareness
and sensitize participants on DEI, to learn the benefits of creating an inclusive organizational culture, and
to discuss issues pertaining to transgender communities, especially in India. It can also be used for creating
awareness about DEI in executive education and training programs aimed at organizational leaders, general
managers, entrepreneurs, and human resource managers.
2
The term “DEI” (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) will be primarily used, aligning with the terminology adopted by Tata Steel.
