On November 26, 2008, when terrorists struck the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai, as they did simultaneously at various other locations in the city, something extraordinary happened amidst a severe hostage crisis that lasted two nights and three days. Apparently none of the hotel employees fled the scene and put the safety of the guests before their own. Waiters, room cleaners, busboys who knew the various exit routes from the hotel, guided the guests to safety, kitchen employees formed a human shield to protect the guests, evacuated telephone operators came back to the hotel to help the guests; these are only handful stories of extraordinary courage displayed by the ordinary employees of the hotel, many losing their lives in the process. The general manager of the hotel Kang who lost his whole family in the attack, was reportedly the last man to leave the hotel much after the seize was over.
What prompted these ordinary men and women to risk their lives and respond in such a unique manner to a sudden crisis? No organization rules were binding upon them in such a scenario nor would anyone have blamed them if they had chosen to save their lives. After all it was an extreme situation! Yet they chose to stay and take care of their guests. When Rohit Deshpande published this as a case in HBR he underlined deep seated HR philosophy of the company behind such a response which even the manger s of the company found difficult to explain. No one should be surprised that Taj Hotels feature very highly in Gallup’s engagement rankings, globally.
This incident however showed the unimaginable benefits and importance of good people management. The potential returns shall continue to surprise both the scholar and the practitioner.
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