Rohit Deshpande analyzed the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India where 10 terrorists attacked multiple locations including the iconic 103-year-old Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. When the attacks occurred at the Taj Hotel around 9:30pm, approximately 500 guests were inside. Rather than fleeing, the hotel employees knew the building well and helped evacuate all 500 guests safely. Many employees even returned to help more guests despite risks to their own safety. Their selfless actions showed leadership in a crisis and helped minimize the loss of life.

2. Rohit Deshpande analysed the 26/11 attacks at Mumbai,
Maharashtra in India
A group of 10 terrorists attacked a dozen different locations

3. One of the locations being the iconic,
beautiful,103 year old Taj Mahal Palace Hotel

4. Situation at the Taj- 26 Nov, 2008, 21:30
~500 ~500
~600

5. At 21:30 Hours - 4 Heavily Armed Pakistani Terrorists
attacked the Taj

6. How did the employees react?
They knew all the back routes, the exits, how to get out
and how to get out fast!

7. So…
How many of them fled?

8. ZERO

9. A few of them even helped guests out and
came back in to help more guests

10. A Few Examples…

11. A team of telephone operators returned to
their stations and became the hub of
communication for guests

12. The banquet
employees
maintained
calm at the
Unilever
General
Meeting
When the firemen
came to help the
guests from the
fifth floor, staff
insisted that
guests go down
first

13. “I’m captain of the ship, I have to be the last one
to leave and if it sinks, I sink with it”

14. He lost his wife and two kids in a fire on
the 6th floor, but didn’t stop working

15. A team of chefs and kitchen staff began to
evacuate the guests early morning after the
siege. Two terrorists got to know and shot 5
chefs.

16. Outcome
~1666 ~34
Of the total death toll…

17. What explains this
behaviour?

18. “There were no manuals on what needs to
be done in these circumstances, it came to
the staff naturally”

19. Case Study of “Leadership
from Below”
Rohit Deshpande

20. Conjectures by Harvard
Students

21. CONJECTURES

22. CONJECTURES

23. CONJECTURES

24. Results based on Primary
Research at The Taj by
Rohit Deshpande

25. RESULTS

26. RESULTS

27. RESULTS

28. Insights for Young
Managers

29. INSIGHTS

30. INSIGHTS

31. RECAP

32. CREDITS Slide No. Sources
Slide 1-29 Text- TEDxNewEngland | 10/24/2012 | Rohit Deshpande "The Ordinary Heroes of the Taj Hotel"
Slide 1-3 Images- TEDxNewEngland | 10/24/2012 | Rohit Deshpande "The Ordinary Heroes of the Taj Hotel”
Slide 4 Image- infogr.am
Slide 5-14 Images- TEDxNewEngland | 10/24/2012 | Rohit Deshpande "The Ordinary Heroes of the Taj Hotel"
Slide 15 Image- infogr.am
Slide 16-19 Images- TEDxNewEngland | 10/24/2012 | Rohit Deshpande "The Ordinary Heroes of the Taj Hotel"
Slide 20 Image- elitestreet.in/how-to-welcome-a-guest
Slide 21 Image- www.tatacentralarchives.com
Slide 22 Image- authorstream.com-Overview of hospitality industry- Bashishth Gupta
Slide 24 Image- eduster.blogspot.in/2013/09/new-trends-in-recruitment.html
Slide 25 Image- therodinhoods.com/profiles/blogs/8-qualities-of-remarkable-employees
Slide 26 Image- businessandfinancialsense.com/2-ways-to-motivate-your-employees/
Slide 28 Image- www.dynamicbusiness.com.au/small-business-resources/growing/how-to-create-a-customer-
centric-culture-29022012.html
Slide 29 Image- blog.etoolsfal.com/the-employer-employee-relationship-communication-is-key/

33. Sameer Mathur
Marketing Professor 2009 – 2013
Ph.D. and M.S. (Marketing) 2003 – 2009
Marketing Professor 2013 –
Indian Institute of Management,
Lucknow
33
© Sameer Mathur 33
Ruchi Seth
Indian Institute of Management,
Lucknow
MBA Student