Rai Bahadur M.S. OBEROIRai Bahadur M.S. OBEROI

Submitted bySubmitted by :

Anurag Singh Atul Pandey

JAIPURIA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, NOIDA

LIFE OF Rai Bahadur M S OBEROI

•Born: August 15, 1898 •Founder of “The Oberoi Group of Hotels & Resorts”

•Mr. oberoi was the first person to recognize the potential of the tourism industry ,its ability to contribute to India's economic growth and generate direct and indirect employment.

•M.S. Oberoi was born on August 15, 1898, in the erstwhile undivided Punjab, now in Pakistan. He did his early schooling in Rawalpindi and completed his graduation from Lahore.

•In 1922, to escape the epidemic of Plague, he came to Shimla, and got a job of front desk clerk, at The Cecil Hotel at a salary of Rs 50 per month. M.S. Oberoi was a quick learner. At the Clarkes Hotel, M.S. Oberoi gained first hand experience in all aspects of hotel operations.

• In 1934, M.S. Oberoi acquired The Clarkes Hotel from his mentor, by mortgaging his wife's jewelry and all his assets.

• Oberoi Group owns or manages 37 luxury and first class international hotels in seven countries at present.

• M.S. Oberoi was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1962 and in 1972. He was also elected to the Lok Sabha in 1968.

• M.S. Oberoi passed away on May 3, 2002 at the age of 103.

BRIEF ABOUT OBEROI HOTELS

The Oberoi Group, founded in 1934, operates 28 hotels and three cruisers in five countries under the luxury ‘Oberoi’ and five-star ‘Trident’ brands. The Group is also engaged in flight catering, airport restaurants, travel and tour services, car rentals, project management and corporate air charters.

Oberoi Hotels & Resorts are synonymous in the world over with providing the right blend of service, luxury and quiet efficiently.

At present 9 trident hotels are held by the group in India in Mumbai, gurgaon, Chennai, bhubaneshwar, Agra, Jaipur, Udaipur and one in Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah.

Distinctive feature:

The Group’s strength is their highly motivated and well trained staff that provides the kind of attentive, personalised and warm service that is rare today.

The Group’s commitment to excellence, attention to detail and personalised service has ensured a loyal list of guests and accolades in the worldwide hospitality industry.

The Oberoi Group established The Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development in New Delhi in 1966. Seeing the importance of quality training in hospitality management. Today, this institution is considered amongst the best in Asia with approximately 100 students graduating each year.

Social Corporate Responsibility:

The Group is committed to employing the best environmental and ecological practices in technology, equipment and operational processes.

The Oberoi Group also supports philanthropic activities that range from education to assistance for the mentally and physically challenged.

The Group is also a keen contributor to the conservation of nature and of cultural heritage.

AWARDS

• In 1943, he was conferred the title of Rai Bahadur by the British Government.

• Other honors include admission to the Hall of Fame by the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA)

• Man of The World by the International Hotel Association (IHA) New York.

• Named by Newsweek as one of the "Elite Winners of 1978" and the PHDCCI Millennium award in 2000.

• M.S. Oberoi was honored with Padma Bhushan in 2001.

Characteristics & traits• Patience- many times his business was at the verge of being closed but without

loosing his calm, he always tried to find out ways which could help him.

• High tolerance for frustration- one of his close associate Mr. Shiv Nath tried to pester him many times, even to the extent of trying to take over Grand hotel from him but he always handled the situation calmly, ultimately leading to moving out of Shiv Nath from the partnership.

• Self confidence- when shareholders of the Grand hotel threatened him that they will dissolve their shares since the hotel wasn’t operating profit, he assured them that situation would change & at the same time world war–II broke & the whole hotel was booked by british troops.

• Enthusiasm- it was this quality that helped him to learn everything about hotel industry, be it when he was an accountant at Cecil hotel, shimla or be it when he spread his hotel empire all over the world.

• Far sightedness- his every move was calculated leading to his ultimate success, despite short-term losses.

• Relationship Management- he used his relation building skills by getting in touch with people like Mr. Grove & Mr. Kapur, who provided help & guidance to him as & when it was required.

• Team player- although he had control over the proceedings of the hotel but he believed in delegating the work to the deserved & able person, & would have parlance with them on any important issue before taking any decision.

• Humility- even being at the height of his power, if you went to see him with an appointment, he never keep you waiting for more than 10 mins. ,& would convey the expression that nothing was more important for him than the problem you had brought to him.

• Flexibility & adaptability- even at the age of 50+, he would look out for something new which could add quality to his hotel.

Type of power

• Legitimate PowerLegitimate Power– Instructed people about the work to be done.

• Reward PowerReward Power– Control over Rewards

• Coercive PowerCoercive Power

- - Implementation of policies and administration of disciplinary actionImplementation of policies and administration of disciplinary action

• Expert PowerExpert Power– Has expertise or knowledge over the business.

• Connection PowerConnection Power- He made use of his acquaintances to get his work done.

Influence tactics

• Rational Persuasion-Rational Persuasion- He always used to explain how the potential problems &

concerns will be handled. Example- when Grand Hotel,kolkata was facing a

problem on its revival, as it was a costly hotel & the image left by the owners prior to Oberoi was not good, share holders threatened him to sell their shares, since there was no profit. He assured them that if they would provide British troops services at the time of World war-II at less price also, it would be beneficial for them. Since it would help them to improve the image of the hotel. Finally, shareholders could sense the reason & hence supported him, which led to succes.

• Exchange-Exchange-

He used to promote people on the basis of their performance & would also provide them with incentives, as & when they deserved.

Rai Bahadur M.S. Oberoi

He falls in the category of Team ManagementTeam Management (9,9) because of the following reasons :

• Is visionary• Encourages Creativity & improves existing

services• Opportunity seeker• Recognizes Employee Achievement• Promotes team building

Despite being an owner of such a huge empire, he could remember the not only the names of his employees but also last time when there mother was ill & whenever he used to go out for a world tour, he used to return with gifts that were not bought in bulk but were personalized according to their will.

THE LEVEL 5 HIERARCHY

Level 5 Executive

Level 4Effective Leader

Level 3Competent Manager

Level 2Contributing Team Member

Level 1Highly Capable Individual

Is Oberoi a Level 5 leader ?As we have studied that a level 5 leader is one who has both professional will,

as well as humility in himself.According to us, Oberoi is a Level 5 leaderOberoi is a Level 5 leader because of the following reasons :

• He was clear about what he has to do. He thought it was better to focus on one thing than to have diversed attention,

loosing to pay attention on any of them. He gave away the business of contractor, started by his son Tilak raj & also

closed down the Cecil hotel in Shimla, since it wasn’t working well now and focused more on developing hotels himself, rather than to buy it from somebody else, which ultimately resulted in Oberoi VILLAS & PALACES commencement.

He realised that the hotel and hospitality business is greatly dependent on travel agents, a vital element in the distribution chain. Therefore, he decided to establish his own travel agency.

• He never said that it was he who did itnever said that it was he who did it & always said it was his “luck”“luck” and hence thanked god & his employees for his success.

-He said “I realize it was with God's help that I achieved what the “I realize it was with God's help that I achieved what the World calls ‘success’...” World calls ‘success’...”

-He said ““The opportunity seemed almost a Godsend. I took over The opportunity seemed almost a Godsend. I took over the proprietorship of Clarkes Hotel with the help of a kind uncle the proprietorship of Clarkes Hotel with the help of a kind uncle who had stood by me in the past. The employees also helped who had stood by me in the past. The employees also helped me as and when needed & I was now established in the Hotel me as and when needed & I was now established in the Hotel business”business”

-He said “it was his good luck that assured him the prosperity”“it was his good luck that assured him the prosperity”

• Success could not take from him his simplicity & he said “I have been “I have been able to accept the challenge and make good. There is comfort in knowing able to accept the challenge and make good. There is comfort in knowing that whatever little I have achieved has also helped to raise the prestige of that whatever little I have achieved has also helped to raise the prestige of my country.” my country.”

• Succession planning-Succession planning-

His son Mr. P.R.S Oberoi, known as ‘Bikki’, is the chairman of the group now & he has been given this position not because of him being his son but because he has shown his caliber by helping him during the crisis of Grande Hotel,Kolkata. He has been instrumental in pioneering the development of the new Oberoi hotels and resorts.

He also has been conferred upon with Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian honour, in recognition of his exceptional service to the country, on January 2008.

Thank you…