doing business in india training sample

© iRikai Learning Solutions

Doing Business in India

1

Training Presentation - SAMPLE

http://www.irikai.com/international-business-etiquette/india/

© iRikai Learning Solutions www.irikai.com

AboutiRikai (www.irikai.com) is a New Delhi, India based soft skills training firm which provides niche international business etiquette courses. This is a snapshot of our

content for the Indian business etiquette course – the course is delivered onsite (in India) and online via web

conference (anywhere in the world). The course is adapted to the audience – past audiences have ranged from expat sales staff to MDs and CEOs –

and to the purpose. Whether it is a short business trip or long term negotiations with Indian business partners, our courses can help you maximize results from your business

interactions in India

2

http://www.irikai.com/


http://www.irikai.com/international-business-etiquette/japan/

http://www.irikai.com/international-business-etiquette/india/


Caveat!

Cambridge economist Joan Robinson once observed: "Whatever you can rightly say about

India, the opposite is also true.”

3



Agenda

1. Introduction

2. Ground Realities

3. Context

4. Cultural Traits

5. Business Etiquette

6. Review and Application

4



Let’s share our perceptions about India…

5



A common scene…

6

Also a common scene



Can you guess what this is?

7

What is this?



“Traditional” housewives?

8

Or rocket scientists?



Slums?

9

Or the world’s most expensive home?



Manual labor?

10

Or a 6-sigma operation?



Indian roads…

11

Also Indian roads…



Holy cow…

12

Unholy cow?



In short…

India is a land of extremes and contradictions, difficult to put in neat compartments.

13

*Being Indian by Pavan Varma



Agenda

1. Introduction

2. Ground Realities

3. Context

4. Cultural Traits



14



Common statements…

15

My Indian business partners do not seem to respect

deadlines…

Decision making in India is painfully

slow…

My team members do not apply their mind to solving problems

for the organization…

There are so many customs that we are

afraid to make embarrassing mistakes in

social settings…

My Indian colleagues do not

want to take ownership for their work…

My vendors are

unresponsive…

Everything seems random and

unpredictable…there is no “system”…



Case Study

• Not part of this preview

16



And yet…

• There is tremendous opportunity in India – we are here (other than for personal reasons) – to engage in productive business

17



Agenda

1. Introduction

2. Ground Realities

3. Context

4. Cultural Traits



18



India: A (Very) Brief History

19

2500 BC: The Indus Valley Civilization develops

around Indus river and

grows into the largest of the ancient

empires

326 BC: Alexander the Great reaches

India

320 – 550 AD: Gupta

Empire. Hinduism

becomes the major religion

1526 AD: Mughal

Empire begins in India

1600 AD: Trade begins with Dutch, French and

British

1858 AD: British rule

begins

1947 AD: India gains

independence, is split into

India and Pakistan



Physical Features of India

20

Northern Mountains

Desert

Indo-Gangetic Plains

Peninsular Plateau

Coastal Plains

Islands

Maps Approximate


© iRikai Learning Solutions www.irikai.com 21

Maps Approximate

Physical Features of India



Demographics

22




Economy

23

8.6% 8.9%

6.7%

4.5% 4.7%

0.0%

2.0%

4.0%

6.0%

8.0%

10.0%

2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14

GDP Growth

• After a period of high growth, the Indian economy has slowed down in the last

3 years. Growth in 2014-15 is expected to be 5.4%-5.9%

• However, recent projections have started becoming more optimistic, with the

World Bank predicting that India will overtake China as the world’s fastest

growing big economy in 2 years

India GDP Growth



National Politics

24




Religion

25




Places of Worship

26




Religion and Food

27




Religion and Food

• Depending on the religion, community and region, there are varying restrictions on food that people follow. The following are broad restrictions which are observed:

– Hindus: Revere cows as sacred, and therefore, do not eat beef. Also avoid pork

– Sikhs: Eating meat is a personal choice. However, beef is avoided

– Muslims: Mostly non-vegetarian diet. Pork is forbidden

– Christians: Flexible, non-vegetarian diet

– Jains: Follow a strict vegetarian diet (no eggs), diet also exclude onions and garlic

28



Languages

• India has 122 major languages of which 30 languages are spoken by more than a million native speakers, and 22, including Hindi and English, are often referred to as “official” languages

• Hindi is the most widely spoken language in India

29

Hindi

Gujarati Bengali

Telugu

Marathi

Tamil

Kannada

Malayalam

Oriya

Punjabi

Manipuri

Urdu

Hindi

Hindi

MizoHindi

Hindi

Hindi

Hindi

Hindi

English

AssameseEnglish

Some of the languages and the regions in which they are spoken

Maps Approximate



Food and Cuisines

30




Popular Snacks

31




Indian Sweets: Mithai

32

Rasgulla

Jalebi

Barfi

Laddoo

Gulabjamun



Education

33




Some aspects of education in India

• Disparity: Rural schools, city schools, private schools, public schools and international schools

• Employability• Pressure• Social standing• Critical thinking• Coaching centers• Language of instruction• Corporal punishment• “3 Idiots”

34



Law

35




Family System

• Traditionally, Indians have lived in “joint families” which can have several branches of the family living together

• The eldest male member is usually considered the head of the household

• With urbanization and mobility, joint families have given way to nuclear families – though it is still common for grown men to live with their parents even after getting married and having children

• It is very common for the entire extended family to get together for festive occasions and family events

• Family remains a very strong influence and will often come first while evaluating the impact of major life decisions

36



India at crossroads…

37




Agenda

1. Introduction

2. Ground Realities

3. Context

4. Cultural Traits



38



Another caveat…

"The mistake one should never make is to accept the amiable Indian as a monolith. He is a most well-adjusted split personality, capable of living simultaneously and effortlessly on two mutually

opposed planes. His mind is like a chest of drawers - never a single cupboard; each drawer can be a world onto itself, and can be pulled out,

without reference to others, in response to a given situation." *

39

*Being Indian by Pavan Varma



Hierarchy

• Hierarchy plays an important part in Indian business – those in positions of authority are given utmost respect

• Orders given by superiors are expected to be followed without questioning their validity –this is also a reason for juniors hesitating to say “no”

40



Flexibility

• Flexibility is essential (“adjustment”) – in daily life as well as in business

• Western notions of contracts may not hold in India, in general

41



Relationships

• Where business deals are not the outcome of relationships, relationships often become the outcome of business deals – business in India can be very personal

42



Respect (“Name”)

• Many people can take offense if protocol is not followed or if appropriate “respect” is not shown

• Even a light reprimand delivered in public can cause people to disengage

43



Team Work

• Self-interest and survival will often precede broader interests of organizations, society and country

44



Leadership

45




Long Term vs. Short Term

• The focus in Indian business often tends to be on immediate, short term gains vs. long term, sustainable gains

• However, this can also sometimes lead to innovative solutions for complex problems (“jugaad”)

• “Jugaad” exemplifies the Indian spirit of “getting things done” irrespective of the environment

46



Examples of “Jugaad”

47

…To low cost inter-planetary missions

From makeshift stoves…



Emotion

• Indians often rely on “gut feel” and emotion to make decisions as opposed to just raw data

48



Punctuality

49




Family

50




Agenda

1. Introduction

2. Ground Realities

3. Context

4. Cultural Traits



51



Meeting and Greeting

52




Small-talk

• It is common for hosts to offer beverages such as tea, coffee or soft-drinks with snacks (such as biscuits) to a guest, even in business settings

• These should be accepted – it is ok to specify if you would prefer without sugar, or without milk etc.

• Small talk at the beginning of a meeting is very common and is a means to break the ice

• Topics that are normally conversed about are family, weather, sports, general work

• Avoid serious discussions during this time, including strong political views, specific business questions

53



Addressing People

54




Negotiations

55




Accepting Invitations

56




Giving and Receiving Gifts (1/2)

57




Giving and Receiving Gifts (2/2)

58




Dining Etiquette (1/4)

• Indians take hospitality very seriously and this concern for guests will show during dining

• While dining, your host will often serve you, and encourage you to try new things or take more helpings

• Allow hosts to serve you, and if you are full or would not like more, politely put your hand up in front of you, palm facing outward, with a mild “no”

• It is customary to refuse the first offer of a second helping, therefore, expect to be pushed to “take something”

59




60





61





62




Dressing

63




Dressing for Social Events

64




Agenda

1. Introduction

2. Ground Realities

3. Context

4. Cultural Traits



65



Case Study

• Negotiations between an Indian manufacturer and 2 (very, very large!) Japanese steel mills

66



What separated the winner and loser…

67

Dimension “Winner” “Runner up”

Flexibility • Convinced top management to follow new approach urgently

• “Adjusted” on quantity• “Adjusted” on including past

orders in contract• “Adjusted” on payment delays

• Slow in convincing Japanese top management of urgency

Understanding of business etiquette

• Senior MD (Japanese) who was well versed in Indian etiquette (small talk, chai etc.)

• Relatively new MD (Japanese) with not enough exposure in Indian context

Team Composition • Not part of this preview • Not part of this preview

Use of emotion • Used 10-year relationship as emotional leverage


Relationship • Not part of this preview • Not part of this preview

Negotiating Strategy

• Not part of this preview • Not part of this preview



Let’s re-assess and apply

• You have an Indian boss. His boss is Japanese. You have received a call from a client who would like a proposal today. The proposal needs a senior’s approval. However, your boss is out of office. Would you go to your boss’s boss to discuss the proposal?

68




• You are holding a team meeting in which every one is supposed to provide an update of their projects. One of your team members provides a less than satisfactory update. How would you provide her feedback?

69




70




• An Indian client hired your firm for an assignment. However, ever since you got hired, your contact at the client’s office has not been responding to emails and calls. If things continue like this, you will not be able to finish the client’s work on time. What could be the reasons? How would you handle the situation?

71





72




Contact Us

73

Please do not distribute this material without the written consent of iRikai Learning Solutions. This presentation is based upon publicly available sources and expert opinions. Every attempt is made to ensure the information presented is factually correct. iRikai Learning Solutions does not accept any liability due to errors contained herein.

Office: 19A GF, TDI Centre, Jasola, New Delhi 110025

Email: [email protected]

Ph: +91 9654 001 370 | +91 9873 873 006

Website | Facebook | Twitter


mailto:[email protected]


https://www.facebook.com/iRikai.Learning

https://twitter.com/iRikaiLearning

doing business in india training sample

Business

irikai learning solutions

indian business etiquette

indian business partners

short india

productive business

business interactions

short business trip

indian roads