the manageable characteristics of indian work...
TRANSCRIPT
The manageable characteristics of Indian work culture From punctuality to the depth of thinking and work-life balance.
CEO Kersi F. Porbunderwalla, NIBCC
Nordic Indian Chamber of Commerce
NIBCC is regarded as a strong organiser to promote business and cultural ties between India and the Nordic countries; • We provide the basis and structure of the business environment for
effective networking and cultural exchange • We support and provide solutions to the business needs and issues for our
members. • We actively promote business between India and the Nordics • We are a commercial bridge between India and the Nordics • We hold business and cultural events • Having social, cultural, political and business related events • We invite the good and relevant speakers, at the right time who speak
about the current and future business topics related to India and the Nordics
• Attract the right companies and the and people • Visit our website: www.nibcc.com
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Examples
• Kersi Mistry’s Office.
– Insurance case
• Experiences with Danes and Scandinavians establishing businesses in India
• Attitudes, approach and traditions are changing!
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How are Indians different
• The argumentative Indian
• Diversity is important for success
• Lack of punctuality
• Excess staff
• Too emotional
• Tough to work with?
• Cautious & don't trust easily
• Lousy work-life balance
• If you can't beat them, join 'em
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Lack of punctuality
• Bosses & colleagues feel the pain when they see an colleague strolling 15 minutes late.
– being late by 15 minutes is not considered late
– schedules go haywire but people don't complain
• Not only confined to meetings.
– a dinner or a large function, guests arrive (at least) one hour late. [1]
• [1] President of BMW Group India.
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The argumentative Indian
• We are argumentative by nature. Given the opportunity, we will debate/discuss [1]
•[1]
Nobel laureate Amartya Sen
• Meetings can go on, everyone going in circles
– The tradition & importance of public debate
• Because of our inductive approach to understand
• We make it more complex than it really is
• We value the depth of thinking • close the topic, else there is complete chaos
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Conducting meetings, Japanese style
• Japanese are good listeners
– culture not to speak out of turn, ask for suggestions
• Indians are ardent speakers and are impatient
• Every opportunity to articulate their views
• Tendency for time consuming discussions anywhere [1]
»
[1]
Mitsubishi's CEO
• Easy to form a discussion group.
– Ask someone something and suddenly five people are around you and you can discuss anything
[1].
–[1]
MD of Ricoh
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Diversity is important for success
• Work culture in Goa different to Mumbai
– Punjabis are so different from South Indians
– People of Delhi are so different from Mumbai [1]
–
[1]
New Zealander, Hospitality Industry
• India allows the expatriate to use his creative side;
– Adjusting to get to the core of a even national culture
– Most expat see diversity as one of its strengths
• Diversity poses quite a challenge in terms of unanimity of operations, fine-tuning the offerings to different needs
[1]
•
[1]
Volvo Auto India MD (Swede).
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(Always) excess staff
• Establishment manage many people
– eight people pushed the boarding ladder at the airport – CEO of MTS India
• Pamper the guest in hotels and retail
• Splitting one person's job among three
– reduces wages, but also a challenge
– in the west if you move something heavy, build wheels
– in India, you just get six more people – CEO The Renaissance Mumbai
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We're too emotional
• Highly engaged and emotional with work
– disturbs expats used to a less engaged workforce
– indians wear their heart on their sleeve
– criticise work clearly is rather upsetting
– bad news, it has to be carefully packaged. – Former Australian High commissioner, now Financier in
Bangalore
• Performance appraisals is a herculean task
– likely to fly into a rage or burst into tears
– give only positive feedback, leave criticism unsaid – L'Oreal's CEO
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Cautious & don't trust easily
• Trust deficit in Indian business and society
– until a relationship develops
– customers tend to escalate issues very quickly – President and managing director, Ford India.
• Indian culture to earn a person's trust
• once on-board, the loyalty commendable
• treated like family. – Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars.
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Lousy work-life balance
• Indian CEOs say; work 18 hours & build the nation
• E-mails from colleagues well after mid-night
– employees told to maintain a good work-life balance
• Spending long hours in office links with inefficiency
• No distinction between work and life in India
– relates to being in a different level in the economic hierarchy
– President, BMW Group.
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If you can't beat them, join 'em 1/3
• Very hierarchical
• Hard to call the boss by his first name.
• E-mails begin with "My respected sir”
• Too eager to please
• Bowing low & garlanding is occasional & symbolic
• Focus on hierarchy; people take titles seriously
• Adding the suffix jee after the names of colleagues – Volvo Auto India, MD AND MANY MORE
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If you can't beat them, join 'em 2/3
• let the boss decide on big issues & high stakes
– makes the organisation less entrepreneurial
– avoid taking responsibility & blame if things go wrong
– if it goes wrong, blame something else, still no liability
• Tendency to push decisions up to promoter level
• Developed the flavour and concept of team work
• Take into account the hidden rules of work/culture – President, L'Oreal India
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If you can't beat them, join 'em 3/3
• ThyssenKrupp India tried to demolish hierarchies and distribute responsibilities according to responsibilities, capabilities and accountability like they do in Germany.
• ThyssenKrupp then called in a team of senior colleagues to rework processes and work issues
– CEO, ThyssenKrupp
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The result was chaos!
5% more ensures 100% global standard
• Follow due process, believe in business processes
– systems & processes are the life blood of any company
• The young workforce wants space & freedom
• The adventure sports of daily life
– laborers atop skyscrapers, painting the walls without a proper harness or life-line
– Work culture attitude towards health and safety
– cost of safety built in and construction labour didn't see their job as a trade.
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5% more ensures 100% global standard
• Say what you want to hear is ingrained in culture • I'm 99% sure I will be there, means no plan to be there at all
• I'll be with you in five minutes means waiting a long time.
• It's not about honesty, it's a way of being courteous
• The last minute attitude towards deadlines • has sent many expat CEO blood pressures through the roof
• stretch the deadline to make sure things fall in place
– Time management can be quite fluid in India
• many work late hours into the night, even on weekends, to meet the deadline.
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NIBCC c/o Copenhagen Compliance®
Danish Technical University Science and Technology Park
Diplomvej 381, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark [email protected] www.copenhagencompliance.com
Tel. +45 2121 0616
Kersi F. Porbunderwalla is the CEO of NIBCC. His team at Copenhagen Compliance® develops and implements accounting, finance and GRC applications, frameworks and roadmaps. He is an accountant, consultant, lecturer, instructor, researcher, analyst and practitioner with a network of qualified associates and consultants on 4 continents.