Working better with people from India ? International Business Skills ...

India is a unique, diverse and culturally rich country with a long history and major geographical differences. Managers and professionales who work with Indians need patience and the understanding that India is like a continent with huge differences and contrasts.

So how can we work and communicate better with people from India on International Projects

Here are some cultural factors to help you:

1) Time and Project Management: India has improved a lot on its ability to meet deadlines and deliver projects on time. However inside each project they are not always so good at setting deadlines, establishing benchmarks and milestones. So these points need to be discussed openly and clearly by both sides so these differences can be highlighted. Then both sides can start working on a middle point that works for both sides.

2) Respect and Seniority: Indian society is very hierarchical where older people are very respected. Translated into a company environment this means that respect must be shown to the most senior person and they should often be consulted first even if they are not directly involved or the person who knows most about the project.

3) Managers and professionals: We can put them into 3 categories, in which each category has huge differences in professional experience and ways of working:

• NRI?s (non-resident Indians) who have lived and worked abroad in the US, Europe or Middle East.
• Indians who have worked in multinationals and the international hospitality industry in India.
• Local professionals who are learning how to work with foreigners sometimes for the first time.

4) Language: Hindi and English are India?s official languages. There are also clear differences in the way Indians speak and use English:

• Stress: Indian speakers of English may use different stress patterns from British English and American English speakers, because hindi stresses words at the end of the sentence rather than main words.
• Indian Invented Words: Words used in Indian English which are not used in British English. For example, do the needful (do what?s needed), ?prepone? (=bring forward) and revert (come back to).
• Intonation: Some Indian?s speak English with a ?sing song? intonation.
• Speed: Some Indians speak very quickly reflecting the speed at which they speak Hindi or their own language.

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Read more about the programs of Intercultural Skills for Business of The Practice Office Group.

Read more about India from our blog

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