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®

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Diplomvej 381, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark Info@copenhagencompliance.com 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.