Culture Blog: Cross cultural and intercultural communication in India

In his CNN article, What ‘Situation Room Photo’ Reveals about Us, John Blake suggests that a now-famous photo of the white house situation room reveals much about American attitudes towards “race, women, and presidential swagger”.

The photo was taken by Pete Souza and shows President Obama and his national security team watching a live video of the mission to kill Osama Bin Laden.

Living cross-culturally provides us with a slightly different perspective on what the photo reveals about Americans. Notice, for instance, how Obama is the most powerful man in the room, yet seated at the lowest position at the side of the table. Also notice his casual dress and informal posture. What does this reveal about American preferences for informality? What does this reveal about American’s attitudes towards power distance?  When other world leaders such as President Hu Jintao of China, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, or Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India meet with their advisors on issues critical to national security, does the scene look the same?

In India, the polite way of handling a check or bill at the end of a meal is to have a “mini argument” over who will pay. Offering to pay the entire bill is obligatory and the idea of “going dutch” is foreign to most Indians. Of course, if you are the “uncle” or the “boss” you are expected to pay.

In America, dividing the check is often a tedious event even for those of us who grew up expecting to split the bill. For many Indians, discussing the financial aspects of a relationship creates a good deal of uncertainty and tension.

As reported by the WSJ journal article Group Dining Site Offers New Way to Split the Bill, the web service gDine.com was started by two Indian Americans and allows you to split the bill ahead of time by paying for your meal online. Did the idea for the service originate because they felt more tension than Americans when the check was divided at the end of dinner?   If so, what other entrepreneurial ideas have been the result of living cross-culturally?

Reflections on CEO Tips on Getting and Retaining Leaders, a Blog in the Wall Street Journal by Shefali Anand

Currently MNCs in India are struggling to meet customer satisfaction goals due to major issues with employee retention. In his recent WSJ blog post, Shefali Anand reports that a personal touch during the first 3 to 6 months of a new hire’s employment may be more important to retention than salary.

During Shanti’s cultural workshops, we have often asked Indian participants to describe what it means to be Indian. They often describe themselves as sentimental, meaning sensitive in their relationships. I wonder if this may have more of an impact on employee loyalty than we realize. One IT company in north India with very low levels of turnover found that employees are loyal because of a strongly relational corporate culture. Creating an atmosphere where relationships are affirmed may very well be the key to retention.

Read Anand’s post…

According to a survey conducted by Accenture, corporate executives believe that cross-cultural communication training has increased productivity in their organizations by 27 to 30 percent. The findings of the survey suggest that cross-cultural communication competency is a key factor in making global business partnerships successful.

The report explains, “Different ways of communicating, of completing work tasks and raising issues for discussion and resolving them, can derail a global project team…

A strong commitment to effective training with regard to cultural differences can help.”

View the full report here…