Cultural differences 2. Colleagues from India
I work in the Israeli branch of a large American company. It is necessary to work a lot with Hindus and Americans, even there are groups in which a part of people sits in another country.
Therefore, once a year we hold seminars on cultural differences. How to communicate with colleagues from other countries.
My first story was about Americans .
Today is about Hindus.
I work a lot with Hindus. There is even in the company "my" Hindu - an architect like me, who was responsible for the new Logic Business app with me. At that time we spoke on the messenger or on the phone every day, I took care of him during my visits to Israel, took him to Jerusalem on my own initiative, and even invited him home.
')
I have a great relationship with him (although not without friction), but as it turned out, I didn’t do everything right :)
Firstly, everything that I wrote about Americans in terms of “soft” expressions is true for Hindus and in general for all. When communicating with anyone, it’s better to say “Great idea, I have only a few corrections” in a situation where you think “What nonsense !?”.
But there is a specificity. Questions of racial political correctness of Hindus worry less, but questions of “face loss” - more.
In general, they explained to us that the most important thing in Eastern cultures (Japan is more, India is less, but the idea is the same) - not to lose face. Those. if you tell a subordinate that the boss made a mistake, he loses his face. On the contrary - too. In the letter with the words “You forgot this and that”, adding to the CC chief is inconceivable. The slave is unthinkable. In general, something negative can only be in a personal letter.
Likewise, issues of responsibility. The question “will you have time to do it?” Is likely to be answered “yes”, especially if the chief is in the letter to CC. And then they will not. Of course, many people already think Westernly and can respond directly, but it’s better not to risk, to ask, "By what time do you have time to do it?"
In India, high-tech workers belong to one (or two) castes, but caste issues are not discussed with them.
They all have excellent English, but often difficult to understand accent.
“My” Hindu told me that the British had left them two beautiful things - an excellent system of railways and an excellent education. The status of a teacher is high in any region of the country, even despite the non-wages. (Hmm. What a contrast with Israel. Although there were Englishmen here, the situation is sad with the railways and with school education).
Do not forget that Indians do not eat beef, and some are generally vegetarians. Keep this in mind when you are leading your colleagues from India for lunch (of course, I led my “own” Indian to an Arabian meat restaurant).
Like the Americans (and maybe more), the Indians tend to follow the rules and not improvise.
In fact, about India and Indians on the course was not much - 30 percent, the rest - about the general rules. It was remembered that the socks for business trips should be dark (light for sports) and long (so that hairy legs do not show).
Showed different scales.
1. For example, the context scale. How important the context and subtext are in the conversation.
At one end of the scale - Japan, there is much in the conversation implied, at the other - Israel. With us, as they say, the truth is cut the womb.
2. The scale of the ratio of the power of the superior and subordinates. At one end, those cultures where everything is decisive and the boss (Asian cultures) is responsible for everything, on the other, those where the difference between the subordinate and the boss is minimal (Israel). Their jaws drop when the Israelis say to the boss at the meetings - “What are you saying about, Yosi, you are crazy, what nonsense are you talking about?”
3. The scale, where at one end of the culture in which the relationship between people in business is more important than the result, and at the other - those where the result is important and everything. Israeli high-tech (not all of Israel!) At the extreme result. Give an example. They asked us who such a professional. Well, we threw there about knowledge, efficiency, etc. Long list. And when they asked in Thailand, they said there that, professional, is the one who always walks in costume. At the end where relations are the most important - Arabs and African countries (if you don’t start a relationship, there’s no chance of business success)
4. The scale on which cultures are oriented towards the past (on the edge, again, Arabs and Africa), at the other end are oriented towards the future (States), and Israel is oriented towards the present, therefore Israelis are considered experts in problem solving.
PS About scales - for what I bought, for what I sold, I did not invent them! And he did not specifically write where our lecturer on these scales positioned Russia, so that they would not blame me later on here that I shot poison bullets at Lenin at the Michelson factory :)
UPD. Okay - convinced. On a scale of "past the future" - Russia from those who look to the past. On the scale of "relationship-result" - in the middle, closer to the "relationship". On the other - I do not remember.
UPD2. I add on the advice of dulepov: their gestures for “yes” and “no” are opposite. You tell a Hindu something, and he shakes his head negatively! It turns out he just confirms "yes, I understand"!
Tomorrow - about the Japanese
Therefore, once a year we hold seminars on cultural differences. How to communicate with colleagues from other countries.
My first story was about Americans .
Today is about Hindus.
I work a lot with Hindus. There is even in the company "my" Hindu - an architect like me, who was responsible for the new Logic Business app with me. At that time we spoke on the messenger or on the phone every day, I took care of him during my visits to Israel, took him to Jerusalem on my own initiative, and even invited him home.
')
I have a great relationship with him (although not without friction), but as it turned out, I didn’t do everything right :)
Firstly, everything that I wrote about Americans in terms of “soft” expressions is true for Hindus and in general for all. When communicating with anyone, it’s better to say “Great idea, I have only a few corrections” in a situation where you think “What nonsense !?”.
But there is a specificity. Questions of racial political correctness of Hindus worry less, but questions of “face loss” - more.
In general, they explained to us that the most important thing in Eastern cultures (Japan is more, India is less, but the idea is the same) - not to lose face. Those. if you tell a subordinate that the boss made a mistake, he loses his face. On the contrary - too. In the letter with the words “You forgot this and that”, adding to the CC chief is inconceivable. The slave is unthinkable. In general, something negative can only be in a personal letter.
Likewise, issues of responsibility. The question “will you have time to do it?” Is likely to be answered “yes”, especially if the chief is in the letter to CC. And then they will not. Of course, many people already think Westernly and can respond directly, but it’s better not to risk, to ask, "By what time do you have time to do it?"
In India, high-tech workers belong to one (or two) castes, but caste issues are not discussed with them.
They all have excellent English, but often difficult to understand accent.
“My” Hindu told me that the British had left them two beautiful things - an excellent system of railways and an excellent education. The status of a teacher is high in any region of the country, even despite the non-wages. (Hmm. What a contrast with Israel. Although there were Englishmen here, the situation is sad with the railways and with school education).
Do not forget that Indians do not eat beef, and some are generally vegetarians. Keep this in mind when you are leading your colleagues from India for lunch (of course, I led my “own” Indian to an Arabian meat restaurant).
Like the Americans (and maybe more), the Indians tend to follow the rules and not improvise.
In fact, about India and Indians on the course was not much - 30 percent, the rest - about the general rules. It was remembered that the socks for business trips should be dark (light for sports) and long (so that hairy legs do not show).
Showed different scales.
1. For example, the context scale. How important the context and subtext are in the conversation.
At one end of the scale - Japan, there is much in the conversation implied, at the other - Israel. With us, as they say, the truth is cut the womb.
2. The scale of the ratio of the power of the superior and subordinates. At one end, those cultures where everything is decisive and the boss (Asian cultures) is responsible for everything, on the other, those where the difference between the subordinate and the boss is minimal (Israel). Their jaws drop when the Israelis say to the boss at the meetings - “What are you saying about, Yosi, you are crazy, what nonsense are you talking about?”
3. The scale, where at one end of the culture in which the relationship between people in business is more important than the result, and at the other - those where the result is important and everything. Israeli high-tech (not all of Israel!) At the extreme result. Give an example. They asked us who such a professional. Well, we threw there about knowledge, efficiency, etc. Long list. And when they asked in Thailand, they said there that, professional, is the one who always walks in costume. At the end where relations are the most important - Arabs and African countries (if you don’t start a relationship, there’s no chance of business success)
4. The scale on which cultures are oriented towards the past (on the edge, again, Arabs and Africa), at the other end are oriented towards the future (States), and Israel is oriented towards the present, therefore Israelis are considered experts in problem solving.
PS About scales - for what I bought, for what I sold, I did not invent them! And he did not specifically write where our lecturer on these scales positioned Russia, so that they would not blame me later on here that I shot poison bullets at Lenin at the Michelson factory :)
UPD. Okay - convinced. On a scale of "past the future" - Russia from those who look to the past. On the scale of "relationship-result" - in the middle, closer to the "relationship". On the other - I do not remember.
UPD2. I add on the advice of dulepov: their gestures for “yes” and “no” are opposite. You tell a Hindu something, and he shakes his head negatively! It turns out he just confirms "yes, I understand"!
Tomorrow - about the Japanese
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/114183/
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