IndiaThink

What is: Individualism?

America is the most individualistic country in the world by almost every cultural researcher’s account on record. We instill independence in our children at a young age, pushing them out in their early twenties to support themselves.  Children are allowed and encouraged to disagree with elders, displaying their independent thought.  Our individualism spills into our work life, where we identify ourselves by our profession and what we have achieved.  Through our protestant origins Americans believe people are blessed through hard work and determination, which leads to their perceived success.  These ideals result in Americans deriving extensive identity from their profession with a tendency to believe that ANYTHING is possible.  Training, hard work, effort, determination are the keys to the kingdom. 

This is, unfortunately, the exact opposite of the cultural preferences found for the most part in India.  Activities that are designed for the US will not work as well in a collectivist society.  Training courses that ask attendees to raise their hand if they know the right answer insight competition that is expected in the US but dreaded in India. Creating incentive programs where the top sales person, consultant, driver, or any other job should be avoided.  Calling attention to someone on staff in a way that an American would enjoy and blush will horrify most Indians. 

Be Mindful.  Before implementing a program think about what will motivate participants. Group awards, group projects, group thinking.  You get the picture.

What is: Collectivism?

Indians live in a collectivist society where individuals set aside personal goals for the good of the whole.  Identities are born and cultivated through family lineage and caste membership resulting in an identified in-group rather than striving for a personal identity. India’s people to not strive for independence from their in-group seeking individual rights” and desires over the group. Instead, respecting elders and taking on tasks to insure the happiness of the in-group, which includes workplace teams, are top duties. This is challenging to an American mind because our society is the most individualist in the world..or the opposite of collectivist.

Indian collectivist preferences coupled with in-country hierarchical structures and a fatalistic belief system result in an employee who appears to be the bi-polar opposite of the typical American worker. Employees tend to be satisfied with their current position within their team. They may avoid working at a faster pace or at a higher level than their perceived in-group to avoid individual attention. Exerting effort to achieve the goals of the in-group, is seen as a top priority. Enhancing these preferences is the overwhelmingly valued seniority system. Workers in the tech community may ignore the seniority system entirely, instead opting to seek out the same position at a different company for higher pay.

American awareness of these cultural aspects decreases surprise over the lifetime of a project. Accounting for these differences is requires creativity:

• Assigning tasks to the team instead of individuals is a perfect strategy for a group so willing to work together. By tracking the status of each project milestone as a group, they will share successes and failures. This is highly prevalent inside the call centers in India, where teams work together to meet a goal and are rewarded as a team with a team activity. 

• Avoid expecting teams to have a few overachievers, or those looking to take on additional responsibility. Instead, focusing on the group as a whole will be more effective.

• Market training as required by the employees’ position instead as a career stepping stone.  Americans must remember that training often appears as a stepping-stone in the US to a larger position. This branding may cause a low attendance rate through erroneous perceptions by the team.

• Realize teams that have strong underlying cohesion may produce a product with greater efficiency through their thorough understanding of the strengths and weaknesses existing inside.

What is: Power Distance?

Power distance is a way to explain the handling of differences between groups existing in a system of inequality. It reflects a culture’s attitude towards human inequality which defines itself inside organizations through a manager subordinate relationship. Where low power distance is present, managers and subordinates have egalitarian relationships with access to near equal levels of power. High power distance thrives inside hierarchical organizations where importance is placed on social status of employees.

In the US, low power distance thrives inside flattened organizational models where levels of hierarchy are reduced by creating top-light teams composed of equal standing members. According to one college business text; “flat organizations emphasize a decentralized approach to management that encourages high employee involvement in decisions (Allen, 1998).” These structures break down organizational hierarchy and reduce the power distance between superiors and subordinates, giving workers more autonomy or freedom. Subordinates will have open conversations with management regarding validity of group objectives and future strategies. Management solicits these activities, often viewing them as a way to judge a subordinate’s ability to insight vision and lead.

India’s culture prefers high power distance inside its hierarchical organizations. These structures are shaped by formal layers of management working up and down the organization to make decisions and divvy up duties. Tasks are assigned based on status in the organization using detailed and definitive instructions. Top-down decision-making, hierarchical relationships, and monitoring of workers...most Americans like to call this micromanagement.

Bottom line:

• Begin relationships with the assumption that high power distance and hierarchical structures are present.

• Expect a more formalized structure for communication between Indian managers and subordinates than in the US.

• Use techniques that make you scream this is micromangement--managers should provide a detailed roadmap for employees to follow when performing tasks.

• Avoid creating forums that thrive in low power distance environments. Researchers belive that Indian colleagues may criticize and more importantly distrust a US manager acting with low power distance principals. Requesting for feedback on your performance may send an indication of weak leadership.