Learn about Indian Culture and how to use the knowledge in business setting

1. Indian Culture by The Apprentiice

2. INDIA
ORDER IN CHAOS
www.theapprentiice.com

3. Culture
• Way of living, doing
things & reacting
• Set of shared attitudes,
values, thoughts, goals,
practices and actions
• An integrated pattern of
human knowledge,
belief and behavior
www.theapprentiice.com

4. Language
• 14 major and 300 minor
languages spoken
• National – Hindi, Official –
Hindi, English
• English : widely used in
business, politics and
education
www.theapprentiice.com

5. Hierarchy
• Strict hierarchy
• Defined - roles, status and social
order
• Decisions - made at the highest
level
• Example - Manual labour only be
carried by the "peon"

6. Doing Business - Meeting and Greeting
• Titles are very important.
Always use professional titles
• Handshake. Sometimes
‘Namaste’
• Suffix "-jee" is a sign of a
high caste
• Business cards should be
exchanged at the first
meeting
• Business lunches are
preferred to dinners
www.theapprentiice.com

7. Doing Business - Meetings and Negotiations
• Meetings - arrange in advance, no
holiday clashing
• Punctuality -10 minutes late
permitted
• Family responsibilities - take
priority over business
• Approach and greet the most
senior figure first
• Negotiations – can be slow
• Show patience and trust
• Guides - Intuition, feeling and faith
www.theapprentiice.com

8. Appearance
• Business:
Men - suit and tie
Women- conservative dresses or
pantsuits.
• Casual dressing:
Men – short sleeved shirts and
long pants Women - upper arms,
chest, back, legs covered most of
the times
• Exercising: Men - Shorts, Woman -
Pants
• Leather products -considered
offensive, especially in temples
www.theapprentiice.com

9. Behavior
• (Never) Touch someone else’s head - not
even to pat the hair of a child
• Standing with hands on your hips - angry,
aggressive posture
• Whistling - is impolite
• Winking - may be as either an insult or a
sexual proposition
• Shoes or feet touch another person-
apologize
• Gifts are not opened in the presence of the
giver

10. Communications
• Word ‘NO’- harsh
implications
• More polite, Evasive refusals
are common
• Never directly refuse an
invitation. Acceptable refusal
- "I’ll try"
• Do not thank your hosts at
the end of a meal. "Thank
you“- form of payment and
therefore insulting

11. Geert Hofstede analysis (k)
• a high level of inequality of power and wealth within the
society as accepted by population as cultural norm.
• gap between values of men and women is higher
• the culture may be more open to unstructured ideas and
situations
• the culture may be more open to unstructured ideas and
situations
www.theapprentiice.com

12. Edward T Hall
• High context refers to societies or groups where people
have close connections over a long period of time.
• Low context refers to societies where people tend to have
many connections but of shorter duration or for some
specific reason
www.theapprentiice.com

13. This is also India…
www.theapprentiice.com

15. References
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture
• http://www.crossculturecommunication.org
• http://www.cyborlink.com/besite/india.htm

16. For a course on Global Culture,
please visit
www.theapprentiice.com