CULTURE SPECIAL ....................Us & Them

Us & Them





Cutural instincts differ widely across societies -and this has major implications for Indian MNCs

In Victorian England, when it was quite fashionable for people to write knowledgably about cultures they'd briefly encoun tered on their travels, one Favell Mortimer, a descendent of the family that founded Barclays Bank, wrote two popular books called The Countries of Europe Described and Far Off: Asia and Australia Described. The Spaniards, she informed her English readers, “are not only idle, they are very cruel,“ and the French “like things smart but are not very clean.“ Further afield, in Afghanistan, she wrote, “the men are terrible looking creatures ­ tall dark and grim,“ while the Burmese are “very deceitful and tell lies on every occasion.“

Such insensitive stereotyping has since become politically incorrect and few would flaunt such views -but that doesn't mean they don't hold them. Differences exist and though it's no longer considered polite to compartmentalise people on the basis of race and nationality, there is quite often a kernel of truth to many of these perceptions. Social psychologist Gurnek Bains, who has recently written a book on the subject, titled Cultural DNA: the psychology of globalization, says that most people who cherished the idea that people are essentially the same everywhere have come to abandon it. “Those who have moved to a different culture and lived there for some time realise the surface similarity is something of an illusion, only held by the tourist or business traveller. Things can appear familiar on the surface but over time a gradual realisation sinks in that the cultural instincts of different societies really are different in profound ways,“ he says.

This has big implications for Indian companies that are setting up operations across the world. Bains, who is the founder chairman of the $45 million (2014 revenues) YSC, a London based consulting firm, says there is no such thing as a global company, just as there is no such thing as a global citizen.“Every company is rooted in the place of its origin and those who make it up the hierarchy tend to be socialised into the host culture.Genuine diversity and inclusiveness has eluded most multinationals,“ he says.

Indian executives working in multinationals tend to agree. Anuranjita Kumar, managing director and chief human resource officer (CHRO) of Citibank South Asia, has worked in London, New York and Singapore and she recalls the process of adjustment in these places as being quite a struggle. “I had to get myself a transition coach to help me through the process,“ she says. “Britons are very polite and won't disagree with you publicly. So, my presentations would often be greeted with a stony silence.Then, there were the nuances of language. They'd call my ideas “interesting,“ which actually means “dubious.“ I was told it's impolite to start talking about work right away on a Monday. You have to start by asking how the other person's weekend was. Indians are passionate about work but in the West, it is just a part of life.“

Kumar recalls attending a workshop in Europe where an international set of participants was posed this question: suppose you are travelling in a car late at night with a close friend and you accidentally hit and kill a pedestrian crossing the road. You're the only eye witnesses and everything hinges on your testimony. Would you attempt to shift the blame for the accident on the pedestrian or would you tell the truth, knowing it will send your friend to jail? “The Dutch and German participants are unambiguous in their choice ­ to them, honesty is more important than relationships. Asians, on the other hand value relationships, and inevitably see the situation as a dilemma,“ she says.

While the Asian nations may have certain cultural characteristics in common, there are also differences. Prabir Jha, President & Group CHRO, Reliance Industries, believes Japanese, Koreans and Chinese are the most difficult cultures for Indians to handle.“Much gets lost in translation when we interact with these cultures. Indian managers are a lot more westernised than their Korean counterparts. For example, they are not multi-taskers. If you try and give a Korean an assignment while he is doing something else, he will interrupt and say, can I please finish this first? As Indians, we might think the other guy is shirking,“ he says.Reliance doesn't have large operations abroad, but it does employ a fair number of expatriates in India.

Larsen & Toubro (L&T), on the other hand, is rapidly expanding its operations abroad, both in information technology (IT) and construction. Like other Indian companies going global, L&T is grappling with the question of whether it should have an Indian or a local heading the office abroad. “For an individual, knowing more than two cultures is impossible,“ says Yogi Sriram, Head, Corporate HR, Larsen & Toubro. “In the Middle East, we've decided to have a son-of-the-soil heading operations rather than sending an Indian. They go by relationships and are more comfortable in dealing with someone they know.In information technology (IT), you need to induct global managers as a business imperative. That means you have to adjust to differing leadership styles. Americans are good at taking on roles within a team, they don't need to be told. In Korea and Japan it doesn't happen easily, so role definition is important.“

In his book, Bains uses his knowledge of anthropology and behaviour al genetics (he's a PhD in psychology from Oxford, with a doctoral thesis on attribution theory) to explain why such cultural differences exist. A case in point: there is a gene called DRD4 which influences dopamine levels and those with long version of this gene tend to be adventurous, novelty seeking, rebellious and hyperactive. Around 75% of South American Indians possess the long allele version of DRD4, with the number reducing to 30% for Americans and 20% for Europeans. In China, the presence of the long allele is close to zero.

Attributing cultural characteristics to genetics is controversial but Bains says, “If some of the differences attributed to cultures reflect such biological factors it may be wiser to recognise this fact rather than pretend otherwise. At the very least this can absolve individuals from personal blame and lead to greater empathy when their behaviours are not in accordance with what others expect.“ Since Bains is a person of Indian origin ­ his parents migrated from Punjab to Britain when he was seven years old ­ he has often been the consult ant of choice for foreigners who want to understand Indian business culture. In London, his firm services Land Rover, where British executives sought his help in understanding their new bosses after the Tata Motor takeover. In the US, Bains is asked a more general question: why are Indian children always winners of the National Spelling Bee competition (11 of the past 15 contests have been won by Indians)?
Bains explains it in terms of the oral tradition of religious transmission in Indian culture. The Vedas have been transmitted orally over thousands of years, incorporating all kinds of mnemonic methods that made the otherwise gargantuan task easier. “Indian cultural DNA is strong on disciplined memorisation,“ says Bains.

“Even today, one is struck by the emphasis on rote learning in the Indian education system.

The Spelling Bee is a cakewalk in comparison.“

Indeed, Cultural DNA challenges many Western shibboleths, including the Intelligence Quotient, which has long been the basis of measuring intelligence across the world. “The analytic, logical, structured approach beloved by Western researchers is only one way of looking at intellect. It ignores wisdom, judgement, creativity and intellectual flexibility, which are the strengths of other cultures,“ says Bains.

The cultural DNA of European and American societies has given them an edge in the past, but in the new Asian era, their superiority is under challenge. “My aim is to help create a level playing field,“ says Bains. “Other societies can learn something from those aspects of western society that have led them to be successful, but they do not have to be intimidated by their success. But if other societies are to catch up, they need to appreciate both the underlying strength and also the limitations that their own cultural DNA creates for them in the emerging new world. “

By Dibeyendu Ganguly

CDET24JUL15