O India! To be
honest, India is not a place I would ever have considered visiting, but the
experience proved to be a great learning lesson, not just from the business
perspective, but also from the humanistic.
At first glance, your
senses are bombarded by noise, crowding, pollution, smells, and chaos. Audible, tangible, and visual chaos. We were quite appropriately warned that if we
cherish our systematic organization, we should be prepared for a shock when we
entered India. That couldn’t have been
more accurate. An activity as mundane
and routine as crossing the roadway was an out-of-culture experience!
However, Indian culture also thrives on and demonstrates
profound hospitality and polite manner.
Personally, I was not prepared for the level of service afforded to us
on a daily basis, from our National Management School hostess that took us
immediately under her wing to guide us through a crowded and disorienting early
morning airport arrival in Chennai, to the daily assistance from practically every
Indian citizen encountered.
At our company site visits, we were able to see a more
Westernized organization and calm to a degree.
Upon entry into L&T InfoTech’s massive and beautiful facilities, it
was evident that the class was in for a treat. From the very first contact with the company
hostess, who was expecting us and received us with sincere interest and hospitality,
to the final question and answer session in one of the modern classrooms, to
the tour of the executive access only skywalk, company representatives and
executives treated us to a professional and enjoyable experience and gave us a
look inside a premier Indian engineering company.
In parallel with other observations of the country in
general, L&T offered examples of service orientation, hospitality,
innovation, creativity, flexibility, adaptability and cultural tolerance.
The concept of collectivism
was evident in the call center we visited. In cubicle spaces typically occupied by one
person in America, Indian people tended to sit closer together, and occupy two
to a space. I saw many empty cubicles,
and those with occupants always had two or more employees collaborating,
discussing, or just working together. In sharp contrast to the collectivist social
norm of India where people are used to dealing with and adapting to the chaos
of masses packed into precious small space, Americans tend to cherish and
occupy more personal space. Rarely will
you see an American work cubicle environment where people choose to work
together in close quarters for any length of time. This affinity for collectivism is what makes
the Indian culture ideal for workers that thrive in a team work environment. Collaboration is expected and welcomed, tolerance is inherent and adaptability is the
norm.
Another memorable site visit was to the community eye care
clinic. It quickly became evident that
compassion, free care for the impoverished community, and world class quality
in the provision of that care are indeed possible. I’ve never seen a more organized, well run
clinic environment, where clients could expect the same level of service (or
better) than that would be found in a fee-for-service private health care
provider’s office.
While the chaos and disparities are perhaps the noisiest
memories, the biggest learning lesson to come home with me is that we have much
to learn. Societal norms already in
place in a country with a massive population, young and upcoming professionals,
and a developing education system all equate to great potential for
business. As more and more business and
global economy enters India, and with the right pace of implementation and
sustainability, the better for business and
for the country of India.
