Easing your passage from and to India
Posts tagged Cross-Cultural Understanding
Taste of India featured in Rotary Down Under Magazine, Australian Edition
May 21st
THE OCCASION WAS the biennial seminar for Rotary magazines serving the Asia Pacific region – and follows the seminar for all Rotary magazines in Evanston, USA, in 2012.
Principal business of the seminar was to discuss terms of a new five-year Rotary International licence for regional magazines, along with other key issues relating to a single data subscription scheme for all magazines, digital delivery, common branding, modern website development, and future promotion of major events such as Rotary Conventions.
To ensure all visitors obtained maximum benefit from their week-long visit, the host organising team – led by Rotary News India Editor TK Balakrishnan – sought the services of Global Adjustments. Needless to say, the four-hour cultural “lesson” was an outstanding success. The skill and expertise of the staff of Global Adjustments was praised by all participants. Taste of India immerses guests into Indian culture through their five senses. Participants experienced the fragrance of flowers, the beating drums, and the sight of traditional dancers as a traditional welcome. They tasted traditional South Indian food and felt Indian fabric wrapped around them. Global Adjustments trainers guided participants through an insightful view of India while sharing the beautiful artifacts and architecture in their uniquely designed facility.
“A thumbprint of life, living and history in India in just a few hours”, said RDU Board Chairman Des Lawson. Filled with interactive experiences and plenty of great photo opportunities, Global Adjustments’ Taste of India program is the ideal introduction to India for business delegations, tour groups and government agencies. Groups up to 30 can be accommodated at any time. They can be reached at info@globaladjustments.com.
Upworldly Mobile in Bangalore
Feb 12th
Bangalore, Jan. 28, The Park Hotel, M.G. Road
Ranjini Manian’s new book “Upworldly Mobile” was released by Mr. N. R. Narayana Murthy, Founder of Infosys, in partnership with The Park Hotel Bangalore, on a lovely Saturday evening.
A turnout of about 120 business, diplomatic and society leaders of Bangalore listened enthralled as Ranjini shared real-life anecdotes of her 16 years experience running Global Adjustments and interacting with clients from 75 different nationalities. In a humorous and lively way, Ranjini stressed the importance of Cultural Intelligence and adjustments in business life, using her business story with the visiting delegation from a major German automotive company as an example. Years back, she played a role in convincing the Chairman of the Board Dr. Norbert Reithofer about Chennai as the preferred location for their factory, by impressing him with small – but powerful – adjustments to the German culture, e.g. being punctual to the minute. From the same encounter she learned several lessons:
- As you advance in hierarchy ladder, people are simple at the top: For instance, Dr. Reithofer, instead of using the provided fleet of cars, asked for a bus for himself and his colleagues to see India first hand.
- You need to be careful with stereotypical assumptions: When Ranjini asked Dr. Reithofer why he didn’t bother about hierarchy, he said “Well, what is hierarchy, after you have read the book “Who am I” of Ramana Maharshi?” – the German understands Indian philosophy and it’s time for the Indian to speak up for himself.
- If you do something that resonates with someone’s culture, do not hesitate to point that out: When Ranjini dropped Dr. Reithofer back perfectly on “German” time – he noted this and Global Adjustments was soon chosen as the preferred vendor for moving their employees to India.
Mr. Murthy, Founder of Infosys – India’s first company listed on the NASDAQ, New York – and currently independent director of several corporate boards (e.g. HSBC, Unilever, NDTV), stressed the need for Cultural Intelligence in today’s India. In his opinion, there could have been no better time to release a book like “Upworldly Mobile”, as Indians have a lot to learn from other cultures and consequently have to make many adjustments. Ranjini’s book would therefore be very useful in getting to understand the nuances of other cultures, without losing our own cultural roots, he pointed out. Becoming Upworldly Mobile would bring more prosperity to all sections of society – including the less privileged ones, he added.
Mr. Murthy ended by sharing four cross-cultural tips for Indians with his audience, drawing from his experience in leading a 130,000 employee multinational company – Infosys:
- Become “thick skinned”
- Increase integrity
- Say “yes” only after considering consequences
- Stay friendly but don’t get intimate
Find out what he meant by watching the video below:
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