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News
| BEST PRACTICES FOR WORKING WITH TEAMS IN INDIA |
| 04/12/2007 |
400 of Fortune 500 companies now have operations in India. While India may be an attractive destination for organizations, it is also a country that leaves companies struggling with a range of challenges. These challenges are often rooted in cultural and communication issues. Adding to the complexity are operational issues, misaligned processes and host of virtual team problems. In order to reap the benefits that India has to offer, it is imperative for companies to address these problems.
Based on our experience working with several global companies that offshore to India, outlined below are key best practices that can help companies integrate the teams in India seamlessly.
1. Recognize and bridge cultural differences between Americans and Indians by providing cross-cultural training to both sides.
Organizations that fail to recognize the impact of culture on teamwork set themselves up for failure. US and Indian team members often have very different orientation towards key business dimensions such as time, hierarchy/power, conflict, motivation, self-identity and most importantly communication styles. Cultural conditioning runs deep and underlying assumptions, beliefs and attitudes often create national cultural prototypes. Awareness of these national cultural patterns can help teams work more effectively.
We frequently hear teams based in US complain – “Our Indian counterparts don’t have a sense of urgency, they often miss deadlines”; “Indian pace is more relaxed.” Orientation towards time for folks in India is more fluid and flexible as compared to a more fixed and rigid orientation towards time for Americans. People in India often have a more relaxed approach as they believe that time cannot be always managed and activities that focus on relationships should take precedence over completing tasks. For example, taking a week off from work to help out with a friend’s or family wedding is not uncommon; being late (mostly for social events and sometimes also for business meetings) is typical.
Differences in communication styles inevitably add more complexity to teamwork. According to a recent research study by Accenture (May, 2006), 76% of people cite different communication styles as the most common cultural issue that causes problems between onshore and offshore workers. People in India tend to be more polite and indirect in their style as opposed to Americans who are usually more straight forward and direct. The Indian culture values harmony in relationships and the message is often implied mostly to avoid tension in relationships. US mangers often tell us that “We seldom hear a no to our request even if the person is not sure if they will be able to deliver” or “A yes from my team in India could mean a yes, no or maybe”; “You need to probe and keep asking questions to better understand what my Indian counterpart is saying.”
Differences in attitudes of team members towards people in hierarchical or authoritative positions is also a common cause for frustration for teams on both sides. The US team members on one side tend to value equality and avoid status conscious behavior. On the other hand, Indians believe people in authoritative position should be respected which often results in Indian team members not voicing their opinions in front of superiors or contradicting their superiors. We hear managers based in the US complain –“India team lacks initiative.” “We have to repeatedly ask them for input or feedback” “Why do they act deferential?” “I feel I am micromanaging my team in India”
Several companies now offer cross-cultural training that focuses on specific differences between India and the US. According to the Accenture study, respondents believe that cross-cultural training increases productivity 26 percent when working with offshore workers. While conducting cross-cultural training for teams in the US, we are often asked this question – “Do you provide similar training for teams in India to help them understand US business culture?” We strongly recommend providing cross-cultural training to teams on both sides.
2. Culture vs. Operational: Identify and address both issues
Culture is no doubt a significant factor in causing miscommunication between teams. At the same time, organizations should not overlook the fact that often some operational root causes need to be identified and addressed. The cultural and operational issues tend to be overlapping but need to be addressed as distinct. Organizations need to continuously evaluate and answer questions such as: Do we have the right offshoring model? Are we offshoring the right projects? How can we improve the workplace processes to improve productivity of offshore teams? How do we move beyond cost arbitrage?
We recommend conducting a periodic assessment of the strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities of your operational model, involving key stakeholders on both sides.
3. Follow the 5 C’s of effective communication
There is nothing like over-communication when it comes to working with offshore teams. Cultural Knowledge, Clarity of message, Consistency in following-up, Confirmation and Common team norms helps teams significantly reduce challenges. Being aware and open-minded towards cultural differences, being clear and concise with your message, consistently and regularly following-up with your offshore team, confirming and checking-in to see that every one is on the same page and communicating what the common team norms are will help team members on both sides.
As a general rule, always over-communicate when dealing with the offshore team members in India. It's OK to repeat yourself. It's not OK to leave out anything even though it may seem to be an obvious detail. Keep in mind, things that are obvious to the onsite team members may not be as apparent to the offshore members. Ask questions – do not assume anything. The offshore team members won't always be very vocal or express their concerns. They won't bring up critical issues before it's too late. You'll need to probe, at least initially, to find out what issues the team is facing that may turn out to be a risk in the project.
4. Relationship before Tasks
A US manager told us – “One of the offshore team members invited the whole department to his wedding!” Work relationships are often very important for people in India. We often recommend managers in the US to take an opportunity and visit their team in India. There is absolutely no substitute for face-to-face interaction with teams. Go an extra mile to establish one-on-one relationship with as many offshore team members as possible. Show interest in their work, if possible, encourage members to visit on rotational assignments, go out with them for lunch or dinner – get to know your counterparts.
5. Build common ground: move away from the “onsite” and “offsite” terminology
We often hear people say “India folks”; “the offsite/offshore group”. It is important to move away from the “they vs. us” mentality. In order for the team to be successful it needs to perform as one project team. Always refer to the entire team as "we," as in, "Do we need more information from the user?" vs. "Do you guys (offshore) want us (onsite) to get more information from the user?"
Teams in India often complaint: “We don’t get the big picture – who is the customer, what are the organizational goals etc.”; “We are given a small piece of the project and then expected to understand what the customer needs!” Provide as much information to the offshore team members as possible. Educate them about the client organization, their business, the stakeholders and their expectations. Explain what business benefits the project will bring to the client and the delivery organization. There is nothing more exciting to team members than to see the difference their efforts are making to the business. This applies to both onsite and offshore team members. But in case of the offshore members, it's that much more important, as they're removed from the action. This ultimately helps reduce the turnover rate of teams in India – people want to feel included and be assigned challenging work.
Author: Shilpa Pherwani Managing Partner – Ibis Consulting Group, Inc.
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