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t is a mistake to believe that people all over the world think and behave in similar fashion. Many Indians who come to live and work in America are not always aware of the differences between the American way of thinking and acting and the Indian. This often creates conflict in social and work relationships. To work in harmony with Americans, Indians need to understand some key traits that are commonly associated with Americans: 1. Americans prefer direct and open communication. Though Americans appear casual in their friendly way of communication (they have a great sense of humor), they do not like indirect communication, or words that carry `hidden agenda’. The American way is typified with: `Tell it like it is’; `So, what’s the bottom line?’ `Let’s net it out’. Americans like to receive `to the point’ information and in a straightforward manner so that they can take fast decisions. Though polite, Americans do not hesitate to disagree with you and say `No’. If he feels that you are meandering and being indirect, an American may hold up a hand, and say, `Tell me what you really think about this deal.’ These words sound abrupt, and when accompanied by strong, direct, and often lengthy eye contact, appear aggressive to Indians who culturally speak more politely, indirectly, and with minimum eye contact. 2. Americans do not waste time. `Get the report ready yesterday.’ `Lead, follow, or get out of the way!’ typify the American attitude to time. For Americans, time is money and must be used well. For many other cultures, time is a–plenty! Americans often lose out to more patient negotiators, who simply wait silently (for days, sometimes!) till the American gets tired of the inaction and the silence, and makes unnecessary concessions to close the deal. 3. Americans prefer to work alone. They hero-worship the `Lone Ranger’. They like to work by themselves and complete transactions quickly, rather than discuss with team members. This may put them in a disadvantageous position when they face large teams in business negotiations. Also, they may give the impression that they cannot work in teams, have no team support, or are not important enough to have a team with them! The fact, however, is that they work in teams, and are famous for `looking out for each other’, for not letting a colleague down. A typical American hero is the policeman who will avenge the shooting of a `partner’ by the `bad guys’. 4. Americans are more concerned with immediate returns and short-term gains. Americans are very competitive, both at work and at play. Money is a major priority, above status, protocol, etc., as exemplified by: `It is all about MONEY, honey’! And, `What’s in it for me?’ For Americans, the `real’ issues are: Modalities, payments, deliveries, dead-lines and results. And yet, a large number of anonymous Americans are big donors to various charities all over the world. Indians, however, often engage in lengthy social chit-chat to develop long-term business relationships. 5. Americans focus more on the logical, and less on the emotional aspects of business. Objective facts, technicals, and practical concerns dominate over subjective feelings and relationship issues. `Let’s get down to figures’, is more important than `I trust him because he is my friend / brother’. 6. Americans are very precise and legalistic. Though casual in demeanor, Americans are disciplined and work according to well defined and laid down rules about almost everything, and use experts when in doubt. They insist on written, precise, detailed contracts, backed by legal opinion and wording. 7. Americans are willing to take chances to achieve. Americans take big risks and prefer to `go the whole hog’, rather than take tentative steps. They are future oriented and prefer innovation to tradition. In business dealings Americans always come with a financial plan in place and work hard to follow that plan. They will `make a kill’ if the opportunity presents itself. 8. Americans have limited knowledge of the social and business norms of other countries. In the past, though they willingly adapted and adopted other cuisines and even languages, Americans lacked cross-cultural understanding. This ignorance led to breakdowns in international negotiations. Today, however, America has a high level of global awareness. Americans now take pains to understand global cultures before engaging with foreign business partners. |
Renu is an English (Hons.) from Delhi University, and a Post Graduate from XLRI, Jamshedpur, where she was awarded the Hindustan Lever Scholarship for both years, and also won two gold medals for academic excellence.She taught post-graduate management students at XLRI for nearly 16 years. Renu started her own consultancy in 1992. Executives from over 600 companies in India and abroad have attended Renu’s in-house training programmes on Cross-cultural Understanding, Global Business Etiquette, and Presentation and Communication Skills. India’s top business journals and magazines (India Today, Business World, Business Today, Intelligent Investor, HR Capital, Femina, Cosmopolitan, etc.), and newspapers (Indian Express, Amar Ujala, Dainik Jagran, Pioneer, Telegraph, Hindustan Times, Economic Times, etc.), and BBC and other TV channels have written about her and featured her work. She has written over 400 articles, and been published abroad and in India. A monthly column contributor on `Business Etiquette’ to India’s premier HR journal, `Human Capital’, Renu has been invited to read papers at various international seminars in India and abroad. She travels abroad extensively and often, to learn about global etiquette and to train. She enjoys crossword puzzles, Sudoku, and has a personal library of over 12,000 books. |
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Thank you for the valuable information. It is very useful.
Added By Tej Kaul