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Doing Business In India
The Indian continent and culture is diverse and
different depending on the different regional values that are part
of the local character of each city. While western society has
influenced business it has not dramatically changed the way business
is conducted today.
Many businesses continue to be family owned and
operated, ranging from large multinational companies to small local
operations. This tradition continues to be an important part of
business dealing in India as there may be more or a moral philosophy
and attitude rather than one geared towards only the bottom line
profitability.
Different regions have been classified broadly
by their attitudes toward business:
Southern / Eastern: Conservative
North / Western: Individualistic and Liberal
Introductions are critical when doing business
because there may be many different influencers in the room and it
may be difficult to pinpoint a particular decision maker. Bring
plenty of business cards for your dealings, many people may ask for
a few to pass to others that may need to contact you for follow up
items and questions.
One of the traditions that still transcend
business is the status of society hierarchy amongst Indians. While
this is slowly changing, different areas of the country are more
strongly influenced by the status that individuals may have based
upon their familial heritage. Most Indians are raised to show
respect for age and loyalty to family and religious beliefs and
continue to show this trait in respect for observation of holidays
and family obligations.
Indians are typically conservative in nature
and are not impulsive. Careful consideration goes into every major
decision and input is received from a variety of sources including
instinctive / intuitive feelings that a person may have. Many times
there will need to be a few meetings before any decision is made and
there will be offline discussions and questions amongst Indian
business people. Discussions and arguments about pros and cons of
different proposals and ideas will most likely not occur during a
meeting and will be discussed outside the presence of other business
people. |
