“This is India,” our guide said to us, and indeed it is as different from New Delhi as I could imagine. The streets are wide; there are actually traffic signals and signs that say “Obey Traffic Rules” (which, of course, is relative). It is evident from the cars and billboards advertising international shops that this is a wealthy city.
Bangalore, The Silicon Valley of India
The Silicon Valley of India is laced with trees—Jacarandas, Acacias, Ficus—colonial-vintage buildings, and broad parkways feeding into congested roads where traffic snakes by. Entire clusters of glass high rise buildings form mini software cities, representing every major developer I’ve heard of and dozens that I’ve not. Driving through those areas, you feel you’re in familiar surroundings with coffee shops, global brands and men in crisply ironed shirts on motor bikes heading to work.
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Everyone seems to be working. You get the feeling that no one is lounging around and there is an energy, evidence of the abundant opportunity in this city. It seems to me that the work ethic is grounded in Hinduism, by that I mean the work ethic feels like “this is what we do; this is what we need to do; and we’re grateful to have the opportunity to do it.” I sense that from everyone, no matter how I come in contact with them. Really a different sensibility that’s very strong and committed to doing a good job, no matter what that job is. And a very deep-seated politeness.
I was so struck today by a remark a delegate voiced in one of our training sessions. We were talking about time zones and how complicated it is to arrange conference calls between the US and India because of the time difference. Some people said it was hard to work until 7pm and then get home (after braving the traffic) and have a call with colleagues in the US at 8pm. One fellow raised his hand and said, “It’s very difficult when you stay awake til midnight and then most of the team on the other end doesn’t even dial in.”
I know that time zone differences are among the most challenging aspects of virtual teams, and the idea has always been to “be fair” and rotate the pain. But it became so strongly personal as I listened to this manager, thinking of him staying awake until midnight only to have many of his colleagues on the other end not show up. Can you imagine how enormously frustrating and demoralizing that would be? What would that do to his morale?
Do you find that group activities, whether in a classroom or on a project team, exacerbate differences or provide a safe space to learn about and synergize with your colleagues? An article by Wei-Wen Chang in Training + Development argues that group activities characterize the former without proper facilitation and can lead to “segregation and misunderstanding.” Chang says that in groups, people “sometimes become more aware of the differences and consciously or unconsciously want to maintain their cultural identity,” thus leading them to a personal, cultural extreme. Could this perhaps be due to the pressure a team can exert on an individual to perform? A common intercultural lesson is that we revert to our cultural roots when under pressure and lose a certain amount of perspective. Can you relate to this experience?
An individual’s preferred method of learning also impacts the ways people interact, or do not interact, in a group. Direct interrogation is common in North America, while silence and contemplation are valued methods of learning in Asia. Facilitators of training can conflate these very different approaches by asking for written or verbal responses to activities, according to Chang. A specific intercultural awareness training I recall for a bi-cultural team of Malaysians and Americans included quizzes on US and Malaysian history and geography. The facilitator gave the quizzes to all participants to demonstrate the lack of knowledge both cultures had of their counterparts country’s. While this activity deliberately segregated the two groups in a very explicit way, it also served to unite them through an informal question and answer session that followed amongst the team members. This allowed the team to engage on matters they knew well, which strengthened their relationships.
How else have you seen group activities encourage or discourage learning in multicultural settings? What did you do to overcome any challenges?
The volcano’s dangerous cloud of ash, blanketing the skies over Europe, has affected businesses and people all over the world. Global economic interdependence has defined the modern world for decades, and the wrench Eyjafjallajokull has thrown into the gears certainly reminds us of the world’s interconnected nature. The import of perishable goods into Europe, like vegetables and flowers, was halted from countries like Kenya. The CNN report below notes how horticultural businesses have had to send laborers home and have contingency plans in place should they need to decide where to send rotting produce locally.
An article in Arabian Business notes that one of the largest hypermarkets in the Middle East, Lulu, experienced a dwindling stock of goods because European exports were in limbo as a result of Eyjafjallajokull’s eruption.
To supply customers with the goods they demanded, alternative products from other countries were sourced. The global taste an average consumer has developed over the past decade has increased the diversity of products in demand. As a result of the volcanic activity in Iceland, many people are now conscious of the widespread economic dependence globalization has fostered. Cultural norms influence consumer behavior. What one cooks, eats and drinks is a direct manifestation of a person’s culture (or perceived culture), and intercultural experiences are heavily marked by gastronomy. The wealth of international experiences at one’s fingertips has influenced the diverse personal cultures that many “global citizens” or “third culture” individuals have today.
How do localized and regional events impact global trends? If globalization continues to make the world a smaller place, how do we cope with future breakdowns? People involved in the Slow Food movement may have some ideas. What do you think?
Perfection is this Wonder of the World. It is take-your-breath-away awe-inspiring. This monument to eternal love (actually a mausoleum built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan who was inconsolable when his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal died) took over 20 years to build and employed over 20,000 builders and craftsmen.
Begun in 1631, the architecture is the most magnificent symmetry I’ve seen. It’s lyrical and mesmerizing, and as you get closer to the monument you realize why 20,000 workers took decades to carve the 28 types of precious and semi-precious stones into tiny flowers and mosaics. The marble is translucent and sensuous, changing color depending upon the lighting. Passages from the Koran decorate the outside. It’s pure perfection.
Almost 6 hours to drive 120 miles! It defies words to describe the scene because so much of the experience comes from being immersed in it for hours.
People, people, people. A continuing, seemingly never-ending stream of humanity and the only comparison I have is the movies of refugees trudging across a border. But these are not refugees. They’re workers in their vibrant colored shirts, women in their saris of brilliant magenta, turquoise, iridescent yellow. The colors jump out at you against the ground, which is a persistent canvas of brown. These are people going to work, constantly on the move.
Animals begin to appear. First, an occasional dog and cow and then small groups of cows begin to intermingle with the people on the sides of the road. Lean-tos and blue plastic tents pepper the sides of the road, three-sided shelters that serve as stores and sleeping facilities appear. It’s interesting at first—even though I tried to mentally prepare myself with reading and movies—but the interest soon becomes the overwhelming understanding that I could pass millions of people if I stayed on this road long enough. The endlessness of the parade of hardships becomes oppressive.
GLNA Institute of Technology, Mathura
And, yet, as evidence of the growth of India, of its burgeoning importance in the world, of its enormous educated numbers, there are also rows and rows of heavy equipment—tractors and lorries for construction. Even more promising and imposing are huge white buildings representing educational institutions, scientific research facilities and medical centers.
It’s as if two eras are co-existing in this geographic space.
It’s 8:30am on Saturday, rush hour on the road from New Delhi to Agra. I’m in Faridabad right now, in traffic that can’t quite be called chaos because people have an intention and they are trying to get to work, but frenzied, and you sense there are no rules.
People have warned me about the traffic and the roads in India, especially this one, but I’m from Los Angeles, so how surprised could I be, right?
We just passed an open bed truck with at least a dozen day laborers—men and women—sitting in the sun. Hundreds, thousands of bicycles and mopeds weave through the lanes with overflowing buses, tuktuks (three wheeled miniature taxis), oxen with carts, Toyota’s and huge lorries (trucks). The road is paved, but lanes are non-existent. It is a bizarre notion that this clogged artery really delivers people and goods to their destinations.
It becomes wild, like the most fantastic gridlock nightmare an American urbanite can imagine. We were on a divided two-lane highway when suddenly we came to complete standstill. There was an army convoy on the opposite side of the road that had stopped the traffic flow. Why did it make our side cease to move? Bus and truck drivers decided our side—heading in the opposite direction—would actually move faster. So, they crossed over to our side of the road and took one lane—head-on. They created a lane going in the opposite direction! Motor scooters, bikes, tuktuks (we counted 12 people inside and one person on top) joined the trucks and buses in the parade. Going fast, too.
What did traffic on our side of the road do? No problem. We created an additional lane where people were walking, animals were moving, cars were parked! No one seemed the least surprised this was happening. The amazing thing is that the road wasn’t strewn with bodies. And in spite of it all, and all the horn-honking, I didn’t sense any road rage.
There is a legend (that I will check out) that there are seven cities of Delhi—having changed throughout history by different rulers and different groups. New Delhi is also a city under construction (or reconstruction). It is teeming with activity; construction everywhere, in an effort to get ready for the Commonwealth games in October. There are laborers here from all over India to help with the building. Unfortunately, you can see them living in tents alongside the construction sites. They move from job to job as one site finishes and the next commences.
Amid the dust of construction and heat, beautiful parks, large historical buildings and tree-lined streets abound.
The concept of “face”, a central tenet of many Asian cultures, is illustrated in an a story from the Indo-Asian News Service concerning the relationship between a film director eager to work with an actress. When the reporter asks Madhur Bhandarkar, the director, why Kareena Kapoor, the actress, has not yet confirmed she’ll work with Madhur on a new film, he responds by giving face to Kareena, the most culturally appropriate response to a question framed to solicit information on a sensitive matter. Kareena’s payment to collaborate with Madhur was the sensitive detail concerned, and Madhur responded with the following:
It’s not because she was quoting a very high price. It was because our budget of the film was very less. The dates were also clashing.”
Instead of expressing the feeling that Kareena was asking for too much money, Madhur focused on his own budget, thus giving face to Kareena by acknowledging she deserved more than he could afford. Furthermore, Madhur alludes to the history of their strong relationship and mentions they need to take the right amount of time before anyone can make a decision.
We know each other for years. We both admire each other’s work. In Page3 we wanted to work together but there were some economic problems because of which we couldn’t. I met her and we have spoken on it, but we need to sit for couple of times. Once it’s decided we will make the announcement.”
The concept of time in most of India, and in other Asian countries, is far more fluid than in the West. Decision making is slower and relationship-building takes precedence over schedules and deadlines. How do film studios in Hollywood differ? What would a director in Hollywood do in this situation? It may appear that film culture in Los Angeles is not as far from Mumbai as we think.
I’m off to India—the largest democracy in the world, the birthplace of Buddhism and Hinduism, and home to almost 1.2 billion people. Enigmatic to Westerners and yet a culture that we feel we know a bit. We also take for granted that high tech programmers are very likely to be from India and many of the call-center operators we interact with everyday will have an Indian accent.
It has offered the world the heights of spirituality and the brilliance of Gandhi alongside unimaginable poverty.
+ Andrea Jung, Avon Products
+ Ellen J. Kullman, DuPont
+ Brenda C. Barnes, Sara Lee
+ Indra K. Nooyi, PepsiCo
+ Patricia A. Woertz, Archer Daniels Midland
+ Susan M. Ivey, Reynolds American
In the US, an egalitarian society, this statistic is a sign of the stronghold cultural norms have on positions of leadership. Furthermore, the vast majority of men in the list of C.E.O.’s are Caucasian with anglophone surnames. What is the underlying cultural message this report sends? Let us know what you think.
A New York Times piece highlights human culture as a positive evolutionary force. In the recent past, evolutionary scientists only believed disease and the effects of the environment drove natural selection.
Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images
Although it does shield people from other forces, culture itself seems to be a powerful force of natural selection. People adapt genetically to sustained cultural changes, like new diets. And this interaction works more quickly than other selective forces, “leading some practitioners to argue that gene-culture co-evolution could be the dominant mode of human evolution,” Kevin N. Laland and colleagues wrote in the February issue of Nature Reviews Genetics.
How do you see culture impacting the evolution of humans? What have customs and traditions had to do with our survival?
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