Back to School in Corporations: Culture Training in Indian Companies

chillibreeze writer — Anubha Ghosh

What kind of jokes should you crack with your prospective client to help you clinch the deal? Should you take him out for dinner after office hours? Is it okay to be a vegetarian or for that matter even a teetotaler? Does red meat go with red wine or white wine?

Corporations are taking a serious look at these questions. As companies focus on the social and cultural behavior its people have exhibit to ensure successful business relationships, they are increasingly realizing that these business relationships rely more than ever on personal contact. One needs to learn and use social skills in order to transact business with thoughtful consideration. Simply put, when you meet with a client, you present an image of your company and the way your company conducts its business relationships. The ability to create a positive impression on all those you come in contact with is critical for your business success.

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Employees of IT firms in Bangalore are being taken through training sessions right from the first stage of interaction with the business partner, in order to improve relations and business prospects. Cultural differences around the world are so huge that companies like Wipro, Infosys, Subex Systems and I-flex are realizing that to make their interactions with clients more meaningful, it is necessary to bridge certain gaps. Some have thus even made it at times compulsory for their employees at various levels of management to undergo such sessions.

Earlier, Wipro’s software arm –Wipro Technologies –arranged for its top management to undergo half-day sessions covering various stages of personal interaction. In a tie-up with the Taj Group of Hotels, the IT major trained its senior brass in various levels of customer interaction. The training covered issues of grooming and etiquette and was later drilled down to middle and junior management levels. Small details like how to converse with your business associate and the cultural sensitivities involved when cracking a joke with a Japanese vis-a-vis an American were taught to the trainees. Companies believe that while a simple act of exchanging cards is picked by the employee through mere observation, training helps in picking up the skill without a trial-and-error process.

Similarly, a large part of the product implementation team in Bangalore-based Subex Systems went through a training on cultural issues. The company’s product installations are in countries like Nigeria and Thailand where ways of doing business and interaction are completely different from those in the West. Hence Subex found it essential that its implementation team goes through cross-cultural training where it learned the basis of one-to-one interaction and other specific communication issues.

According to the company, etiquette training helps its team get the basics of interacting right with the clients. More specifically, even simple issues like handshakes, eye contact, introduction techniques, using appropriate forms of address, gestures, body language, attire issues and other such cultural subtleties were taught as part of this session.

Training sessions typically begin with lessons on how to handle introductions on the first meeting and on subsequent ones. The next step is a lesson on the dress code where information is imparted on the differences in attire preferred in various parts of the world. For example, while the US accepts semi-formal, Europe is a staunch believer of formal wear.

The sessions also include issues pertaining to conversation: how to crack a joke and what kinds of jokes are acceptable since cultural nuances can make a big difference in acceptance levels and decorum.

The subject of dining is often the primary focus of the training. How to order from a menu and what is the sequence that should be followed; subtle differences between champagne and wine, and which food goes with what drink are taught to the employees. Even basic skills such as how to use a fork and knife and which tool to use with the various foods on your plate is taught since Indians are traditionally used to eating with hand.

Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in November, 2009. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.

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Anubha writes for chillibreeze.

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