Indian Business Culture

1
Indian Business Culture
2
Overall Business Culture

• Appointments
• Be early but be prepared to wait
• The more you wait, the less important you are
• Avoid scheduling appointments in March
• Dress Code
• Suit and tie but shirtsleeves and a tie are
  acceptable salwar kameez / sari for women
• Muted colors
• Foreign visitors
• suit and tie
• Indian dress appreciated and seen as a sign of
  friendship

3
Overall Business Culture

• Conversation
• Small talk in business meetings to establish
  rapport and trust
• Personal questions are normal
• Disagreements expressed indirectly unless the
  person is the boss or a trusting relationship
  exists amongst peers
• Popular topics Cricket, Bollywood, Politics and
  Economic Reforms, and Indian traditions and
  history (with foreign visitors)

4
Overall Business Culture

• Topics to avoid in a discussion
• Religion
• Pakistan
• Poverty
• Address by first name / prefix?
• Usually prefix followed by last name
• Once clearance is given, then first name

5
Overall Business Culture

• Gift Giving
• Should not be too expensive
• Generally not expected in the first meeting
• No leather gifts
• Avoid black and white wrapping paper
• A gift representative of your culture is
  appreciated
• Be cautious before gifting alcohol
• If invited home, take a gift for home or children
• If invited during festival, take a box of sweets
• Jewelry item inappropriate gift from a man to a
  woman

6
Overall Business Culture

• Indian businesses
• Large businesses owned by families from a
  community
• Parsis, Marwaris, Gujaratis, Chettiars, etc.
• Modern operations and international norms
• Parsi and Gujarati businesses are more modern in
  their workings
• Chettiars and Marwari businesses are more
  conservative
• Differences between private sector and government
  sector and new economy (e.g. IT)
• bureaucracy, speed and flexibility

7
Overall Business Culture

• The Business Meeting
• Bring plenty of visiting cards
• Interaction in English
• If you represent a lesser known country /
  business get third party referrals
• Hierarchy matters
• Establish contact with the boss first
• Keeps respect intact and speeds up implementation
• Stand up and greet the boss personally when
  he/she enters the room
• Uncomfortable in the presence of women executives

8
Overall Business Culture

• The Business Meeting
• Relaxed negotiations
• Small talk and personal questions to build
  relationships
• Jumping to the point is seen to be rude
• Offers of tea/coffee/snacks
• Polychronic deal with more than one task at one
  time
• Inductive approach to understanding be prepared
  for seemingly unrelated questions

9
Overall Business Culture

• The Business Meeting
• Cautious about new ideas / proposals
• Bargaining is a done thing
• Commitment to an idea may take a while coming
• Hospitality / Entertaining
• Very hospitable, involve guest in minor
  celebrations
• agraha the solicitous offer of food and drink
• Direct refusal is impolite
• drop in any time
• Be alert to vegetarian guests
• Eating with your hands / washing / rinsing after
  a meal
• Business lunches are preferred to business
  dinners

10
Overall Business culture

• Business entertaining
• Organized in high class five star restaurants
• Normally over lunch can drag on for a couple of
  hours
• Toasting not common
• Female hosts who pays the bill?
• 10 tip is customary
• Arrive a few minutes (five, not more) late
• Social Entertaining
• Arrive 15 to 30 minutes late
• Praise the food this is praising the lady of
  the house

11
Overall Business Culture

• Social Entertaining
• Dont say thank you at the end of the meal
  considered impolite offer to reciprocate the
  invitation
• Indians do not respond to RSVPs call and
  confirm
• Guests may bring their guests remain gracious
  and hospitable
• Take off shoes before entering the house

12
Overall Business culture

• Public Behavior
• Namaskar
• Shake hands / Hello / Hi
• greeting with hugs and kisses not appropriate
• Beckoning somebody
• Pointing a finger at someone
• Standing erect with hands on hips
• Chewing gum
• Seniority, age and authority

13
Overall Business Culture

• General
• Feet are unclean touching another with your
  feet putting feet up on a table, etc.
• Eye contact
• Comfortable distance between two people
• Ignore beggars
• Be aware of pickpockets and swindlers