Speaking of India: Bridging the Communication Gap When Working With Indians

by Craig Storti

Westerners and Indians are working more closely together and in greater numbers than ever before. The opportunities are vast, and so is the cultural divide. Misunderstandings, misinterpretations, missed deadlines, and frustrations can all spring from cultural differences. Any Westerner conducting business with an Indian and any Indian trying to figure out the West will recognize this challenge.Craig Storti has helped more than twenty global companies with just these kinds of issues. With more than a dozen years of experience working between cultures, Storti has trained thousands of employees, interviewed hundreds of managers, and identified key cultural touchstones. The result is a powerful series of Best Practices, which are the basis for Speaking of Bridging the Communication Gap When Working with Indians. From the different ways that Indians and Westerners use yes and no to the secrets of a successful, cross-cultural conference call, from the changing status of women in the Indian workplace to the do's and don'ts of daily interaction, this essential guide helps us to realize the potential of working together and understanding each other, whether in the East or in the West!I know of no other cross-cultural communication expert who can de-mystify the hidden bulk of a culture's 'iceberg' as cogently as Craig Storti does. As he takes you below, a bright light shines on the hidden values and assumptions that govern not only the way a person from that culture communicates, but often the actual content of his message. Your own culture's unique values and communication style are revealed in the contrast. The more aware both parties become of these pitfalls in communicating across cultures, Storti shows clearly, the lower the risk of miscommunication and strained relationships. -Jim Blake, World Learning Inc.Craig Storti is most famous for his use of cross cultural dialogues to illustrate culture bumps. Having read a lot of his work, I appreciate his great economy of language and overall clarity while still maintaining the ability to do complex topics justice. I think this characteristic is taken even further forward here and the book is an amazingly easy read without ever being simplistic... -Tim Hill, dialogin.com 01/05/2008India looms as the next big opportunity for Western business, and Storti, a cross-culture communication trainer and consultant, offers advice on how to negotiate the cultural paths to the fattest profits. - Research Book News, February 2008Craig Storti provides a straightforward, fact-based and eminently useful guide to culture and communication issues that complicate business between Westerners and Indians. Much of the literature on culture and business is vague and theoretical-so this book stands apart. The author targets the problems that are most likely to arise in commerce, offers detailed real-life examples and shows what practical solutions businesspeople can implement. He is evenhanded in his advice, offering tips to both Westerners and Indians. Most importantly...he is businesslike in his approach, focused, practical and realistic about what is achievable.- The Worm Has Turned1 Indians, Westerners, and the Cultural Lens2 Communication East and Communication West3 Yes, No, and Other Problems4 Management East and Management West5 The Deference Syndrome6 Talking The Language Problem7 Meetings and Conference Calls8 Women and Men9 Working With Indians on Virtual Teams10 Business and Social EtiquetteEpilogueBibliographyAbout the AuthorIndex

Genres: India, Business, Nonfiction, Self Help

224 pages, Paperback

First published September 19, 2007

Reviews

[Liz Licata · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was apprehensive when I picked this book up. It’s not a large book, and it’s written by a white man. How much useful information could really be in here? Turns out, a decent amount.

Storti immediately acknowledges that he is not an expert in Indian culture. He is rather an expert on communication. That means he will be dealing with *perceptions* of Indian culture and communication, rather than their reality. This is an important point. Interpretation is a major part of communication, and if the sender and receiver do not interpret things in the same way, miscommunication is inevitable.

To me (and whoever left sticky tabs in the book), the meat of the book is chapter three: “Yes, No, and Other Problems”. Storti states that Indian communication has a different purpose than Western communication. It is designed primarily to promote harmony, avoid offense, and save face. This means that it comes across as indirect.

For instance, the word “no” is often considered to be too blunt for polite conversation, therefore Indians don’t use it. They instead use a lot of other techniques to indicate disagreement *without ever saying no*.

I realized that the one and only time I was in India (not for work. This was before we had contracted Amnet, I believe), this happened several times and I thought the people I was talking to agreed with me because they never outright said no. If nothing else, this book made several experiences in my life make more sense.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone. As globalization expands, it is important to learn how to communicate with others. Speaking of India is a good starting point for that.

[Sam Rice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful but somewhat repetitive and slightly outdated practical guide to working with Indians from the Western perspective. The author takes great pains to ensure the reader knows that these cultural differences have real, understandable sources, which is nice but may be a source of repetitiveness. Also the book was written in 2015 before COVID changed the workplace significantly, so some of its assumptions and sections are no longer as relevant as they once were (e.g. “conference calls” vs. “video conferencing”). That said, worth a quick read.

[Suzy K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found the book enlightening and very useful. It offers a “decoder” for interactions and allows me to appreciate and better understand my colleagues in India. A bit repetitive at times, but I appreciated how they wrapped up each chapter with useful takeaways. Chapter 3 was seriously the most useful out of the entire book.

[Ioana · Rating 5 out of 5]

An eyeopener and a must for anyone with western culture, who works with Indians

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Focused, practical, seemingly well-researched cross-cultural analysis. Might be helpful if you’re working cross cultures in India as well to understand how Westerners see you.

[Christen Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

must read

Brilliant dive into differences we see in working styles. Highly recommend to those on international teams or traveling to India

[Samantha Samayoa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book could use an update. My biggest complaint is that it assumes that the “Westerners” will always be in the managerial role overseeing people from India, and ignores the fact that Indian leaders exist. I would have loved more insights on working alongside and for people from India. Other than that, there were some useful tidbits here and there about Indian culture, communication styles, etc. that have been very helpful insights to me while working for an Indian company.

[Sarah Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for understanding many of the cultural differences between India and the West that play out in the workplace and elsewhere. I found the chapters on "the meaning of no" and Indian management styles / hierarchy in the workplace particularly insightful. As an American, it helped me adjust to working for an Indian company in Bombay.

[Gingeraltoids · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was helpful to me in working with software development teams located in India. It clued me in to some common sources of cultural and language misunderstandings, and therefore helped me successfully avoid/mitigate those effects. I would definitely recommend it to anyone working with Indian teams.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took me awhile to finish since I read it sporadically but this is a solid read and useful study of differences in between India and the West in regards to communication style. Particularly helpful are the chapters that cover common obstacles to overcome when the west and Indians communicate with one another. Recommended to anyone who works with Indians, especially when on remote teams.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a lot of interesting information in here and the author clearly knows what he's talking about. But there's also a lot of padding. It feels like an article that was stretched into a book. Well worth reading, however.

[Brianaustin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wouldn't recommend it unless you're working with business partners in India, but if that's your situation, this is a decent book. It's a quick read and has some great examples of how to avoid communication problems.

[Marshall Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learn why Indians shake their head 'no' when they mean yes. The sub title of this book is "Bridging the Communication Gap When Working with Indians". The bood does a good job of that.

[Alex Mrvaljevich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good points but starts going round and round the same topic again, I feel 30% of this book could have been cut without impact

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has good examples and insights. Amazing how different some team members fit the molds discussed and others, it doesn’t seem to apply.

[Damon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was very helpful when outsourced our accounting department to India.