Werner Heesen, formerly “Director South Asia” of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, has been heading “WB Personalberatung”, a department of the management consultancy Dr. Dr., which specializes in India, for six months. Wamser + Batra GmbH. He lived in India for 13 years and worked in management positions at Lufthansa India. A comment from him on the strengths of Indian employees.
Germany and India: two cultures that couldn't be more different. If you are not aware of the fundamental cultural differences, you will always be irritated by your Indian colleagues, employees and partners. Don't forget: You are communicating with people with a completely different world view and value system - even if the person you are talking to appears to be quite European at first glance.
Just as our Western culture is predominantly linear, monochrome (individual work steps take place one after the other), clear (right/wrong), logical, standardized and result-oriented, Indian culture, in contrast, is polychrome (several actions run side by side without necessarily adhering to a time-frame). or schedule), contextual (it depends), relationship-oriented and, above all, ambiguous.
Combining German engineering and Indian “dealer mentality”.
Because as problematic as some Indian characteristics often seem to us, upon closer inspection there could actually be a strength hidden behind them. To recognize this, you should not judge with your European “digital mind” (either something is right or wrong), but instead look at “the other side of the coin” for the first time. In this way, poles that repel each other can become a complementary whole and India can complement Germany in its qualities. And there are a few things we can learn from the Indians:
Germany's engineering skills are world-famous. India’s “trader mentality” and business acumen are famous – infamous. Together, an unbeatable combination – to the advantage of both sides. While we base our ventures primarily on structured and detailed planning, in India the goals are achieved through a high degree of flexibility and a portion of improvisational talent. The golden mean is probably the best measure.
While German companies focus on the highest quality and absolute precision, in India the focus is on the cost/benefit ratio. “Having the courage to leave a gap” can be a useful strategy under certain circumstances.
In our part of the world, the “do-it-yourself” culture is strong and affects not only home improvement and gardening but also work. We often have difficulty with delegation - completely different in India. The ability and willingness to distribute work and use hierarchy enables organizations to grow stronger and faster.
It is probably no secret that communication in Germany is direct and clearly fact-oriented. In India, the relationship is always more important than the cause and emotions play a big role. For a sustainably functioning communication basis, a little more relationship level can't do any harm.
Successful cooperation between Indians and Germans promises to unlock a lot of potential. Take advantage of the cultural differences!
The Dr. Wamser + Batra HR consultancy for India
Dr. Wamser + Batra IT Headhunting for India has specialized in the planning and implementation of successful human resources concepts for India for many years. In addition to the search for Indian managers for European subsidiaries - across all industries - this also includes work on organizational planning, leadership and salary concepts as well as support in the management and control of the Indian workforce.
Further information on the topic Human Resources India.
