If most “Indians” have their way, our input from the “West” isn’t needed at all. You can do everything much better on your own - and above all, much cheaper. Besides, as “outsiders” we don’t understand India and its people and their needs, so we don’t have much to offer them.
This assessment does not apply exclusively to our technology or our products. In this article we would like to share our (learning) experiences that we were able to collect as organizers of an educational symposium about India and in building a community with an affinity for India.
Initial situation: Lack of willingness or ability to cooperate
It is no big secret that competition “works better” than collaboration in India. Unfortunately, cooperation on equal terms is rarely practiced in India (see Working in India). Instead, a pronounced hierarchical mindset and the (exploitation) of mostly small and immediate advantages often prevent larger projects and long-term visions.
But a lack of trust among each other is not exactly a catalyst for long-term success - neither in business nor in cultural life. However, in order to be successful in the Indian context, the ability to forge collaborations with a wide variety of people and organizations is perhaps one of the most important success factors.
We are convinced that cooperation and inclusion are always stronger in the long term than control and exclusion. Therefore, for our initiative we asked all players from the Indian scene to participate in our non-profit platform. Unfortunately, the invitation was rarely accepted.
The quote from Mahatma Gandhi fits our project well: “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, and then you win.” Something similar happened to us too.
Use European virtues: act independently and proactively
As Europeans, we are fundamentally outside of all Indian relationship networks. What is perceived by many as a disadvantage is actually a clear advantage in our favor (see here). Because we don't need to take into account any sensitivities that arise from mutual dependencies and hierarchies and communities. Our independence allows us to create larger and more sustainable networks and organizations than is possible for “the Indians” per se.
This project has once again confirmed that it is worthwhile for Europeans to have sole strategy sovereignty and “message control” over all processes (see Alone successful in India) and sets the agenda.
Looking back, these were also the main reasons why the quality of our initiative (especially in terms of premises, program, sustainability) far exceeded anything previously seen in the Austrian Indian scene. Other important “lessons learned” on how we successfully countered Indian resistance:
- Outstanding quality can only be achieved through uncompromising action. The shared vision was always the focus, not the sensitivities of local Indian emperors.
- Fair sharing, sharing and giving takes precedence over selling (or taking) and creates a sustainable relationship quality that is otherwise hardly possible in India due to structural mistrust.
- Creating open, even non-profit platforms creates more value, which is then recognized and rewarded by potential customers (pull effect)
- Here we managed to touch people personally, especially the Indians. This allowed us to build a golden bridge for them that allowed them to leave their roles and organizations behind.
- Addressing niche markets suits us better than the Indians. Away from the mass market, however, very individual needs are waiting to be met. This is also financially more attractive in the long term.
- The informal communication channels are always more important than the official ones. We were able to convince ourselves of this again in this project. If important information had not been provided to us on a regular basis, we would have fallen into many a trap or would not have been able to sharpen our offering as much as we needed to.
- With high-quality content and services and through a structured communication process as well as some technology support (CRM, newsletter), more people (who are willing to pay) can be reached than through pure activism and aggressive advertising.
- With (European) strategy and foresight you are more likely to reach your goal than with fiddling around with tactics.
Independence and invulnerability as leverage
However, our own independence and invulnerability were probably the most important prerequisites for our success.
We have not allowed ourselves to be taken over by any organization or person. For example, we have not taken money from anyone who would have influenced our work through their financial support and distorted our vision in favor of their own agenda. Since we funded our initiative ourselves and with the help of crowdfunding from the community, we didn't owe anyone a favor.
In India people often fail because of their own sloppiness, but then they use one or two advantages for themselves and at the same time communicate something completely different. In contrast, it was always crystal clear to us that we had to be completely transparent in all our actions at all times.
This was the only way we could reduce the mistrust that is always shown towards foreigners in India and clearly communicate our vision. This was the only way we could ultimately secure the attention and support of a few key players from the ecosystem and make the project a unique success.
What does this have to do with business in India?
What applied to this cultural, educational and community project can also be applied to all business cases. It is no coincidence that economics is one of the social sciences where human behavior is studied. Europeans and Indians often behave differently, but the patterns are identical in all areas of life.
