Reflective Learning Journal- The Odyssey called Cross Cultural Management

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”- Marcel Proust

At the very outset, we were told that Cross Cultural Management is not just about managing across cultures; it is also about developing cultural sensitivity towards people in general and thereby leading to cultural intelligence. But the big question: Have we been successful in meeting the objectives? Come let’s take a journey through the entire course spread over more than two months, in a chronological order, and leave the answer to be pondered over-

Culture has three aspects- Concrete, Behaviour and Symbolism. While the Concrete alludes to the outward appearance of the denizens and the pertaining practice that the people go by in that country, Behaviour concerns the conduct prevalent in a region or country that drives them to behave in typical ways. Symbolism however, dates back to history which has traversed the odyssey of lineage to take the shape of custom and tradition.

To find differences between cultures is a cliché, but to unearth the similarities from those dissimilarities, itself is ingenuity. As they say, if you are out to find the truth, leave elegance to the tailor, we leave the craftsmanship to Viji. And when teams are built on a cosmopolitan cradle such tasks are never as hard as finding ‘Sanjeevani Booti’.

Sophisticated stereotypes aren’t as helpful in comprehending cultural paradoxes. Albeit it helps understanding disparities between cultures at a satellite-level, over-simplification spoils the broth. The salad bowl, cultural mosaic or the hundred and six other names you attribute to culture, like the avatars of Lord Krishna, mystify the common understanding. And above all, the context matters, just like crisis and opportunity are spelled with the same characters in Chinese, but mean the very different otherwise. That’s where the emic and etic perspectives kick in. On one hand the etic perspective views culture from outside the peripheries, on the other, emic betters the boundaries and views from within.

I am, in particular, fascinated by the coconut and peach concept. I have always had a notion about Germans: It’s hard to break into their proximity-zone, but once you do, you remain there forever and the discussion reinforced the same. So far as the Americans are concerned, one can even as a stranger, become privy to their personal information, but that may be yet another episode with no bearing on the sustenance of the same.

The culture map took us through a journey about how countries fare against each other in terms of differences or similarities in Communicating, Evaluating, Leading, Deciding, Trusting, Disagreeing and Scheduling. My own cultural profile had a few surprises in store as I appeared to differ from a typical Indian on a few aspects. It gave me the opportunity to introspect how different I was and why, when those parameters were concerned. A bit of retrospection and looking back in hindsight at a few instances substantiated those facts. The discussion on Hofstede’s Five dimensions revealed that India inclined slightly towards ‘individualistic culture’, which could be attributed to the concept of ‘Karma’, signifying the overarching belief that people themselves make or break their fortunes. Thus goes my favourite quote by Wayne Dyer: How people treat you is their karma, how you react is yours.

The guest lecture by Mr. Suresh Balasubramaniam, was quite amusing and interactive. We learnt about the notions that Indians hold about the superiority of their culture. He beautifully outlined why Indians are tough people to work with; unpunctuality, emotionalism, diversity, individualism and a knack for quick fix solutions being the most obvious reasons. A man, thoroughly accustomed to Japanese culture, Suresh highlighted how it is consensus-oriented and kindness driven. He rightly advised us not to stereotype, but to actively listen, look for positives, and be empathetic and non-judgmental.

We learnt how Message content, Message clarity and Delivery style are imperative to effective communication. The case study beautifully depicted how the Dutch are task oriented, whereas the Mexicans are relationship oriented, how their respective culture impact their style of communication, and how differently their communication can be perceived by the receiver.

You beautifully delineated how silence is perceived differently in different cultures and how organizational culture sometimes outdoes the national culture. You rightly pointed out how Verbal and Non-verbal cues, Attribution, Comprehension, Design and Motivation need to be put into perspective while communicating with people while interacting with people from a different culture. You touched upon communication styles involving Slangs and Jargons, Euphemisms, Proverbs, and also the meaning of colour and the management of time in different cultures. It was indeed one of those most power-packed lectures and we drew home the conclusion that mindfulness holds the key to effective cross-cultural communication.

We learnt about the steps involved in a negotiation process and discussed the similarities and differences in the negotiation styles of different cultures. It transpired from the discussion that much importance is attributed to pedigree in the English culture whereas personal achievements are considered the better virtue in American culture. You also took us through leadership styles across cultures and the group activity regarding arranging a picnic was thoroughly enjoyable. You randomly assigned roles to each of the five in every group. I believe, things would have looked better had each member been allowed to choose one leadership style they were comfortable with, which would, in turn, have instilled genuineness in enactment.

The General Knowledge game helped us learn who’s who pertaining to several countries as we were supposed to guess their respective capitals and their currencies. To guess the countries from their respective flags, was a greater fun and helped us learn a lot. Thanks for the ‘gamification’, Viji!  The Ethnic Day celebrations was a terrific experience, having come across the traditional/ ethic attires and delicacies from not only every part of the country, but from other countries as well including Germany and Iran. It was such a novel initiative and helped us imbibe significant knowledge about the diverse culture and customs within the country and beyond. The presentations about states and countries helped us gain immense knowledge about their geography, topography, tourism, administration, beliefs, lifestyle, history, art, culture, tradition, business and commerce, organizational culture, civic rules, so on and so forth. You beautifully allotted states and countries to groups to present on and it indeed served the purpose of making us more cross-culturally intelligent at a wide level.

I never knew, even food could be divided in anyway other than on the basis of time, place and content (vegetarian or non-vegetarian). But you brought forth interesting, mystical-sounding classifications like Saatvic, Rajasic and Tamasic. Not being aware of the nuances of the Sanskrit dialects, these initially sounded to me like the yoga asanas. You beautifully drove home the conclusion that people need to appreciate the similarities and the differences in each other’s way of thinking. The props that you used, as in the aquarium where the Americans viewed only the focal object- the fish and the Japanese took note of the context- the complete background, was really creative and commendable. You consolidated the comprehensive idea by asking us to group the pictures of a monkey, a banana and a panda into two. While some grouped the two animals together, others grouped the monkey with the banana, given the former’s love for the same. It’s such a simple yet effective way to convey the simple point of appreciation of similarity and disparity of thought process.

Mr. Ranganathan, an expert in Japanese culture revealed the latter’s work-culture of working in a team beyond boundaries. The propensity to push themselves to extreme limits is deeply ingrained in the Japanese system, and it all starts in the formative years. As per Mr. Ranganathan, the Japanese people adhere to virtues like punctuality, cleanliness at the work place, humility, clemency and hospitality, enthuse for education and smiling. He inferred in a signature style that the process is as important as the goal. A plethora of analogies, experiences, tales and anecdotes really helped us understand his points better and made it a thoroughly enjoyable event.

Mr. Nabil Raad, who works at Ford, gave us an umbrella perspective about Global Leadership. In the context of culture, he rightly advised us not to be judgemental. He highlighted the fact that globalisation and standardization aren’t one and the same and Global Leadership entails both Global Integration and Local Development. To ensure the understanding of people across different culture, it’s always helpful to pose the same question in four or five different ways. Among the skillsets, the most crucial for a Global Leader is the characteristic ability to handle contradiction and build good relationship. Mr. Raad pointed out that culture is a mechanism for external adaptation and internal integration. I remember, during my school days when students were supposed to submit letters for leave of absence, most of them would get the same corroborated by their guardians, stating, “It is a true fact”. The headmaster would then say that a fact is always true and hence the word ‘true’ in the sentence is redundant. But until this lecture happened, I hardly knew that fact could also be distinguished from truth. Mr. Raad beautifully stated that a fact is something that has happened, whereas a truth is how we perceive things. Mr. Raad, by virtue of his immense experience in cross-cultural setups, gave shape to one of the most informative of sessions.

In the ultimate lecture, to ensure that the sheer objective of being culturally intelligent had been broadly met with, you gave us some mantras. Honestly speaking, they weren’t anything less valuable than gold dust to us, which comprised openness to other cultures, being curious about other cultures, importance of body language, avoidance of stereotypes, a helicopter view, and not letting biases influence us.

Might it have been communication, negotiation, multicultural team work, leading globally, cultural metaphors, decision making, cross-cultural skills, or cross-cultural intelligence, each team did a fabulous job during the video presentations, in getting their points through. The idea of unearthing the cultural underpinnings from the video clips, in relation to that theme, was just another brilliant idea. Might it have been the Individual Dynamics in Organization or Cross Cultural management, your demand from the teams to go beyond the obvious and uncover layers in the content presented, is imperative to critical thinking and, linking perspectives and reading the fine prints brailled in cultures. I believe you can encourage the students to read books on cross-cultural management (recommended by you or self-selected), don the hat of a lecturer for a day, and teach back the concepts and underlying principles by virtue of review/ critical appreciation of the books. You can also incentivise the students with brownie points if they can draw references from their personal, professional life, narrate other stories they have heard or read, or cite anecdotes to substantiate their learning from the books.

The Dakshin Chitra trip would have been such a pleasant experience. I was told, our seniors discovered the richness of Indian patrimony and how the four south Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, despite being so similar are significantly different in terms of culture. They supposedly came back to present comparisons of the respective cultures. Nevertheless, you have worked really, really hard over the years to set the combination right, give this course its current shape, and it’s all evident. Individual cultural map, movie review, culture presentation, reflective blogs, ethnic day celebration, group tasks and discussions, in-class exercises, guest lectures, enactments, suggested prior and post readings, it’s been such a comprehensive course and full marks go to both of us: To you, for offering this course in its current shape and form, and to me for making the correct choice of opting for the same.

Go Viji, go!

Summers at FCB Ulka

“If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins”- Benjamin Franklin

"Hobbies and pastimes during my childhood were many, but to pick the passion out wasn’t the easiest of things to do. I rejoiced most forms of art and craft and took immense interest in doing the usual stuff, in the most unusual way possible. I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious, as sayeth Albert Einstein”, I remarked.

 “I always had a fetish for adverts and had most of their jingles and taglines by-heart. Being a kid of the 90's I had the good luck to experience one of the tremendous decades of transformation, which bridged the brook, on the other side of which lay a more mundane and mechanical life, ushered in by artificiality and technology. However, thanks to YouTube, old adverts take me on a nostalgic trip through the beautiful back alleys of my mind. As the adage goes, advertising is ‘the most fun you can have with your clothes on’. I would always think in taglines, talk in slogans. And for some weird reasons, jingles would indeed cheer me up if I were ever bogged down. Pun, for me, was always an integral aspect of the fun. I, forever, wished if I could become anything over and above a good human being, I would be ‘the gift of the gab’. Just speaking well didn’t fascinate me, rather speaking well and at the right time did”, I continued.

Just a month into studying business administration at IIT Madras, and I was absolutely sure about where I wanted to be and why. I could realise the ‘Fourth P of Marketing’ impinging upon my imaginations, and sneaking up on my passion, stealthily. When the happy tiding of FCB Ulka offering internships was let out of the bag, I got in the groove of my flights-of-fancy to the ‘Fab Five Ad Agencies’. But I had to better a big barrier and end up amongst the top two applicants before I could finally put Ogilvy’s ‘Confessions of an Advertising Man’ to practice.

“Raktim, why don’t you tell us about your passion?” asked Abhilasha Anish from FCB Ulka, Chennai. “How did you start taking an interest in advertisements?” she followed up.

Boy, was I surprised! I had indeed made it to FCB Ulka, better known as the ‘turnaround specialist’ in the advertising industry. An agency that does brand building and much more, FCB Ulka is the fourth largest advertising, communications and brand consultancy group in India.

Monday blues, lacklustre formals; but the euphoria around the maiden day washed every bit of mundanity down the spout. After a warm welcome, it’s time I rolled my sleeves up. Chola MS, a health insurance service from the house of the Murugappa Group approached FCB Ulka with a very grave problem, pertinent to the industry of health insurance which has for most part of history been regarded as a commodity. Hence, it is hard to differentiate one from the other in terms of Unique Selling Proposition and to stand out among the rest, strenuous.

I had to work on the project which would look to target the youths and revamp how health insurances are otherwise perceived by them. I attempted at designing a research survey that would in a furtive way, camouflage the objectives, and help me draw insights. Besides the offline version, the survey was tailored for an online launch as well, to garner responses from:

1) Working men between 25 and 29 years of age, 2) Working men between 30 and 40 years of age, 3) Homemakers between 30 and 40 years of age and 4) Working women between 30 and 40 years of age.

Goes without saying, the toughest part of the job was to collect responses from the housewives. Not being familiar with the nuances of the local dialect, didn’t help my cause. Of course, not to downplay the open-ended questions that siphoned a considerable amount of time from every respondent’s busy schedule. Those questions were however, imperative to capturing the pattern of thought-process of the targeted masses, and hence couldn’t be done away with. A fortnight of toil and persuasion hence, fifty odd responses were ready for perusal.

Insights imbibed from the survey and a thorough study of the adverts that had been created by other companies, in the recent past, denuded that none of them tried to build on the concerns of the ambitious youths for the well-being of their parents who generally didn’t have the privilege to live with their kith and kin.

I recommended FCB Ulka that they should create a new set of adverts for Chola MS for all forms of media, portraying Chola MS as a solution to the worry of the youths about a hale and hearty life of their parents. This plan should work well, given Chola MS’ earlier series of ads depicting the unparalleled network of partner hospitals and services, covered under cashless transactions, thereby assuring respite to those living miles away to ensure a comfortable and cosy life to their family members back home. Given the reputation, reliance and loyalty that the Murugappa Group has stockpiled through decades of its existence and performance, by virtue of its subsidiaries like TI Cycles, EID Parry, and Coromandel International etc., it was worth mentioning that such adverts of Chola MS created in the future should vividly and noticeably feature its parent brand name and logo.

I sincerely hope the novel string of advertisements thus created, are etched in the memory, brailled on the senses of the target market of Chola MS. A passion honed by dreams, chiselled by serendipity, and lived by choice, the odyssey has been surreally scripted; from the foothills of freedom to the corridors of creativity. I owe it all to IIT Madras for overarching the gulf and fostering my wings of aspiration. 

Hindsight

Dedicated to the Guru- the Dispeller of all Darkness, and Distinctions too!

The interviewer enquired, “Which subject would you like to specialize in?”“Well, I don't believe much in pre-meditation. I would like to study for a year and know what each subject is like and how is it going to help me out in the long run. I am sure you won't appreciate me taking a position now, and then changing the same, just one year down the line.”, I replied. Not that I was really unsure about picking one, but I wanted to get a first-hand experience of all the subjects. Another reason obviously being my attempt at pre-empting the quinquagenarian! Six months down the line and a couple of subjects are already on the cards.

My mind had been pre-occupied with skepticism until the time I took the first lesson in IDIO.  But a couple of minutes in to the classroom and I was left with much to reconsider. “Unlearn. Learn”, you advised. These terse words still ring as vividly in my ears as the first time ever. Ma’am, you must be wondering why such a long introduction. Honestly I don’t know. May be it’s because you have left us undeniably at least a tad better managers human beings than when we walked in to DoMS for the very first time. And above all, we as your fans stand smitten. (No flattery intended).

Work has undergone tectonic transformations. Monday Blues, Nine to Five, are old, druid stories. It’s more about the quality then the quantity now, as trend-set by Boston Consulting Group. Work is no longer restricted to the cubicle of the office or just taking the task to a logical conclusion. Technological developments, gamification, fun-at-work, sustainability, co-creation, ethisphere, fish-philosophy, bring-your-device-to-office etc. are the buzzwords in the town. The lecture beautifully depicted the need of the moment and the way we are heading towards. As a to-be-manager, I realized excitement and entertainment in work and at workplace is imperative to the success of an organization. Only when the employees are happy and content, can they deliver happiness to the customers.

The RBS exercise was instrumental in my self-discovery. I recognized my strengths which I had otherwise long forgotten. The inferences that emerged out to the exercise made me feel confident and beckoned me to hone what I was good at and unaware of unless, until pointed out. While elucidating the importance of playing to one’s strength, you quoted the example of Suresh Raina’s discomfort with short-balls. I could readily relate Sourav Ganguly’s advice to him asking Raina to work on his foot-work rather than trying to master the short-ball. He said, “No one can score a century by merely hooking and pulling the ball”. On a personal note, I would rate this lecture as one of the top three lectures I have attended in this course. When you narrated your mediocrity in analytics, I could so, so relate to that. I always kept on pondering why I was losing out on some subjects despite working hard. I realized my strength lay somewhere else and hence I started devoting that extra bit of time to where my strengths lay and the efforts started yielding in rich dividends. 

The ‘Bucket Filling’ and the ‘Johari Window’ left me with much to introspect. I never believed in wearing a façade and camouflaging my inner self, and the clip from “Pursuit of Happiness” bolstered my belief.

The lessons in perception taught me not to jump to conclusions, or be occupied with pre-conceived notions. Generalization and stereotyping is an epidemic which no person can claim to be immune to. (I hope I am not trying to generalize as well.) “The Eye of the Beholder” beautifully orchestrated the effect of selective attention and perception priorities which may block recognition of new perspectives. While discussing the “Maya” story, inadvertently biases crept in, merely because we already had a particular picture in mind with namesakes. This incident reminded me of Keith Barry who in one episode of 'The Mentalist' used the same concept to hijack the minds of the masses. Thus it reinforced the same learning from the very first lecture, “Unlearn. Learn.”

Thank God, we were spared the Fundamental Attribution Error that we realized we never snoozed post-lunch when you took center stage.

But I am not that lucky when it comes to Self-serving Bias for I always thanked the invigilator whenever I screwed my results up. The moment you enlightened us with “Halo and Horns Effect” in perceptual distortion, I could instantly relate it to a Mahindra car ad wherein a grumpy-looking man deboard his car only to clear-up a jam in traffic. I was however subjected to some ignominy by friends when you associated Bongs with “marginal honesty and minimum generosity” to explain the concept of prejudice and stereotyping. It was a lesson well-learnt as we discussed the common stereotypes we had in mind and suggested means towards overcoming them.

Shiva, if I haven’t mistaken his name, rightly pointed out the seven steps for realizing a creative self viz. belief, analyzing a problem, garnering information, generating idea, choosing idea, stating idea and implementing idea. I was a bit let down as I was looking forward to learning the tools of creativity. But who knows me might have not taught us that for a greater good. Nonetheless, I have given myself a pat or two on the back for anything creative I have done since then. And honestly, it’s inspiring. In your own words, “Cheers to a non-judgemental, bias-free, appreciative life”!

Well, next comes another favorite of mine; the lecture on Self-fulfilling Prochecy/ Pygmalion Effect. The power of expectations, albeit sounds abstract is so true a phenomenon. You rightly pointed out Suresh Raina’s enhanced performance playing for CSK which can be credit to the great expectations Chennai-ites pin on him and which in turn beckon him to perform better and better. The same goes for Yuvraj Singh’s triumph against cancer and taking to the twenty-two-yards yet again.

While discussing the dynamics of personality, you pinpointed the aspects of ‘Swabhava’ and ‘Prabhava’ in determining one’s personality. And rightly so! My mother always speaks about ‘Abhava’ marring a person’s ‘Swabhava’. She always advises me to be contented from within and not let unfavorable incidences influence my real self. The MBTI test pointed out my personality traits correctly. An INFP, I now know how the personality-attributes impact my thought-and-work process. I unearthed the fact that being high on Feeling I too took many non-personal, critical remarks personally, like you said you did. I am working sincerely to improve on that ground. MBTI also helped me realize why I fail to capitalize on the good start I manage to have, but come up with a better performance, whenever pushed to the wall. I realized how each person in an organization is different and thus it happens to be the manager’s onus as well to help maintain “unity in diversity”. I found the job recommendations for an INFP amiss in the slides and hence wish to have a one-to-one discussion with you on this line. 

“How people treat you is their Karma, how you react is yours”, thus sayeth Lord Buddha. Lectures on righteousness and the desi version- Dharma, were the ones I was eagerly waiting to attend. But unavoidable circumstances washed my hopes down the spout. I was however fortunate enough to learn from friends. I wonder what he must have gone through when his father instructed Parashuram to kill his mother. To be torn between the gulf of love that a mother brings her children up with and the divinity of the father’s order would perhaps be the greatest Dharmasankat that one can ever undergo. India- the land of the Harishchandras and the Mahatmas, in ancient times was well-known for its spirituality. But our values and virtues now seem vanquished as mundanity prevails all over. In the midst of the rampant wrong-doings in the country, I sometimes stand perplexed if that subject called ‘Moral Science’ is still a part of the curricula in school. I was always taught by my father to uphold integrity, no matter what. My father died of Cancer. When I went to fetch his Death Certificate at the Primary Health Centre, the person concerned asked for a bribe trying to justify the delay otherwise. Had I bribed him that would have probably been the greatest disrespect to the deceased and his teachings. I simply couldn’t afford to do so. I was made to run from pillar to post for more than a couple of months, but it didn’t bog my spirit down. No denial, even I have been at times tempted to try hanky-pankies (I am sure everyone is), but the feeling of winning a match with a sportsman’s spirit is second-to-none. Perhaps that’s why even Jim Corbett realized “it’s not cricket” to shoot a tiger from hind quarters. And for the same reason perhaps people don’t look up to Ricky Ponting and his invincible Australian team the way they do to the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. Thus, to go the extra mile, it’s of paramount importance for a person/ organization to be ethical. Dharma bridges the brook, on the other side of which lies a greener pasture of concord and harmony. This lesson would go down my memoir as the last favourite, not the least of course.

The battle between brains, brawns and beauty often leave very little room for anything in between, and that’s where emotion comes in. But it’s not a lost cause altogether. Knowingly or otherwise, it’s that subtle yet significant aspect of emotions that propel a human being to the pinnacle of prosperity. Is a man minus emotions, man at all? Nay! Emotional Quotient is the art of knowing and managing emotions of oneself and others and channelizing the same for constructive purposes. And those who perform the art well, strike the concordant chord with the world. And empathy towards fellow beings is imperative to make things happen.

Hanging the boots up was imminent, but for someone who had served the game for more than two decades it was more about the fervor that he harboured for the game and the country he played for. Emotions can be infectious, so can they be inspiring. How Team India maneuvered their emotions towards gifting Sachin the WC that had eluded him for so long, was for everyone to see. That’s the might of emotions!

If living is an art, living a happy life is artistry. Being happy is a matter of choice that the wise make. It’s all about leading a contended and compassionate life where the expedition itself is more important than the destination.

The concept of 'Positive and Negative Reinforcement' is like old wine, that hasn't lost out a bit on goodness in spite of all the ravages that come complimentary with time. And kudos to the way you packaged the old wine in a new bottle!

Well, to me it sounded like yet another gory incident of hijacking, but this was even gorier. It wasn’t any of those whimsical hijacking purportedly by alien-UFOs. If it were one, Amygdala Hijacking would be the confiscation of the neocortex of our brains by our very own emotions. The adroitness of self-cool and mindfulness is all it takes to book the crook. And I take your mantra to tackle such emotions, without a grain of salt.

Known to be as-cool-as-a-cucumber, MS Dhoni once said, “Tension is omnipresent. It is tough at the international level. I don’t think it is possible to play international cricket without pressure. A captain has to stay calm on the pitch, particularly to relieve the bowlers. If a bowler finds his captain in tension, then it will have a negative impact on him.”

“A kid, who used to roll thrown-away tires on narrow byroads; who used to fly kites along the riverside; who used to walk to school every sunup with a sack under his arm and a trunk full of books in one hand, and whose only worry was how early could he go fishing in the marshes, or watching cockfight at the marketplace.

A journey from a trouble-torn village in the North-East, downtown a bustling Metro in the South- A journey which otherwise seems so surreally scripted. It’s the attitude in the end that matters the most.”

Hail, the non-renewable resource! Hail, Human Resource!

Footnote: And yeah, thank you for the industry-insights on 'Individual Dynamics in Organizations' that came our way by virtue of the panel-discussion. I promise to never ever share my password again!