The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Intercultural competence key to success: Lakshmi Narayanan

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Sunday, Jan 20, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Intercultural competence key to success: Lakshmi Narayanan

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: Intercultural competence is the key to the continued success of India’s businesses in an increasingly globalised world, according Lakshmi Narayanan, Chairman of Cognizant Technology and Chairman of NASSCOM.

Building a successful global enterprise involves creating a global mindset that goes beyond breaking down the walls between local country offices and international headquarters, or overseas revenues and product sales. Instead, he said, it is about creating an integrated workforce that is multiculturally aligned.

Addressing a conference of the Society for Intercultural Education Training and Research (SIETAR), he stressed the importance of experience, travel or training in building that global mindset. “Talent is the most important commodity. Capital, products, everything else is mobile. But talent is context sensitive. It is not possible to take people with the right capabilities in say technology, plant them somewhere and expect them to succeed.”

He said the European model of education and training was most appropriate.

He pointed to Switzerland, which is home to French-speaking, German-speaking and Italian-speaking cultures, as an example.

He also said that new social networking sites such as facebook and myspace would, in future, ensure a new kind of international collaboration and problem solving.

“There is a general feeling among many Indians that because India is so diverse and we speak English that it is easy to bridge the gaps. But this is an illusion,” Sunita Nichani, Principal cross-cultural training consultant, Alliance Francaise, Madras, told The Hindu. “We have to be sensitive to cultural differences like perceptions of time and rules, otherwise trust breaks down. Cross cultural understanding is not just about knowing how to use a fork, it’s about attitudes, values and relationships,” Sreemathi Ramnath, president, SIETAR, said.

“In terms of business if you understand your market, colleagues and customers you will have a more effective, efficient business with higher sales,” said Heather Robinson, India liaison, SIETAR Global Council. “But, on a more profound level, being culturally aware is about peace, social justice and making the world more liveable.”

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