EXPAT-SPEAK

She heads an outfit that provides cross-cultural training and relocation services to expatriates in India, but says there is no end to the cultural lessons she keeps learning from her clients.

Ranjini Manian, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Chennai-headquartered Global Adjustments, recalls the time she took the CEO of an Australian insurance company and his wife to lunch. She casually told the wife, “Come, let’s go”, only to find out later that the wife thought she sounded imperious.

“I didn’t even think of it… We (Indians) mean to be polite, but we use less words to show our politeness.”

She says such understanding of cultural differences has become more important as multinational corporations rush to cash in on India’s strong economic growth, and expatriates and their family began moving here following the liberalisation in 1991. Ranjini established the firm in 1995 after she met Joanne Grady Huskey (co-founder and chief North American representative of the firm) and helped her adjust to life in India. Now the Chennai-based firm caters to multinational firms such as Nokia, McKinsey and Panasonic, to name a few.

The contrasts of India can throw many foreigners into a tizzy and they are often caught unawares by the noisy, crowded and smelly streets. “Expats from multinational companies say, ‘Just show me the offices straightaway. I don’t have time for advice.’” But she explains that unless they understand the country, they will only end up disappointed or angry, and disinclined to invest further.

Foreigners should also “invest time” in getting to know their Indian business partners and co-workers. “Indians are very proud of where they studied, their family name...” As relationships here are built at a personal level, attending their festivals, watching Indian movies together, or even playing cricket with them would help with the bonding, she adds.