本
文是Karine
Schomer博士的一篇文章，比较了美国商业文化与印度商业文化的几个重要差别，其实对于我们中国人也是非常有借鉴意义的，里面的“印度”都完全可以换
成“中国”。当然即便是不是直接提到中国，也对中国商人有参考价值，毕竟无论印度人也好美国人也罢都是中国的交易对象。（请见全文）
文化矛盾：印度员工与美员工一起工作的五个挑战
作为美国外购最重要的热点之一，而且在海外的技术与商务服务的外部采办发挥
作用的今天，印度在商务文化差异方面是一个非常重要的案例值得学习。经过数年对美国人与印度人合作工作的团队的跟踪研究讨论，我发现重复出现的事件题材都
指向了在观念上，价值观上存在的跨文化差异，这些都影响着商务活动。
一旦你越过比较明显的差别如时区，后勤，工作与假期安排，口音，名字以及语言（美式英语与印度英语），你就会发现美国商业文化的五个基础给印度人与美国对手打交道时造成了特殊的挑战——不管是在国际贸易组织，还是在英国邮政还是呼叫中心的环境。
1、管理层次观念
在美国商业文化中，头衔与等级并不像印度人那样看重，严重的分等级行为是不受赞成的。他们希望下属大声地说话，提出建议，大力推进自己的计划并主动做事而不只是做他们被告知的任务。决策不是自顶向下的，权力被下放，管理人员希望他们的团队成员能够负责并承担后果。
2、对约定与期限的态度
对于美国人来说，严格的时间操守被视作有礼貌的专业人士的基本行为准则。因为每件事都是严格制定计划的，所以对一项约定的推迟就意味着严重影响同僚们及消费者的其它工作日程。印度商业文化中高弹性与没有限制的时间安排给美国的商业伙伴造成了不愉快的印象。
3、对承诺与协议的理解
美国人偏好清楚的，详细的协议而不喜欢模棱两可的承诺表达。商业交往中，协议将严格地按照字面实行。不能精确地坚持履行协议被视作不可信赖。而印度商业文化只将协议当作一个将来采取具体行动的有灵活性的指导方针。
4、结果导向与过程导向
在印度商业文化中，遵循原则贯彻严格的流程是很受重视的，而在美国商业文化中，只关心结果。印度人更倾向于执行严格的程序甚于冲向指向的目标。美国人不喜欢说在某个过程中出现了什么原因导致无法实现目标。
5、率直（与圆滑——此处为省略，译者注）——尤其是在意见不同时
美
国式的交流是非常直接、坦诚的，而不关心保全对方面子或者避免争论。他们希望每个问题都是清楚地回答“是”或者“不是”，意见不同可以公开地直接地讨论，
使用的是“说这样就是这样”的态度。印度人或者来自其它文化的人们倾向于避免争论以及丢面子，所以他们很难说拒绝以至不能有效地与美国伙伴解决争议。
不管你是班格洛尔地毯(印度) 的程序员还是桑尼维尔（美国）的一句项目经理，文化差异意识与有效地规避的能力是非常重要复杂的一项技能。每个人都以为自己的行事方法不言而喻地在别人身上也是如此。
近几年，美国在印度的公司或在印度购买的公司都表明因为跨文化行为差异而导致的隐性成本在增长。他们现在非常愿意对海外工作人员以及外派人员进行一般的跨文化培训。他们现在也在努力消除海外工作团队之间文化差异的负面影响。
这些公司很少采取的直接动作是认真地对海外工作团队进行美国商业文化的培训：美国人所期望的态度，思维方式以及行为准则。他们已经错过了改善他们海外工作团队生产力与阅历的最好时机。
英文原文由Karine Schomer博士发表于：http://www.sourcingmag.com/content/c060814a.asp
Culture Matters: 5 Challenges India Offshore Teams Face in Working with Americans
By Karine Schomer
As
the foremost "hot spot" for America's offshoring and offshore
outsourcing of technology and business services functions today, India
presents an important case study of differences in business culture. In
the course of years of giving seminars to both American and Indian
teams working together, I have found recurring themes and incidents
that point to underlying cross-cultural differences in mindset, values
and approach to business interactions.
Once you get past the
more obvious mutual adjustment issues of time zones, logistics, work
and holiday schedules, accents, names and language (American vs. Indian
English), there are five elements of American business culture that
pose special challenges for Indian teams interacting with their
American counterparts -- whether in the ITO, BPO or call center
environment.
--> 1. Mindset about Management Hierarchy
In
American business culture, rank and title aren't as important as they
are in India. Hierarchical forms of behavior are frowned upon. The
expectation is that subordinates will speak up, offer suggestions, push
back and take initiative rather than just do what they're told.
Decisions tend to be less top-down, authority is more delegated, and
managers expect team members to take responsibility and assume
ownership of results.
--> 2. Attitudes Towards Appointments and Deadlines
For
Americans, strict adherence to time commitments is seen as a basic
principle of professionalism and courteous behavior. Because everything
tends to be strictly scheduled, delays in one appointment or deadline
can have a serious ripple effect on a colleague or customer's other
work commitments. The more flexible and open-ended approach to time of
Indian business culture can create tensions and unfavorable impressions
on American counterparts.
--> 3. Meaning of Agreements and Commitments
Americans
have a preference for clear, detailed agreements and are uneasy with
vague expressions of general commitment. In business interactions,
commitments are taken literally and seriously. Failure to follow
through on them precisely is viewed as a sign that a person isn't
trustworthy. Indian business culture tends to view agreements more
flexibly as intentions and guidelines for future action.
--> 4. Results vs. Process Orientation
In
Indian business culture, following the rules and implementing correct
processes is highly valued, but in American business culture, it's all
about results. There is impatience with individuals who come across as
more concerned with following established processes correctly than with
achieving the desired goal. Americans don't like to be told all the
procedural reasons why something can't be or hasn't been done.
--> 5. Directness -- Especially in Addressing Disagreements
The
American style of communication is characteristically direct, candid
and relatively unconcerned with face-saving or the avoidance of
conflict. The expectation is that questions will get answered with a
clear "yes" or "no," and that disagreements will be dealt with openly
and straightforwardly, in a "tell it like it is" manner. Indians and
people from other cultures that tend to avoid conflict and loss of face
often find it hard to say "no" or raise problematic issues effectively
with their American counterparts.
Cultural awareness and the
ability to adapt effectively to another culture's way of doing things
are complex skills -- whether you're a programmer in Bangalore or a
project leader in Sunnyvale. Everyone tends to take their own cultural
ways of doing things for granted and to assume they are self-evident to
others.
In recent years, American companies offshoring or
outsourcing to India have shown growing awareness of the hidden costs
of cross-cultural mismatches in work-related behaviors. They have been
willing to invest in general and region-specific cross-cultural
training for their onshore employees and those who are asked to travel
to India. They have also learned to devise process accommodations to
circumvent the negative effects of certain cultural tendencies in their
offshore teams.
What these companies seldom undertake to address
directly is the need to seriously educate their offshore teams in the
fundamentals of American business culture -- the attitudes, thought
patterns and behavior norms that Americans expect. They're missing a
golden opportunity to improve the productivity and experience of their
onshore-offshore teams.
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