A few questions

Discussion in 'Working Women' started by CrayoNess, Jan 28, 2015.

  1. CrayoNess

    CrayoNess Platinum IL'ite

    Messages:
    1,223
    Likes Received:
    1,636
    Trophy Points:
    283
    Gender:
    Female
    I wanted to get back to this issue. If you have the look from the upper mgmt. who is doing the decisions it is not about where is the best work culture. You cannot say that a country has a better work culture than the other. It is a equation consisting of infrastructure (network, electricity, airports, roads), educated workforce, language skills and other factors. India has been in a high position in the offshoring area but due to the rising labor costs companies are now looking into other areas (Philippines, certain African countries, east Europe etc).

    The upper management make the decisions based on these facts and then it is the lower management task to implement the decisions. I did my first contracts/projects with indians in the mid-90s and since that it has been a rocky but also a funny road. I have been interrogated by the finnish police, sitting on the airport hailing back our subcontractors to fix the bugs, invited my indian colleagues to my home numerous of time, implemented a policy that every indian subcontractor is entitled a trip back every six week to get food, sitting in a rowing boat in the midnight sun with a group of indian colleagues stunned by the view of the sun that never goes down, went to the upper management complaining about the racism among my own colleagues, trying my best to learn basic hindi, have my fair share of indian cook books and learned the basics about indian cooking, laughed my head off when my 9 year old son tried to teach my dear indian friends skiing, published stories in a magazine in my home country about divorced mothers in India. On my first trip to India I cried on ocean because of the culture chock, txted my sister that I want home.

    That is why I am kind of slightly amused/surprised with the negative/aggressive attitude that I receive from some people here. Get the feeling that I have to carry the burden of colonialism and whatsoever. And the seriousness :D. I tell my views, you tell yours, so why get so aggregated?
     
  2. LotusAura

    LotusAura Gold IL'ite

    Messages:
    381
    Likes Received:
    445
    Trophy Points:
    123
    Gender:
    Female

    1) Upper Mgt? Lower Mgt? I come from a family of Businessmen/Upper Mgt Professionals.....and many of my cousins/extended family settled overseas are Upper Mgt folks in Giant corporations in US/Europe, hired by those Corporations at lucrative pay-packages specifically for their top-notch skills, and they all have locals working under them too. Some of the biggest global corporations have Indian CEOs & Indians at top positions & at helm of affairs..... So what exactly is your context here.....are you implying that most Indians are/or perceived to be lower mgt employees who can't implement decisions? I'm sorry I'm a bit confused by your post, may be I didn't get accurately what you're trying to say.

    2) Just like you cried on your first trip, many Indians experience the same cultural shock when they visit abroad for the same reasons, it's natural; though this has reduced tremendously because of media explosion that brings each country/culture to one's living room even before one physically visits it. Adaptability & Awareness levels have shot up considerably.

    3) You might want to consider that your getting negative/unpleasant attitude here may be because of your negative/cynical connotations when referencing Indian culture in an Indian forum, especially if you use words like colonialism, etc, which are inappropriate. Being at your position, surely you can't be this naive.
     
  3. CrayoNess

    CrayoNess Platinum IL'ite

    Messages:
    1,223
    Likes Received:
    1,636
    Trophy Points:
    283
    Gender:
    Female
    1. What I meant was that upper management makes the decisions to move operations "offshore" and the lower managements task is to implement these decisions. These decisions are made on facts like the availability of educated workforce, reliable infrastructure and similar aspects. I am not talking about indians (or other nationalities) moving abroad, I am talking on why corporates transfer part of the business/operations to low-cost countries like east europe, India, South Africa etc.

    2. Of course people experience culture shocks. The bigger the difference the bigger the shock.

    3. This was the first time I ever referred to colonialism. It was mainly my own views from where these negative and rude (but fortunately a small minority of the replies) is coming from. I do not see anything inappropriate in the term colonialism, it is a historical fact that it has happened.
     
  4. coolwinds

    coolwinds Platinum IL'ite

    Messages:
    839
    Likes Received:
    1,084
    Trophy Points:
    263
    Gender:
    Female
    it is quite convenient to attribute negativity to some colonial hangover, but your contemptuous attitude deserves all the rudeness you experience.
     
    1 person likes this.
  5. coolwinds

    coolwinds Platinum IL'ite

    Messages:
    839
    Likes Received:
    1,084
    Trophy Points:
    263
    Gender:
    Female
    yay, so you will soon be carrying your cultural baggage to "Philippines, certain African countries, east Europe etc" forums! relief!

    while your heartwarming experiences sound very reassuring, you have quickly sidestepped the issue that JAG brought up. posting on a public forum, details about your colleagues and the workings of your team is highly unethical and unprofessional.

    cut the cultural bs and use the effort to manage your team better.
     
    1 person likes this.
  6. CrayoNess

    CrayoNess Platinum IL'ite

    Messages:
    1,223
    Likes Received:
    1,636
    Trophy Points:
    283
    Gender:
    Female
    People here are telling about their bosses, colleagues, relatives, family member with all kind of details. Is it unethical?

    Working cultures are different so why cannot the cultural aspect be discussed. Of course it is only one aspect out of many in the setup.

    So tell me, what is my cultural baggage?
     
  7. coolwinds

    coolwinds Platinum IL'ite

    Messages:
    839
    Likes Received:
    1,084
    Trophy Points:
    263
    Gender:
    Female
    hello, myself coolwinder. glad to meet you.:hatsoff and, thank you for the kind words.:)
     
  8. coolwinds

    coolwinds Platinum IL'ite

    Messages:
    839
    Likes Received:
    1,084
    Trophy Points:
    263
    Gender:
    Female
    posting about your personal life and posting details about your colleagues, your company and its workings, are not the same. if you don't understand the difference and the implications of this, i wonder if you are a genuine professional manager.
     
  9. larapowell

    larapowell Bronze IL'ite

    Messages:
    93
    Likes Received:
    29
    Trophy Points:
    38
    Gender:
    Female
    Well some people in India are always in competition mode and that is why even a slight difference, causes mental chaos.
     

Share This Page