Indian Cultural Values &
Communication
Office of International Services
September 2010
Agenda
Quick facts
 Overview of US and Indian Cultural
Values
 Student panel Q & A
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Quick facts:
• NC
State Indian students: ~700 (30% of international
student population)
• Population of India: 1,173,108,018 (July 2010)
• Religions: 80% Hindu, 13.5% Muslim, 2% Christian, 2% Sikh
• World’s largest democracy
• Languages: Hindi (national language – 41%); 14 official
languages; over 100 languages spoken
• 28 states and 7 territories
Henderson, C.E. (2002) Culture and Customs of India. Westport: Greenwood Press
Cultural Values
Individualistic
• Privacy valued
• Competition valued
• Individuals praised
• Loyalty to self
vs
Collectivist
 Identifies self within a
more important
group(s)
 Group decision making
 Individual praise is
uncomfortable even
shameful
 Group welfare is goal
Application: How team work is approached, how
life decisions are made (whom to marry, which school to
attend, where to live?), how view of self is influenced, when/how individuals lose
face/are shamed
vs
Universalism
• Egalitarian
• Fairness above all
• Comfortable working in
absolutes
• Seen as legalistic
Particularism
 Favoritism based on in-group
 Goal is group harmony
 Exceptions are the norm
 “It’s who you know”
 Hierarchical society
Application: How one gets a job/promotion, how deals are made
and with whom, consequences when rules are broken, which
relationships are valued over others, the value of the “team”
vs
Monochronic
• “Time is money”
• Punctual
• Values time,
appointments, or
productivity over people
Polychronic
 Relationships and
spontaneity are
drivers of one’s time
Application: When a guest arrives at a host’s house for
dinner/party, when to arrive at a meeting, how
emergencies are handled and what constitutes
an emergency; how much “small talk” takes place at the beginning
of a conversation
Direct
vs
Communication
 One means what one says
 Do not keep one’s
feelings to oneself
(positive or negative)
 Little guessing of
another’s meaning
Indirect Communication
• What is said is not
necessarily what one
means
• One must infer meaning
• Saving face is valued
• Third party/liaison used
to communicate
information
Application: How a manager motivates or enables change within the work place;
how to correct someone; how to say “no”; how to communicate bad news
Low Power Distance
 People are more or
less equal or deserve
to be treated equally
vs
High Power Distance
• Rigid hierarchies
• Status matters
Application: Degree of formality or informality that is easily
established within the workplace, classroom, etc.; when to address
someone by first name; how to greet another person
vs
Low Uncertainty
Avoidance
 Comfortable with risk
 Differences among
individuals and groups
more easily tolerated
 Less regulation/control
over life’s situations
High Uncertainty Avoidance
• Risk averse
• Differences within or outside
groups not easily tolerated
•Conformity is comfortable
Application: How one views people/positions of authority; how many times
one asks/rephrases a question; how readily someone accepts something as
“fact”; how quickly one tolerates outsiders or situations that challenge the
status quo; loyalty to tradition vs desire for innovation
Indian Value and Communication Styles
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“Indian time” vs “American time”
Many are native English speakers (British)
Defined gender roles
Highly bureaucratic system of government
Hierarchical; Status matters
Body language
May not say “no” directly; need to infer
Titles are important
Less touching among people, especially
between genders
Sources:
Storti, Craig. Figuring Foreigners Out, 1999
Bennett, Milton. Basic Concepts of Intercultural Communication, 1998.
Henderson, C.E. Culture and Customs of India, 2002.
OIS Programs
http://www.ncsu.edu/ois/programs/
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International Friendship Program: Year-long
match
Breaking Bread: One-time dinner hosting
English Conversation Club: Be a weekly
conversation partner
-Tuesdays, & Thursdays, 3:30pm,
College of Textiles, Port City Java
-Fridays, 3:30pm, Daniels Hall
Culture Corps: Request a culture-specific
presentation
Student Panel