Six tips to enjoy working in India

Working in India is a joy - at least if you have a bit of an adventurous European merchant's spirit. Michel Koopman, who runs the Leela hotel in Gurgaon, is just such a person. "It's fun to work with Indians," Koopman says enthusiastically. "The fact that they speak English helps tremendously. Quite a difference from China. If you make a joke there, they don't understand you. With Indians, you can laugh."

Gosse Wielinga at the Suzlon factory in India (Photo: Suzlon)

Gosse Wielinga who works for the large Indian wind energy company Suzlon also has an "incredible time in India." Wielinga thrives in the informal corporate culture at family-owned Suzlon, which he compares to the Dutch polder culture.

Or take Jos van Haaren, former research leader at the Philips innovation campus, who recently returned to Eindhoven. During the interview, he seemed almost homesick for India. "I would have liked to have stayed longer," he said with regret in his voice.

Even hockey coach Paul van Ass, who was sacked after only five months as national coach of the Indian hockey team, has good memories of India. He hopes to do business there again.

Jos van Haaren at the Philips Innovation Campus in Bangalore (Photo: Berkeley - Haas)

Six tips to make working in India a joy:

1. Take young employees by the hand

"Indians are very ambitious, they fight to get ahead. You can see that at the baggage belt at the airport: everyone is in the lead. You can see it on the work floor as well. There are a lot of young people who are very driven. The trick is to take them by the hand and tap into their potential. That gives me great satisfaction. Gosse Wielinga, Suzlon Energy

2. Enjoy the game

"To make a good deal, you have to play the game Indian style. That means sometimes you have to say you have no time or not answer the phone. Then you play the difficult European, while your staff massage the other party in the meantime. This way of doing business can be frustrating in the beginning, but after a while you learn to enjoy the game. Then you become half an Indian." Gandert Roosen, Roosen Industries.

3. Use an interpreter

"Of course, many Indians speak excellent English, but even though you speak the same language, that doesn't mean you understand each other. An interpreter who knows both cultures can bridge the gap between Europeans doing business in India and their Indian executives, partners and/or employees." Gosse Wielinga, Suzlon Energy.

4. Give smart feedback

"Never publicly attack a manager. That is fatal. If you want to share critical ideas, do it in private. That is often appreciated and they usually do something with it." Gosse Wielinga, Suzlon Energy.

5. Set aside more time than usual to prepare properly

"Many foreigners who have been to India on business are dead tired when they get back on the plane to Europe. This is often because they do not take enough time in India. If you have an important meeting on Monday, fly the Friday before. That way you can acclimatise and appear fresh and sharp at your appointment." Gosse Wielinga, Suzlon Energy.

6. Be flexible

"In India, it is often not quite clear how things work. If that bothers you, working in India takes a lot of energy. But if you can deal with it, it's actually a lot of fun. As a foreign company or employee, you have to ask yourself whether you can thrive in such an environment." Jos van Haaren, Philips.

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Humour is magic in cooperation with Indians

The Indian grape grower Eurofruits has been supplying grapes to Albert Heijn for ten years now; this spring they supplied no less than half a million kilos. Indian founder Nitin Agrawal, who visits the Netherlands almost every month, likes the informal, Dutch way of doing business. "Every conversation with Dutch people starts with a joke."

Shock
After Indian grape grower Eurofruits gained a foothold in Britain in the early 1990s, the company made the leap to the Netherlands. In 1995, Nitin Agrawal landed at Schiphol Airport for the first time. It was late at night, he didn't know anyone and he had no idea where to go. At Schiphol they sent him to a hotel on the Damrak, and before he knew it he was walking with his wife through the Red Light District. "I didn't know what I saw. We were in shock, yes, even a little scared."

Family atmosphere
Some twenty years later, Agrawal still has a good laugh about it. He now visits the Netherlands almost every month, working closely with Dutch fruit importer and exporter Timerfruits. One of the founders of Timerfruits, Eric Brückner, met Agrawal on his first visit in 1995. "We got along well right away," Agrawal recalls. "At the time, Eric worked for a small company with a nice family atmosphere. I felt comfortable with that. However, I had to convince him that we had good grapes in India."

State-of-the-art
Leave that to Agrawal. In 1993, in the Indian grape and wine region of Nashik, about 200 kilometres north of Mumbai, he built state-of-the-art facilities based on those he had seen in Britain. "When people from Albert Heijn first came here, they didn't know what they were looking at," he laughs. "Many people still have a one-sided view of India. They are surprised that we have the most modern production, processing and storage facilities here. For us, of course, that is crucial: otherwise we would never have got contracts from big international customers like Albert Heijn, Carrefour and Marks&Spencers."

Humour and patience
Although Agrawal often sees that cooperation between Indian and Dutch companies is awkward, he actually enjoys working with the Dutch. "Of course, our cultures are totally different. India is a different planet, not comparable to the Netherlands. That is why you have to take the time to understand each other. If you don't have the patience for that, things will go wrong. Humour is also crucial. The Dutch are masters at breaking the ice with a joke. Indians generally appreciate the informal, open atmosphere that this creates. That humour is a magic bullet for doing business is something I really learned from you."

There are plenty of opportunities in the agri/food sector in India. Want to go and see for yourself? Join Amsterdam Trade in November!