Towards the end of 2020, Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark, and Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, agreed to build a green strategic partnership that will strengthen Indo-Danish relations.
This partnership aims to act as a catalyst for economic development, sustainability and the improvement of business opportunities between the two countries.
Whether it sounds like a Danish ‘cosiness’ or Indian ‘karma’, it will be an exciting and exotic adventure for these two different cultures to work closely together.
Avoid quixotic situations
Many Indians work in Denmark – especially in the IT field. Many Danes also travel to India for tourist and business purposes. The Danish Cultural Institute India was opened in 2019 to promote art and cultural events.
There is a general perception that cultural differences and challenges these days are not so relevant. On the surface, this may seem true, but if you scrape a little further, many challenges will come out like opening a pandora’s box.
In many cases, expatriates have to compromise his interest because the natives are in a better position of power.
Learning the local culture will also help avoid many quixotic situations in the workplace.
Thoughts for the Danes:
The word ‘yes’ can mean many things in India. A ‘yes’ can be a polite gesture to show that you are listening, it can be a ‘maybe’, it can be a ‘no’ and surprisingly sometimes it can actually mean a ‘yes’. How do you find out?
In India, sometimes a personal promise can have more value than a work commitment.
You need to be flexible and start building personal relationships to get things done and ensure a win-win situation. So are you willing to move out of your ‘comfort zone of restraint’ and enjoy some small conversations with your Indian colleagues by taking a masala chai?
Danes may be surprised by the traffic jams in Bangalore and Mumbai. Sometimes it takes two and a half hours to move from one side of the city to the other. You need to keep in mind that at that time you can fly from Bangalore to Dubai in a plane. So are you willing to plan differently in terms of time management?
Thoughts for the Indians:
In Denmark, punctuality is equally important in both business and social engagements. If you arrive late with excuses such as That you missed the train or lost the road more than once will create a negative impression. Punctuality and compliance with deadlines is like a religious ritual in Denmark. Are you ready to switch to a ‘time-is-money’ approach?
In Denmark, asking too many personal questions is considered an invasion of privacy. So are you ready to hold your curiosity and personal questions for a while? Remember the saying ‘Curiosity killed the cat’.
The Danes follow a very egalitarian work style. You must take full ownership of your project. How does it affect your work style with your Danish boss and teammates?
The philosophy of building relationships:
A Dane who communicates a blunt rejection message to a request from an Indian may be surprised to see desi get emotional and take it personally. The Indian might think of it as a rude or rude gesture. On the other hand, an Indian who tries to make quick friendships in the very first encounter with a Dane can make the Dane become suspicious of their motive and immediately withdraw from him.
Jeppe, a businessman from Copenhagen, shared his experience of attending a trade fair in Mumbai. Many people tried to introduce their products, networks and looked for partnerships. Jeppe was contacted by a senior Indian businessman with a big smile and a handshake. After the introduction, the senior Indian businessman started asking many personal questions. Jeppe was confused, and after answering a few questions vaguely, he moved on. After some time, Jeppe was again contacted by the same person who this time offered his hands and said “Can we get a deal?” Jeppe was now skeptical, and he said no to him – the Danish version of no, which means no.
The senior Indian guy tried to initiate small talk to get to know Jeppe better before he started talking about business. Such small talk is common in India when building relationships. Danes are more task-oriented and tend to get down to business quickly, while Indians try to build relationships as a platform to discuss business. For Danes, there is a clear separation of private life and working life. But the key is that the Danes do not have to answer all the Indians’ curious questions. They can indirectly signal their lack of interest in sharing personal information, while intelligently redirecting the conversation back to business topics.
Be prepared:
There are many more differences in the business and work cultures of both countries.
Understanding only the dos and don’ts of a country will only serve as a guide to acting properly in a few situations.
To build relationships, you need to go a little further. There are many cultural elements to explore such as food, festivals, clothing, customs, leadership style, negotiation patterns, history, traditions, religions, rituals and many more.
Source: The Nordic Page