Indians are over committed, reluctant to differ

Brussels: Business executives in Europe feel Indians display a reluctance to disagree, a tendency to over-commit and a lack of transparency in sharing information. A new survey conducted by outsourcing advisory firm Quantum Step reveals that in Continental Europe, India's attitude towards caste and gender issues impact India's position as a global business center.

Quantum Step surveyed 35 top companies across Europe, asking them to discuss the barriers they felt existed in doing business with Indian outsourcing firms, reports Business Standard. Companies in the Nordic region pointed out the "awkwardness" with which Indian men interacted with women. "Often, the Indian teams that are sent to make a sales pitch, don't include even a single woman," says Sridhar Vedala, Quantum Step's Managing Director. "But the people they are pitching to are commonly women."

Another complaint listed was the difference in the way Indians were perceived to behave towards their European clients and towards their own Indian subordinates. A final point made had to do with the perception that Indians working onshore in Europe made little attempt to integrate with local employees, preferring instead to socialise and live with other Indians. But despite these findings, Vedala insists that Continental Europe is gradually opening up to do business with Indian outsourcing companies. "There is already significant activity in the Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg) region, as well as in Germany," he says.