Global Relationships at My Company

For me, the most obvious impact of globalization to my company involves technologists from India, and it allows me to quickly build high-functioning technology teams in little time.

We contract with a very large company that specializes in supplying IT resources to European and North American companies. Our vendor has facilities in India, but a large number of their folks come to St. Louis and other client locations for 6-month, 12-month, and even indefinite assignments. For instance, of my 11 direct reports, four are contractors in India, five are Indian contractors who work in our offices, one is a naturalized American citizens orignally from India. The eleventh is American born.

If a cultural divide exists between our employees and our Indian contractors, it is very shallow and relates only to work habits. Indian workers tend to be far more respectful toward and obedient to authority than their North American brethren. As a manager, this presents a challenge. I like to give my employees visionary guidelines, a compelling mission, and massive latitude in achieving those goals. I expect strong push-back and challenges to my assumptions, of which I have many.

While American and Canadian employees tend to adapt quickly to my open management style, I've that it takes much longer for Indian conractors and immigrant employees to accept the enormous freedom of decision I give them, though adaptation times vary widely between individuals.

I can honestly say that there are no other downsides to this cultural exchange, and I'm not sure I'd categorize the management-style thing as a downside, anyway. Perhaps the years of British influence in India lowered many cultural barriers long before my buddies arrived in St. Louis. Whatever the reason, I had to think hard and do the math to identify the ethnic breakdown of my team. I really forgot that we come from vastly different places. That might be a failing on my part, but it's also a blessing. I'd rather be the kind of person who forgets his friends were born in Asia than the kind who knows your ethnicity and religion by the spelling of your last name.