29/09 2015

Kulturverständnis als Business-Grundlage

Warum interkulturelles Verständnis oft das entscheidende Kriterium für eine erfolgreiche Kooperation ist, wird von Managern international operierender Unternehmen inzwischen damit erklärt, dass Missverständnisse, die zu wirtschaftlicher Ineffizienz führen, vermieden werden können.

 

Als Gründer eines indisch-deutschen Start-ups sowie als Student der Hochschule Esslingen, an der er zur Zeit seinen Master in International Industrial Management macht, kann der aus Indien stammende Venkatesh Ramakrishnan aus eigener Sicht diese Erfahrung bestätigen.

 

When I first came to Germany, I was amazed by how punctual people were and how much importance they gave to commitments made. I also learnt that German people like their space and are individualists by nature. I was actually not prepared for these cultural differences and needless to say, had a culture shock. Since then, it has been a steep learning curve for me – switching perspectives, observing subtle differences etc. It got me to thinking – How are the experiences for fellow Indians in German business & personal environment? What kind of experiences do German managers or employees make in their day to day interaction with Indian colleagues? How are images of India or Germany in their respective minds developed?

Understanding and accepting these cultural differences is the essential first step. If small steps can be taken to avoid misunderstandings of situations and to guide communication between peers and managers from these cultural groups, I believe, significant progress can be made in building collaboration and efficiency. At the beginning, it was my curiosity that drove my learning and observations. Now it is a passion for me: To consult German and Indian business partners to build up sustainable and constructive collaborations by bridging cultural difference in business life.

 

Seinen interkulturellen Erfahrungsschatz und seine Skills zum deutsch-indischen Perspektivwechsel stellt Venkatesh Ramakrishnan der IT Workbench Akademie zur Verfügung, die individuelle, praxisbezogene und auf Kunden zugeschnittene Workshops unter seiner Leitung für deutsche und indische Unternehmen anbietet.

 

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