The Hindu Business Line : Trans-border bosses

Lonnie F. Sapp is the Chief Operating Officer at the Chennai office of OfficeTiger, a US-based BPO (business process outsourcing company). A former US Coast Guard officer, he has been in the outsourcing business for the last 15 years. "But when I was offered this job in India, I was not familiar with the country. I visualised India as a country of snake-charmers and camel riders," he says. On arriving though, Sapp was bowled over by the highly ambitious, highly qualified and English-speaking Indians, who "were full of excitement".

They were like fresh clay, he reminisces, and adds that he infused his staff with the values of what he thinks are the keys to success — quality, timeliness, communication and reporting. The employees took to these like fish to water.

During the early days, his team was shocked when Sapp joined them on the shop floor. But this move helped him "build a two-way camaraderie and respect that exist till date."

Sapp, however, acknowledges that the initial days had their difficulties both for him and his employees. "It was a big cultural shift for both of us. I had to understand the local culture and customs. There was learning on both sides." For example, he discovered that English was spoken differently by different groups of people — a Malayali might speak English quite differently from a Bengali; he also took a while to figure out whether a nod of the head meant `Yes' or `No'.

Sapp is among a growing tribe of foreign bosses dropping anchor in India, to head scores of multinational, IT and ITES companies setting shop in India. And it's easy to imagine the challenges faced by these expatriates by a country as diverse as India. But what is it like on the other side? How does it feel to have a foreigner for a boss?

"This is my first experience working under a `foreign' boss. We work on well-defined objectives that are reviewed every six months. My boss, Paul Jackson (a British national who visits India once or twice a year), understands that we need to review our checklist from time to time, and that we may not be able to meet certain objectives, though we have to explain why," says Arunav Sinha, Manager - Corporate Communications, iSoft, Chennai.

Pratap Chowdary's boss, Brian Jelf visits Chennai twice a year. "I send him periodic reports. I update him only when there is a real-time sale. My boss has given me complete freedom," says this New Business Development Manager at Alden Business Solutions. His boss acknowledges that he knows the Indian conditions better, adds Chowdary.

Sinha's colleague, Sriram Ramani, a Product Manager, points out that in today's global business environment, working under or with people of different nationalities is inevitable. "We have a set of deliverables and goals; we respect each other in totality, and that's how we can achieve our common goals. In fact, we don't have a boss-subordinate relationship; we work like partners."

He says that in multinational companies the boss's nationality does not make much difference. A divide might exist, he concedes, if there were only a handful of foreign employees in a company.

Ranjit Pisharoty, Senior Vice-President, Lason India, agrees that today's employees realise that expatriate bosses play a strategic role. He thinks that even the Indian bosses in a multi-national environment are more demanding.

It's a question of form and spirit, says Shobana Anand, Vice-President - Operations, OfficeTiger. "In my previous job, there was a clear demarcation between senior and junior levels of hierarchy. The spirit was basically missing there. Now, I can walk into Lonnie's room any time and discuss issues."

Exchange of wisdom

Styles of functioning vary from person to person. The difference, perhaps, is bound to be stark when it concerns expatriates... after all, upbringing, schooling, and work culture, vary across different countries. What kind of changes do foreign bosses in general bring to the table? Sinha's biggest learning has been prioritising issues. "We have to be clear about what we want. It is also important not to have too many goals; stick to a few relevant and strong goals, and go all out to achieve them." Also, "it is our right to demand/ask/fight for resources to attain goals."

He observes that Indians often fail to clearly articulate their requirements. Foreigners, on the other hand, are generally very clear about the resources they would need and ask for them when goals are set.

Foreign bosses are result-oriented while Indians are usually effort-oriented, says Sinha. "The moment we have a global team, efforts don't matter; results do."

Indian employees expect a lot of handholding, says Ramani. "We need people to ask us, `Have you done this job?' or `How far is it?' etc... We want our bosses to guide us through the part. Foreign bosses need to understand this and give us as many inputs as possible."

Personal touch

Ramani adores the way his boss, Dr Chris Tackberry, reaches out to every single person, even a fresher.

At i7Software Asia, Sundar Kumaravel, Manager - Business Development, says his boss Bjarni Hakonarson (from Iceland) "goes to any extent to understand and help us... both professionally and personally. He has a patient ear for our problems. The moment we talk to him, he makes us feel reassured and confident." What makes a big difference is the fact that he is not a control freak, and encourages an informal work atmosphere. This, says Kumaravel, is a general trait among many foreign bosses.

They are friendly to work with, and value new ideas and innovations, says Chowdary. They act tough only when something goes wrong. To err is fine, but not learning from mistakes is asking for trouble, says Kumaravel. He also observes that foreigners in general take effort to understand Indian culture. "For example, my boss understands the significance of Pongal and how it is important to Tamilians."

Learn to say `No'

Both Ramani and Sinha say that the IT sector has made a big difference to the work culture prevailing in the country. It has challenged several age-old practices followed in family-run and other traditional organisations, and discourages the so-called `Yes Men'. "In fact, in our office, if we say `Yes' thrice during the course of a meeting, then our bosses ask: Why don't you protest" says Sinha.

As he points out, in today's work environment it is not necessarily a middle-aged person with years of service who becomes the manager. A 28-year-old could become a manager too.

Kumaravel says his boss always consults his subordinates before taking decisions. They also encourage a healthy debate over ideas. "Many foreign bosses complain about the `Yes, Boss' culture present among Indian workers."

Neeraj Sinha, Vice-President (Operations) - Enterprise Document Solutions, OfficeTiger, says foreign bosses often lead from the front. Other noticeable traits include professionalism in all interactions and an emphasis on two-way communication.

Another positive in foreign bosses, says Chowdary, is their good sense of humour, which helps ease workplace stress and create an informal atmosphere. Sinha feels that their biggest strength lies in the fact that they are keen to understand and learn new things. "They are very good communicators; Indians know the language but have rarely reached out to people."

Picture by Shaju John

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Balance it right

Chettinad comes to Mumbai

What does your washing machine say?

Let's not overreact!

Changing their lives forever

Stimulate the intellect