Case Study #23: A Custom Software Applications Development Company with Operations in the U.S. and India
Project: Webcast and online cross-cultural competency training for India and U.S. teams
Background:
A custom software applications development company specializing in system integration had operational sites in both India and the U.S. The Director of Operations for one of the business units had a team of 250 programmers and developers in India, building and testing the applications. The U.S. team members were responsible for working with the clients on determining the requirements and planning the design of the software. The number of employees in the Indian operation was expected to double within a short period of time. Differences in work culture and style were already creating stress, and the fear was that it would only be exacerbated as the scale of operations increased.
Assignment:
Customize and deliver “mirror-image” cross-cultural awareness training to both the Indian and the U.S. teams.
Intervention:
CMCT conducted interviews with managers in the U.S. and India to determine the major cultural difference issues being experienced. A dual approach was recommended and adopted: live webcast training on American business culture for the Indian teams, and self-paced online training on working with India for the U.S. teams. The “Working with Americans” training for the Indian teams was more extensive, covering not just general behavioral expectations and work protocols, but also very specific guidelines for phone and email communications. The training was rolled out first to team leads, project managers, middle and upper managers, so that they could be prepared to re-enforce the learning with their direct reports.
Result:
A survey of participants in the training reported a high level of satisfaction, and a sense that the learning had immediate practical application.
Key Disciplines:
Cross-Cultural Training, Training Needs Assessment, Training Program Development, e-Training Solutions, Cross-Cultural Consulting
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For more information, contact CMCT, write to info@cmct.net, or call 510-525-9222.
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