When Hollywood's Richard Gere moved in for what in his eyes was a friendly and innocent kiss with Bollywood diva Shilpa Shetty, he sparked riots the length and breadth of India. And it seems that British businessmen have been stumbling along in his culturally unaware wake.
Keen to avoid similar embarrassments, the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) is to launch a series of classes on Indian business etiquette. Students will learn how to bow, how to smile (particularly useful for British business people these days), and, above all, how to refrain from kissing Indian businesswomen.
Among the faux pas committed by British business people dealing with their Indian counterparts:
- Being overly tactile
- Being patronising
- Inappropriate body language (including standing with their hands on their hips)
- Calling Indian managers by their first names
UKIBC chief executive Sharon Bamford says "Business in India is all about trust. If you make a wrong move culturally, you can throw away your chances." And while the US and Japan are well established in the Indian business world, Britain is still struggling, despite (or perhaps because of) its historic links.
It does seem a bit par for the course, to be honest - it's the business equivalent of the British tourist speaking English very loudly on holiday and assuming that everyone will understand them. Rather than waste tax payers' money (the UKIBC receives £1m a year of government funding), perhaps our arrogant business executives could take a leaf out of their American and Japanese rivals' books, and do some background reading before catching the Mumbai plane. No pun intended ...
