Indian talent thriving: Secrets of successful company culture
The success of hiring Indian talent is determined not only by acquisition but also by "retention and contribution." This text explains the characteristics of teams and specific organizational design that bridge the gap between high-context Japanese organizations and thinking traits to maximize their performance.
Contents
Low-context information sharing excluding 'A-un breath'
Indian talent, especially engineers from top-tier (Tier 1) universities, find the most stressful aspect of working in Japanese development environments is the "ambiguity." The uniquely Japanese "culture of empathy (high-context)" often does not work for people from India, a multilingual and multicultural society.
Articulation of Tacit Knowledge and Thorough Documentation Culture
Successful teams do not expect people to "read between the lines" in specifications or task instructions. As shown in Erin Meyer's 'Culture Map,' Japan is one of the world's most high-context cultures. However, India's business environment (especially the IT sector) is heavily influenced by the US and prefers explicit communication (low-context).
Decisions made in meetings are always documented as minutes and shared via Slack, Jira, etc.
Prohibit instructions to "handle it nicely" and define expectations (Output), deadlines (Time), and quality standards (Quality)
Foster an atmosphere that welcomes questions, and do not regard confirmations as "lack of understanding"
In teams where processes to eliminate information asymmetry are established like this, Indian talent can demonstrate their abilities without hesitation. This also has the benefit of preventing reliance on specific individuals for Japanese engineers.
Role defined closer to 'job type' than 'membership type'
The career perspective in India is standardized with a "job-based" framework where the scope of work is clear. On the other hand, many Japanese companies adopt a "membership-based" framework, where the realm of individual's responsibilities is ambiguous and fluid. This gap directly leads to dissatisfaction among Indian talents, feeling "their expertise is not being acknowledged" and it's "unclear how they can achieve a promotion".
Connection between JD (Job Description) and Evaluation Criteria
In successful teams, the Job Description (JD) at the time of hiring matches the actual work content after joining the company.
Define the responsibility range clearly for areas (such as frontend, backend, infrastructure, etc.)
Focus on "how one contributed with specialized skills" as the main axis of evaluation, rather than "doing anything for the team"
Conduct evaluation feedback not annually, but on a quarterly or monthly basis to quantitatively align goal achievement
Especially for graduates from prestigious institutions like IIT (Indian Institutes of Technology), they are sensitive to enhancing their market value. The ability to present a career path that assures them "staying in the company will enhance their skills" is key to keeping the attrition rate low.
Psychological safety and promoting 'healthy conflict'
India's educational background includes a culture of deriving optimal solutions through discussions. Silence in meetings tends to be seen as 'not contributing,' and logically counterarguing with superiors is encouraged.
'Conflict of opinion' and 'human relationship' separation
The atmosphere of 'following the superior's opinion' typical in Japanese companies significantly lowers the motivation of Indian personnel. Successful companies have norms such as the following:
Decision-making based on 'what is right' rather than 'who said it'
Encouraging intense discussions in technology selection and specification formulation, without confusing this with personal attacks
Ensuring psychological safety and creating an environment where failures and concerns can be reported early
In companies like Rakuten and Mercari, where multinational teams are functional, this 'focusing on the matter' approach is thoroughly enforced. Members of Phinx also have practical experience in such environments, but without this foundation, when welcoming Indian personnel, they might give up thinking 'speaking up is useless' and quietly start searching for new jobs.
Sharing business context starting from 'Why'
Engineers in India tend to dislike being treated merely as coders (workers). They are eager to propose technical solutions not just understanding "What to create" but also "Why to create" and "How to impact business."
Treat engineers as business partners
Management that only makes them write code according to specifications wastes their abilities.
Share customer issues and business figures that the function resolves before development begins
Allow discretion in implementation methods and let them propose more efficient approaches if available
Encourage them to have a perspective on product development as well as engineering
Similar to startups in Silicon Valley and locally in India, in organizations that recognize engineers as the core of business growth, they will autonomously operate with ownership.
Do not leave the stability of the life foundation as a 'personal issue'.
Non-work stressors (inadequate life setup) directly impact work performance. Especially in the first few months after arriving in Japan, there are many hurdles such as housing contracts, administrative procedures, meals, and feelings of loneliness.
Extend the scope of onboarding to include "life"
Behind a successful team is strong HR and administrative support.
The company leads the schedule management for visa renewals (such as technology, humanities, international business)
Consideration for religious and cultural dietary restrictions (vegetarian, halal, etc.) and providing nearby lunch information
Provide minimum language support necessary for work, without imposing Japanese language learning
Companies that dismiss these as "lack of personal effort" will not retain even the most talented individuals. Conversely, by caring for these, they can be assured to immerse in work and increase their engagement.
Summary
The teams where Indian personnel are active break away from the Japanese "culture of reading between the lines" and operate organizations in a logical and transparent manner. This is not simply about accommodating foreign personnel, but rather an update towards "global standards" to enhance the productivity of the entire organization.
Clear documentation culture and low-context communication
Job-based evaluation system that respects expertise
Psychological safety to discuss without concerns
An attitude of sharing the business background (Why) to elicit proposals
Comprehensive support to eliminate anxieties outside of work
It is not easy to construct all of these on your own from scratch within the company. For organizations hiring Indian personnel for the first time, especially small to medium-sized ones, the lack of know-how tends to become a bottleneck.
Phinx's support for hiring and retaining Indian personnel
Phinx is not just a recruitment agency. Because it is operated by members with experience in building, developing, and managing multinational teams at growing companies like Rakuten and Mercari, it can provide "effective organizational design" that is not theoretical.
Strong local network: In collaboration with Tier1-Tier3 universities such as IIT (Indian Institutes of Technology) and local institutions, we pinpoint talent that fits your company's culture.
Technological viewpoint matching: Engineers evaluate skills to minimize mismatches.
Comprehensive support for living and visa: From visa procedures after hiring to support for settling down after coming to Japan, minimizing the burden on the workplace.
To avoid situations where "hired but cannot manage" or "expected to be capable yet not functioning." For strategic design of hiring Indian personnel to retention, feel free to consult Phinx.
[Source List]
The Culture Map (Erin Meyer) - High Context vs Low Context Culture NASSCOM - Indian Tech Industry Strategic Review JETRO - Survey report on hiring and retaining highly skilled Indian personnel
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