Sat, Feb. 04, 2012
Trevor Williams, GlobalAtlanta

Jaipur, India - It was over as soon as I caught a glimpse of the colorfully painted elephant on a merry romp down the street: I was hooked on Jaipur.

Like any developing area, the city is dusty - watch out for the occasional runaway cow or camel - but what it lacks in neatness it more than makes up in character.

I had never heard of Jaipur, so I had no inkling of what it would be like. That ignorance served me well. As floating palaces, hillside forts and turbaned tribesmen flashed outside my window, I became that Disney-world dad who just couldn't keep his finger off the shutter button.

There was plenty to capture. In nearby villages, artisans crafted rugs and shoes by hand. The farther outside the city, the brighter the women's sashes and scarves became. Back in town, clusters of sandstone buildings made it clear how the Pink City got its name. A gleaming new world trade complex seemed anachronistic in view of the bustling bazaar down the street.

I was floored, partly because I didn't have anything invested in my own opinion of what Jaipur should be. In short, I gave the city a chance to surprise me, and it didn't disappoint.

One complaint we've heard over and over about American businesspeople is that they try to overlay their own successful approaches on India. If it works in one place it'll work in another, the logic goes.

But that assumes that two places favor each other. India and the U.S. bear very little resemblance, either on the surface or below it. If newcomers assume anything about the way the country operates, they'll be endlessly frustrated, according to business leaders interviewed during this trip.

It makes sense: Why worry about crazy driving you can't control? Why project the values of “right or wrong” on mere cultural differences? Fighting against ingrained habits is like trying to chisel away Everest; if thousands of years haven't eroded them, how will one traveler's temporary interactions even make a dent?

Americans aren't the only ones guilty of unwittingly assuming their business practices are superior. Their counterparts do the same when coming to the U.S.

All would do well to realize that cultural immersion in business is like an undertow that sweeps out to sea those who thrash against it.

With India, some leaders say it's better to relax and hold on until the current spits you out – battered and bruised but alive, invigorated and a even little bit surprised at how much you enjoyed the ride.

Related Countries: India
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