Shifting Strategic Business Functions to India for a Financial Services Global Solution Center

The client is of Europe’s leading financial services groups, with a strong presence in global banking, investment solutions, and financial services.

As part of an internal transformation, the client introduced a new set of mid-senior management roles in India. These roles required consistent interaction with European counterparts in France, Romania, and other EU countries, as well as managing teams across borders. Key cultural challenges emerged:

Cross-Regional Communication

Employees were expected to collaborate across cultures with little prior experience, creating friction in communication and expectations.

Cultural Sensitivity

There was a need to develop awareness of cultural norms, values, and etiquette to work effectively across India and Europe.

Feedback and Conflict Management

Team members required guidance on how to give and receive feedback and manage conflict respectfully and productively.

Time and Task Management

Differences in time orientation and accountability norms between Indian and European teams needed to be addressed.

Scalable Learning Solution

A practical and dynamic training format was needed to equip employees quickly and effectively as the roles expanded.

• Over 30 years’ experience delivering cultural training worldwide
• Extensive understanding of Indian and European business culture dynamics
• Practical, business-focused training methodology
• Track record of supporting multinational teams with scalable, relevant solutions

Global Business Culture delivered a two-part cultural awareness training program, with flexible delivery formats. The sessions were facilitated by Vidya Subramanian, a highly experienced cross-cultural consultant with a deep understanding of both Indian and European corporate environments.

Phase 1: Cultural Foundations

• Concepts of culture: visible and invisible elements, and their workplace impact
• Overview of cultural dimensions influencing communication and collaboration
• Exploration of business practices across European countries
• Focus on areas including time management, virtual team dynamics, feedback, and cross-regional leadership

This phase established a baseline understanding of cultural influences on daily work and helped participants develop awareness of how their own cultural lens shaped interactions.

Phase 2: Practical Application

• Recap and Q&A from Phase 1
• Case study exercise to apply cross-cultural insights to realistic business scenarios
• Group discussions to identify potential challenges and propose solutions
• Development of individual and team actions to enhance cross-cultural collaboration

This phase provided an interactive and hands-on learning experience, enabling participants to analyse and solve cross-cultural challenges using their new knowledge.

• Deeper understanding of cross-cultural dynamics while leading and managing global teams.
• Improved project management practices across global teams.
• Stronger people management strategies for multicultural teams, in areas such as feedback, conflict handling etc.