India Workshops - working both ways
How to do business in India / How to do business outside India


Peter ten Hoopen has broad expertise in Indian (business) culture and helped several leading international organisations to be more effective in their cross cultural dealings - both Western companies doing business in India, and Indian corporations expanding abroad. Peter's main strength in this area derives from his three and a half years in India, and continued immersion in Indian culture. His book in Dutch on his travels in India, Heilige voor halve dagen ('Part-time Saint'), has become both a classic of travel literature and a source book for several institutes offering expat courses for India, among them the Royal Institute for the Tropics.
        Where appropriate, workshops, interventions and coaching sessions are developed and delivered by Kumar, Ten Hoopen & Associates, a collaborative project with Rajesh Kumar, PhD, Associate Professor of International Business Strategy at the University of Nottingham. Rajesh, an American citizen born in India, has many years of experience in cross-cultural work involving India, both in the US and Europe. The combination of a Westerner who knows India well with an Indian who knows the West well, guarantees an approach free from cultural bias.

Gateway to India Program - 1 Day Workshop
Working with Indians effectively

The Gateway to India Program was created to rapidly give Western expats and managers wishing to do business with Indians a deep and broad insight into Indian culture, including history, philosophy, and day to day practices. The core of the program is formed by 'The Seven Paradoxes of Indian Culture'. Indian culture is often particularly baffling to Westerners as it appears to be self-contradictory on many levels. As soon as one feels that a certain aspect is really understood, the next day one may be struck by phenomena that run directly counter to what one would expect. This creates a very special challenges, and forces one to look below the surface of Indian culture to what really moves the people.

Program Outline
  • Indian History - a brief outline, from prehistory through the Mughal era, the colonial period, independence, post-independence separation, and the early Gandhi years to today.
  • India's Major Religions - influence on daily life, sources of inspiration, conflict and dilemmas
  • The Caste System - banned but persistent
  • The Seven Dimensions of Indian Culture - based on work of Trompenaars
  • The Seven Paradoxes of Indian Culture - understanding the Indian soul
  • Emotional yet Formal
  • Indian Concepts of Leadership and Management Practices - practical hints
  • Dealing with Indians
  • - Communication styles
    - Decisionmaking and ranking
    - Dress, punctuality and formality
    - Preferred managerial qualities
    - Conversations
    - Ethnicity, age and gender
  • How to Enjoy the Indian Experience - and profit from it

It's Your World Now - 1 Day Workshop
Working with Westerners effectively

Indian companies are increasingly taking over Western competitors. The 'It's Your World Now' program is geared towards Indian managers taking up roles of responsibility in a cross-cultural setting, e.g. after a takeover of a Western company. The aim is to provide a solid understanding of Western culture and business practices, so that they can be effective from day one. It addresses common misunderstandings about Western culture, provides a prismatic look at seven important dimensions of the dominant business culture, and practical hints that help to make the most of relational possibilities. The program instills confidence, helping participants to start their career jumps on solid footing, and maximize their returns.

Program Outline
  • European and American History - highlighting the events that shaped the European and American mindsets, leading up to the current adjustment to a multipolar world.
  • The Role of Religions - diminishing in Europe, still strong in the US
  • The Seven Dimensions of European and American Culture - based on work of Trompenaars
  • Understanding the Western Mindset - not good, not bad, but very different
  • Western Concepts of Leadership and Management Practices - practical hints
  • Dealing with Westerners
  • - Communication styles
    - Decisionmaking and ranking
    - Dress, punctuality and formality
    - Preferred managerial qualities
    - Conversations
    - Ethnicity, age and gender
  • How to Enjoy the West - and profit from it

Middle Eastern / African Conquest - 1 Day Workshop
Working in the Middle East or Africa, effectively.

The concept ot his program broadly follows the European/American program, but is tailor-made to match the specific countries involved, e.g. Gulf Region, Egypt, Syria and Lebanon ('Es Sham'), Western Africa, Eastern Africa, South Africa - each with their own cultural particularities. Peter ten Hoopen has worked in all the regions concerned, and through his intensive work for South African telephone company MTN, operating in 21 countries in the region, acquired broad knowledge of the business cultures across the area, and the specific challenges and dilemmas they represent.

Programs may be run off-site or at your business location, and may be customized to your specific needs. For details and costs please .