Another major difference I have noticed is the way Indian and Western prefer to communicate. Indian tend to be more comfortable with verbal communication and Westerners are more comfortable with written communication.

A truly great article by Navi Radjou! It encloses in a nutshell the main challenge that objectively stands in front of our 'management and business communities'- 'It's time for B-Schools around the whole world to start teaching courses titled "Managing cross- cultural innovation networks" and
"Trans-Disciplinary Design Thinking". It is obvious that Navi, indicates the necessity of a quantum
jump into the slippery and fuzzy world of "Interactive Complexity", since the conventional 'Management Thinking' is helpless, because of the lack of an adequate reception of reality! This perceptions are already 'obsolete' and an urgent change in our "MINDSET"(unlearning) is a must
necessity. But how in reality is this requirement to be fulfilled ? Who is going to start the process and keep it going? Is it truly possible to achieve this massive change in our brains so that we can transform the existing bureaucracy into rejuvenated productivity? Shouldn't we take in mind that rigid routines erode the brain's amazing plasticity and halt growth?
Such grand and let us not be afraid to state 'Global'

changes are very difficult to administer without major sacrifices that create mainly fear and anxiety. This causes the human brain to shrink and shuts it down to block learning or progress.

Only 'PLATO' in his famous book 'The Republic' and in his 'Dialogs' seems to know the answers

to our ' temporary constant' problems, managing in theory to coordinate the two given by definition

opposing forces : 'The White and The Black Horses' in a majestic cart, which is capable of reaching

'Trance dental Goals' with ease guiding the human en devour. But unfortunately, 'The men of old;

Took all they knew; With them to the grave; And so, Lord what you are reading there' Is only the dirt they left behind them' ( Chuang Tzu).

A little of recent history lessons will not hurt either. The 20'th Century was not able despite it's efforts to achieve the so desired by many researchers synthesis
between the "EAST", broadly speaking and the "WEST"(the western method and the eastern sense for its limits,as well as sense for a reasonable measure). A
failure that is fully worth to be studied most carefully.
There is a clear message for our proud 'Western Civilization' that can be clearly identified in Navi's most revealing text -"The frightening failure of the 'WEST' to cope with an objective 'Global Truth' in our 'Brave New WORLD' and it is as simple as that: 'The west has to learn to adapt itself to the New Realities that were jointly created', not vice -versa as it used to be in the near Past!'.

Finally, I would like to ask Navi what managerial "miracles' does he suggest as a systems methodology for the Generation Y, or the Millennials, that would definitely be a hit? Systems improvement or Systems design, where the existing system is going to be destroyed overnight as the story goes in 'Management Guru' R.L. Ackoff's fables?

In a small country with a weak economy in transition, we had the guts to start a new educational experiment,due to the most significant input from Prof.
John Pourdehnad, who was a 'Senior Fulbright Exchange Specialist fom the Wharton Business School -'Organizational Dynamics(PEN)'.

We redesigned the faculty program , which was accredited by The Open University, U.K. I will start reading "The Basic Design Course " -and the 'Trans -disciplinary' idea will be gradually implemented. This will be the starting point of our idea for starting a "Trans-Disciplinary Design School" in "NBU -Sofia",Bulgaria.. Faculty and Students will be selected through a completely new and innovative approach ,as to meet the urgent objective requirements of 'Global Learning'. Transformation from the Industrial Age to Knowledge Age is a paradigm shift. It becomes obvious that societies are also forced to redesign their educational systems to meet the challenges of the Knowledge Age. The 'Design School' ,once started in Sofia will interact, educate and participate in the
evolution towards a ' Human -Centric Knowledge Society', a process the right direction of which has to be synchronized at all levels of society and globally. The School's Input : Individual knowledge, trans disciplinary design thinking, unlearning- changing the mindset, pattern recognition, from algorithmic thinking - to heuristic thinking /, thinking backwards, creativity and 'Managerial Excellence' are some of the key production values and engines for economic growth in the defined context.
Any support : financial, moral, intellectual, administrative, popularization etc., will be of vital importance for the overall success of this multi - phased project model ! We hope that the 'Stanford Design School ' will show interest and assist us in our pursue for ":Managerial Excellence", by starting with us a ' joint project ' that
will hopefully result in a successful transnational and cultural transfer of their accumulated experience in running such a 'Design School'.

A truly great article by Navi Radjou! It encloses in a nutshell the main challenge that objectively stands in front of our 'management and business communities'- 'It's time for B-Schools around the whole world to start teaching courses titled "Managing cross- cultural innovation networks" and
"Trans-Disciplinary Design Thinking". It is obvious that Navi, indicates the necessity of a quantum
jump into the slippery and fuzzy world of "Interactive Complexity", since the conventional 'Management Thinking' is helpless, because of the lack of an adequate reception of reality! This perceptions are already 'obsolete' and an urgent change in our "MINDSET"(unlearning) is a must
necessity. But how in reality is this requirement to be fulfilled ? Who is going to start the process and keep it going? Is it truly possible to achieve this massive change in our brains so that we can transform the existing bureaucracy into rejuvenated productivity? Shouldn't we take in mind that rigid routines erode the brain's amazing plasticity and halt growth?
Such grand and let us not be afraid to state 'Global'

changes are very difficult to administer without major sacrifices that create mainly fear and anxiety. This causes the human brain to shrink and shuts it down to block learning or progress.

Only 'PLATO' in his famous book 'The Republic' and in his 'Dialogs' seems to know the answers

to our ' temporary constant' problems, managing in theory to coordinate the two given by definition

opposing forces : 'The White and The Black Horses' in a majestic cart, which is capable of reaching

'Trance dental Goals' with ease guiding the human en devour. But unfortunately, 'The men of old;

Took all they knew; With them to the grave; And so, Lord what you are reading there' Is only the dirt they left behind them' ( Chuang Tzu).

A little of recent history lessons will not hurt either. The 20'th Century was not able despite it's efforts to achieve the so desired by many researchers synthesis
between the "EAST", broadly speaking and the "WEST"(the western method and the eastern sense for its limits,as well as sense for a reasonable measure). A
failure that is fully worth to be studied most carefully.
There is a clear message for our proud 'Western Civilization' that can be clearly identified in Navi's most revealing text -"The frightening failure of the 'WEST' to cope with an objective 'Global Truth' in our 'Brave New WORLD' and it is as simple as that: 'The west has to learn to adapt itself to the New Realities that were jointly created', not vice -versa as it used to be in the near Past!'.

Finally, I would like to ask Navi what managerial "miracles' does he suggest as a systems methodology for the Generation Y, or the Millennials, that would definitely be a hit? Systems improvement or Systems design, where the existing system is going to be destroyed overnight as the story goes in 'Management Guru' R.L. Ackoff's fables?

In a small country with a weak economy in transition, we had the guts to start a new educational experiment,due to the most significant input from Prof.
John Pourdehnad, who was a 'Senior Fulbright Exchange Specialist fom the Wharton Business School -'Organizational Dynamics(PEN)'.

We redesigned the faculty program , which was accredited by The Open University, U.K. I will start reading "The Basic Design Course " -and the 'Trans -disciplinary' idea will be gradually implemented. This will be the starting point of our idea for starting a "Trans-Disciplinary Design School" in "NBU -Sofia",Bulgaria.. Faculty and Students will be selected through a completely new and innovative approach ,as to meet the urgent objective requirements of 'Global Learning'. Transformation from the Industrial Age to Knowledge Age is a paradigm shift. It becomes obvious that societies are also forced to redesign their educational systems to meet the challenges of the Knowledge Age. The 'Design School' ,once started in Sofia will interact, educate and participate in the
evolution towards a ' Human -Centric Knowledge Society', a process the right direction of which has to be synchronized at all levels of society and globally. The School's Input : Individual knowledge, trans disciplinary design thinking, unlearning- changing the mindset, pattern recognition, from algorithmic thinking - to heuristic thinking /, thinking backwards, creativity and 'Managerial Excellence' are some of the key production values and engines for economic growth in the defined context.
Any support : financial, moral, intellectual, administrative, popularization etc., will be of vital importance for the overall success of this multi - phased project model ! We hope that the 'Stanford Design School ' will show interest and assist us in our pursue for ":Managerial Excellence", by starting with us a ' joint project ' that
will hopefully result in a successful transnational and cultural transfer of their accumulated experience in running such a 'Design School'.

The only thing I noticed working with engineers from India is they are very verbal compared to the rest of engineers from Asia (Taiwan, Korea, China) and they normally dominate the meeting with their so called "IDEAS" and they are very aggressive in trying to get consensus. They pack in their own group and work well together, but they have no inclination to work with others outside their own circle/group. I can understand that most probably they prefer to have an environment with their own work culture/ethics, however, it's very important to be a team player in order for the team to be successful. Sometimes, I think they put to much emphasis on their own success (meaning, getting their manager's support and company's sponsorship for the American Permanent Residency (PR)) that drags down the whole team from achieving the team goal. All in all, it's difficult to work under such an environment and very discouraging for other team members, especially if the manager does not have good management skills to stop the aggressiveness and hostility among team members (normally the engineers are India can turn very hostile to other non-Indian team members, from my own observation).

As an Indian (not engineer though) I can perhaps think of some socio-cultural reasons behind Indian engineers' ability to deal with ambiguity.

Dealing with scarcity situations has been rightly pointed out as a significant contributor to this trait . In addition, relative absence of rigid systems in civic life prepares them for handling such situations with elan in their professional lives.

There is perhaps another reason why Indians excel in ambiguity. If one looks at Indian (or more accurately Hindu) mythology emanating from Hinduism, one of the striking characteristics is pantheism (many gods as against monotheism in Christianity or Islam). There are not only virtually innumerable Gods, but some of the highly worshipped Gods have strikingly different personalities too. Each has his/her own strengths and weaknesses but they are revered for different reasons. The underlying principle is that no one particular way of life is perfect. And that one has to find one's way through a 'select and reject' mode among the multitude of options. This could be another reason for Indians to be comfortable in non-binary situations.

However, with increasing globalization and perhaps gradual disconnect with one's culture (and mythology) it may happen that this special skill to thrive in adversity and ambiguity may get eroded with time. In my view, technology encourages systems (and therefore certain rigidity in outcomes or possibilities) whereas nature (or life experiences)prepares one to face unexpected possibilities. As lives (in general and of Indians in particular) get closer to technology and distant from the vicissitudes of 'natural' life, it could be that the Indian thinking could very well resemble the Western thinking in the not too distant future.

It is a great summary. Congrats. I would like to add that the Westerner deterministic style helps in avoiding scope creep and keep the focus on deliverables. Changing styles from fuzzy to deterministic midway in a development project would be a great personal trait to have and will be a best of both the worlds.

Not bad Navi!

As the world moves forward and cultures mix every organization, multinational or SMB, needs culturally savvy managers.

The point s you mentioned above can apply to anyone who's working in a multicultural organization - HR, Sales, OPS...

Indeed a very useful summary of the mindset and i totally agree with the article, Indian`s will be innovating faster in next few years than the western counterparts