The roots of global success

Ajay Banga leading the World Bank makes us think once again about what is making Indians popular in decision-making positions

- AJAY SHAH

All of us have noticed the remarkable presence of Indians in the leadership of global organisations: IBM, Google, Microsoft, and now the World Bank. In the best of times, it is difficult for an immigrant to succeed. Acclimatising to a new culture is hard. We must admire these individuals who worked their way to succeed in a foreign country. Here in India, there is a lot of emphasis on issues like passing an exam. But while passing exams and having a fire in the belly are important, they do not suffice beyond elementary functions.

The ingredients that shape an entire life, and matter in going beyond technical service functions to a place in strategy and leadership, are primarily about culture, purpose, community, values and human qualities. What worked for these individuals is that there was a sufficiently small cultural distance in their new life, compared with their college days in India, that they were able to bridge that gap through dint of genius and hard work. There was a whole cultural package of the world of books and ideas in their formative years in India, which laid the foundation for adapting to their new life.

One element of this journey is the multi-culturalism and tolerance within India. Growing up in India involves accepting, absorbing and interoperating with many cultures. It involves a great deal of tolerance, for India is a medley of many kinds of people. The interoperability with diversity in the best of India taps into a deep strain of thought, going back to high ideas from Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. This gives Indians steeped in this pluralistic culture a natural edge in dealing with the cultural diversity of global organisations, when compared with people who have grown up in a monoculture.