Spanning Cultural Boundaries: U.S. Return Migrants in the Indian Technology Sector

Most studies on cross-national workplace cultures in technology companies focus either on multiple countries or on individuals of different nationalities within a single country. This paper, however, is unique in being both monocultural and cross-cultural. It examines workplace culture in Indian and U.S. technology companies through the perspectives of returning Indian migrants. The paper is based on in-depth interviews with 50 scientists and engineers who returned to India after studying and working in the U.S. It is monocultural because the participants are professionals working in the Indian technology sector, and cross-cultural because they have also experienced working in the U.S. technology sector. The paper shows that these individuals, motivated by personal and professional factors, represent a new demographic that synthesizes differences and similarities between Indian and American workplace cultures into a cohesive interpretation.