Doing business in India: The role of jaan-pehchaan

Abstract

The study seeks to further advance our understanding of the complexities and challenges facing international managers when conducting business in an Indian context. Drawing on survey data from managers in over 300 companies, the study suggests that in-order to enhance performance in a business-to-business context within India, there is a need to nurture satisfactory business relationships through the practice of Jaan – pehchaan. Specifically, the study revealed that relationship satisfaction and long-term orientation are driven by three behavioral constructs associated with Jaan – pehchaan, i.e., Pehchaan, Len-den and Bharosa and these serve to positively drive business performance. Several managerial and theoretical implications are extracted from the study along with directions for future research.