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

Author

Listed:
  • Roli Varma

    (School of Public Administration MSC053100, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA)

  • Meghna Sabharwal

    (Public and Nonprofit Management, Professor and Associate Provost for Faculty Success, The University of Texas at Dallas, 800 W. Campbell Road, GR 31, Richardson, TX 75080, USA)

  • Anna Schaeffer

    (School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 75080, USA)

  • Safiyah Zaidi

    (The University of Chicago Law School, University of Chicago, 1111 East 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA)

Abstract

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Roli Varma & Meghna Sabharwal & Anna Schaeffer & Safiyah Zaidi, 2025. "Spanning Cultural Boundaries: U.S. Return Migrants in the Indian Technology Sector," World, MDPI, vol. 6(3), pages 1-17, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jworld:v:6:y:2025:i:3:p:126-:d:1746093
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. K Sivakumar & Cheryl Nakata, 2001. "The Stampede Toward Hofstede's Framework: Avoiding the Sample Design Pit in Cross-Cultural Research," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 32(3), pages 555-574, September.
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