How india works by Aarti Kelshikar

Book Summary – 

How India Works is an insightful guide to navigating Indian corporate culture, particularly useful for expatriates, repatriates, and Indians seeking self-awareness in their workplace habits. Drawing from extensive interviews with corporate leaders—both Indian and foreign—the book decodes deeply ingrained behaviours, values, and cultural quirks that shape work life in India.

Kelshikar highlights strengths such as Indians’ ability to work with ambiguity, quick thinking, strong interpersonal networking, and going the extra mile at work, often blending personal and professional lives. Simultaneously, she candidly addresses workplace idiosyncrasies like flexible time perceptions, the ambiguous “yes,” low explicit trust, and reluctance toward doing things right the first time—all common misunderstandings for newcomers.

Through engaging anecdotes—and advice from repatriates, expatriates, and locals—Kelshikar offers practical suggestions for adapting: from decoding the Indian head-wag and communication norms to managing deadlines and building professional relationships in a diverse environment . The tone is entertaining yet deeply practical, making the book approachable for non-Indians and reflective for Indians themselves.

About the Author –

Aarti Kelshikar is an intercultural consultant and executive coach with over 15 years of global experience, including extensive work in India, Singapore, and the Philippines . She is certified in Cultural Intelligence (from the US-based Cultural Intelligence Center) and an executive coach certified by the NeuroLeadership Institute. Since 2008, Kelshikar has worked with global mobility companies, designing cultural training programmes for professionals relocating internationally. She has delivered workshops for multinational corporations like Nestlé, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, and Texas Instruments, helping executives build global mindsets and executive presence.

Her background in intercultural communication gives her insights into the unspoken dynamics of Indian workplace culture. She integrates firsthand experience with stories and interviews to offer a uniquely nuanced view on Indian corporate psyche—and how to navigate it effectively.