My colleague Kevin Meyer and I recently returned from a visit to India and our distributor there, Sierra Alta Consulting. Sierra Alta launched in 2010, and started working with us as a Hogan distributor in 2011. I can’t begin to say enough great things about their firm and the people working there.
Before my trip, I tried to read as much as possible about Indian business practices, especially when it comes to using personality assessment. From what I read, and what I experienced, India is a nation on the move, and is a key opportunity for HR providers. Here are some key demographics:
- 1.21 billion people
- 75% younger than 35
- 50% younger than 25
- 100 million internet users
- 1 billion mobile users by 2015
- 14,000+ colleges, 389 universities, 1500 research institutes
- Second largest pool of scientists, doctors, and engineers in the world
In short, India has a large, young, and extremely talented and educated professional class that could prove a challenge for HR practitioners.
I was fortunate to experience a number of things on this trip I haven’t before (including pick-pocketing monkeys). Oddly, though, one of the most unexpected learning moments for me was observing how respected and culturally relevant Hogan’s tools were in the local market. The consensus among Sierra Alta users was that Hogan’s assessments capture something specific to India’s culture, despite being considered a Western tool.
