Brahmanical Idealism,Anarchical Individualism,and the Dynamics of Indian Negotiating Behavior

Abstract

The article analyzes the implications of the Indian mindset on the dynamics of Indian negotiating behavior. I argue that the constructs of Brahmanical idealism and anarchical individualism capture the nature of the Indian mindset. Brahmanical idealism reflects the tendency of the decision makers to seek the most perfect solution. Any discrepancies between the realities of the external world and the logic of the inner world as manifested through a search for the ideal solution are not problematical for it is only the inner world that defines the true reality. If Brahmanical idealism focuses on the purity of the mental world, anarchical individualism lays emphasis on the primacy of attaining the ideal solution through absolutist forms of interpersonal behavior. That is to say, since each individual is engaged in searching for the ideal solution, and furthermore, as each individual’s ideal solution is either no better or no worse than that of their counterpart, the attainment of this ideal is problematic because under these conditions cooperative behavior is a rarity. In this sense, anarchic individualism fragments rather than enhances total effort, thereby draining energy away from the system. I analyze the impact of this mindset on the Indian negotiating dynamics and outline the implications of the framework developed here for the theory and practice of cross cultural management. Implications for negotiating with Indian businesspeople are also discussed.