Cultural and Diversity Perceptions of IT Workers of Indian Descent

Globalization has led to increased use of international work teams comprised of individuals from diverse backgrounds. Beliefs and values of individuals affect the working of such groups, so it is important to understand these differences. The aim of this paper is to understand the cultural and diversity perceptions of IT workers specifically of Indian descent. Two instruments, namely the Diversity Perceptions Index and Hofstede Value survey, were used to collect data. One hundred and eleven respondents of Indian descent working in the IT field completed the survey. Descriptive statistics provided initial results and discussion. The respondents valued diversity, although they experienced work-family conflicts. Results seem to resonate with Hofstede’s description of India as being a collectivistic and masculine society with high power distance, and low uncertainty avoidance. In addition, these IT workers experience high organizational stress and conflicting demands by organizations and family