I completely believe it is mostly cultural, but still don't quite understand it (did a tiny bit of work in China years ago - another big cultural shift). The

I completely believe it is mostly cultural, but still don't quite understand it (did a tiny bit of work in China years ago - another big cultural shift). The 'formalities' of "how ya' coin'?" "fine, thanks" generally don't have any bearing on my professional work schedule. Someone who says "fine" when they're unhappy... that can lead to problems, but they have other outlets to deal with that. Someone who is essentially lying on a consistent basis on a team project - that has a much bigger impact. "Do you have any questions about the project?" "No" "If you have any questions, reach out ASAP - call/email 24/7 if you need anything." "OK". 2 weeks later... nothing's done, and it's clear the other party had 0 clue about what was asked for. Again... the impact of this on projects is way different from casual/social/watercooler chat. I just don't understand the culture differences enough to know what it stems from and how to combat it. That said, I'm not in a position where I'm dealing with any Indian-based developers right now, although that might change in January.