Four Communication Strategies for Successfully Outsourcing Drug Manufacturing

In today’s globalized world, pharmaceutical companies often look to India and China for cost-effective drug manufacturing solutions. However, outsourcing to international partners, or producing for international pharmaceutical companies,  can also present unique communication challenges, particularly when language and cultural barriers are involved. In this blog post, we’ll explore strategies for improving communication and avoiding miscommunication when working with drug manufacturers.

Strategy #1: Clear Communication to Strengthen Your Pharma Partnerships

Say what you mean!

Language barriers can be a significant challenge when working with international partners. If you are not native English speakers, you may consider offering courses to improve both your general language skills for better day-to-day communication and your pharmaceutical vocabulary to address specific issues.

It is also important to invest in reliable translation and interpretation services. This can include hiring professional translators or interpreters, using machine translation tools, or relying on bilingual staff members to facilitate communication.

Strategy #2: Establish Clear Communication Protocols

It is essential to establish clear communication protocols at the outset of any partnership:

• Identify Key Points of Contact: identify individuals responsible for communication, decision-making, and problem-solving to avoid confusion and misunderstandings.
• Adapt Communication Channels to Your Message and Recipient: This can include email, phone, video conferencing, and instant messaging, to ensure that everyone is able to stay connected and informed.
• Clarify Expectations for Communication Frequency and Response Time: Agree on how often you will communicate, and what the expected turnaround time for responses will be.
• Use Simple Language and Avoid Jargon: this is particularly important when working with partners who may not be fluent in your native language or English. By using clear, straightforward language, you can ensure that everyone understands the message.
• Confirm Understanding and Follow-Up in Writing: Summarizing key points from a conversation, confirming the next steps, and sending a follow-up email outlining the conversation allows you to ensure you are all on the same page, and clarify any confusion due to different accents, cultures, and minds.

Strategy #3: The Importance of Relationship Building

Relationship building is extremely important in Chinese and Indian business cultures. In both cultures, business is often conducted based on personal relationships and trust, and developing these relationships can take time and effort.

In China, the concept of “guanxi” (关系) refers to the network of personal relationships and connections that can be leveraged for business purposes. Building guanxi often involves socializing and entertaining potential business partners, as well as establishing a sense of mutual obligation and trust.

Similarly, in India, the concept of “jugaad” (जुगाड़) emphasizes the importance of resourcefulness, creativity, and networking to overcome challenges and get things done. Building strong relationships and networks is essential to navigating the complex business landscape in India.

In both cultures, it is important to show respect and deference to senior business leaders, to establish trust and rapport with potential partners, and to take a long-term view of business relationships. This can involve making regular visits to their facilities, attending industry events together, and finding opportunities to socialize and build rapport outside of work.

Strategy #4: Develop Cultural Awareness

Chinese and Indian cultures are quite different from Western cultures in several ways, including communication styles, business practices, and social norms. To develop a better understanding of different cultures, you can take the following steps:

• Seek advice around you: To gain practical insights into dealing with cultural differences in business, you can start by talking to your colleagues and peers to understand their experiences in working with suppliers from China and India. Such conversations can help you to identify effective strategies and best practices in business relationships.
• Build relationships: Developing personal relationships with people from these cultures can help you understand their perspective and gain insights into the cultural norms and practices.
• Travel to the country: Visiting a country and immersing yourself in the local culture can be a great way to gain a deeper understanding of the people, the customs, and the business practices.
• Study the culture: Read books, articles, and online resources about these cultures, to better understand their history, customs, and values. In addition to the Culture Center available with our Learnship Solo e-learning platform, we offer cultural intelligence and business strategy courses to professionals.

Effective communication is key to building successful partnerships with international drug manufacturers. With the growing trend of outsourcing drug manufacturing to India and China, it’s important to navigate the cultural and linguistic differences to build relationships and achieve business goals. Investing in interpretation services, establishing clear communication protocols, building relationships, and developing cultural awareness are all essential steps for effective cross-cultural communication. Being specific and clear in communication can also help avoid misunderstandings and strengthen partnerships. By following these tips and best practices, pharmaceutical companies can establish successful partnerships with their international counterparts and achieve their business objectives with confidence.