As opposed to high-context cultures, in low-context cultures, there is a greater emphasis on ____

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1.4.6 - Context of Cultures: High and Low

Context of Cultures: High and Low

Here is another concept that will help you pull together a lot of the material you have read so far about culture. It is called "high context" and "low context" and was created by the same anthropologist who developed the concepts of polychronic and monochronic time. They complement each other and provide a broad framework for looking at culture.

The list below shows the kind of behavior that is generally found in high and low context cultures within five categories: how people relate to each other, how they communicate with each other, how they treat space, how they treat time, and how they learn. One thing to remember is that few cultures, and the people in them, are totally at one end of the spectrum or the other. They usually fall somewhere in between and may have a combination of high and low context characteristics.

HIGH CONTEXT (HC)

LOW CONTEXT (LC)

Association

Relationships depend on trust, build up slowly, are stable. One distinguishes between people inside and people outside one's circle.
How things get done depends on relationships with people and attention to group process.
One's identity is rooted in groups (family, culture, work).
Social structure and authority are centralized; responsibility is at the top. Person at top works for the good of the group.

Association

Relationships begin and end quickly. Many people can be inside one's circle; circle's boundary is not clear.
Things get done by following procedures and paying attention to the goal.
One's identity is rooted in oneself and one's accomplishments.
Social structure is decentralized; responsibility goes further down (is not concentrated at the top).

Interaction

High use of nonverbal elements; voice tone, facial expression, gestures, and eye movement carry significant parts of conversation.
Verbal message is implicit; context (situation, people, nonverbal elements) is more important than words.
Verbal message is indirect; one talks around the point and embellishes it.
Communication is seen as an art form�a way of engaging someone.
Disagreement is personalized. One is sensitive to conflict expressed in another's nonverbal communication. Conflict either must be solved before work can progress or must be avoided because it is personally threatening.

Interaction

Low use of nonverbal elements. Message is carried more by words than by nonverbal means.
Verbal message is explicit. Context is less important than words.
Verbal message is direct; one spells things out exactly.
Communication is seen as a way of exchanging information, ideas, and opinions.
Disagreement is depersonalized. One withdraws from conflict with another and gets on with the task. Focus is on rational solutions, not personal ones. One can be explicit about another's bothersome behavior.

Territoriality

Space is communal; people stand close to each other, share the same space.

Territoriality

Space is compartmentalized and privately owned; privacy is important, so people are farther apart.

Temporality

Everything has its own time. Time is not easily scheduled; needs of people may interfere with keeping to a set time. What is important is that activity gets done.
Change is slow. Things are rooted in the past, slow to change, and stable.
Time is a process; it belongs to others and to nature.

Temporality

Things are scheduled to be done at particular times, one thing at a time. What is important is that activity is done efficiently.
Change is fast. One can make change and see immediate results.
Time is a commodity to be spent or saved. One�s time is one�s own.

Learning

Knowledge is embedded in the situation; things are connected, synthesized, and global. Multiple sources of information are used. Thinking is deductive, proceeds from general to specific.
Learning occurs by first observing others as they model or demonstrate and then practicing.
Groups are preferred for learning and problem solving.
Accuracy is valued. How well something is learned is important.

Learning

Reality is fragmented and compartmentalized. One source of information is used to develop knowledge. Thinking is inductive, proceeds from specific to general. Focus is on detail.
Learning occurs by following explicit directions and explanations of others.
An individual orientation is preferred for learning and problem solving.
Speed is valued. How efficiently something is learned is important.

The content here is based on the following works by anthropologist Edward T. Hall, all of which were published in New York by Doubleday: The Silent Language (1959), The Hidden Dimension (1969), Beyond Culture (1976), and The Dance of Life (1983).

Source: The 1993 Annual: Developing Human Resources. Pfeiffer & Company.

Tales from the...

When a Greeting Takes More Than �Hi, How are you?�

Learning from Cultural Encounters !!

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1.5 - Packing Up!

Of all the things you might forget to bring with you overseas, one aspect you simply cannot avoid taking with you is your own cultural reactions. You have developed ideas, values, and ways of doing things all your life, and those patterns have generally been successful in getting the things you need and want. These patterns are the result of the sum total of all you have learned from experience and education. You don�t have to remember to include them because you could not abandon them if you wanted to. If you are largely unaware of how much you are a product of your culture, an overseas trip will quickly reveal just how "US-American" you are. US-Americans are readily identified by any host country national just by their body language and dress.

Further, much of what we do is unconscious. We are operating on a kind of "automatic pilot" and it is not until a problem arises that we think about how we think and act. It can be deeply disconcerting to discover overseas that many people do not share your values, beliefs, or ideas on how to behave. You may find that everything from proper dining etiquette to what being "on time" means may require relearning, adjusting attitudes, and finding out the local "right way" to do the simplest tasks. Knowing how and why your "natural" cultural reactions may vary from those of your host country is a first step in being able to successfully negotiate your way in a new culture and interact effectively.

If you did the exercise �In the Mind of the Beholder� in Section 1.3.2, you have some idea of how differently people think. We are slow to recognize our own cultural conditioning in this regard, however.

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1.5.1 - The Things We Say

The Things We Say: Culture and Casual Expressions

A useful way to understand a culture is by examining the expressions people use in everyday conversation. These common expressions, after all, reflect what most people in a given society believe in or value.

What cultural value or belief do the following expressions reveal about US-American culture? Select your response from each box. The first group of expressions is done for you.

Example: He thinks he's better than so and so. She's always putting on airs. That person should be cut down to size.

It's gone to his head.

Value/belief: Egalitarianism

1. Talk is cheap. 2. Put your money where your mouth is.

3. He's all talk and no action.

Value/belief : --- Optimism Self-reliance Experimentation Directness Self-detemination Emphasis on accomplishment Don't judge by appearances Doing over talking Egalitarianism

4. She's always beating around the bush. 5. Tell it like it is.

6. Straight talk, straight answer, straight shooter: that's what we need.