Cross Cultural Communication/ Cross Cultural Dimensions of Business

II. Hall & Hall’s cultural value orientations

Some of the ideas that proved to be relevant to international communication were those of Hall (1990) about time and communication. Academics examined the following cultural value orientations:

1. Perception of time: time focus and time orientation.

2. Communication: high-context and low-context.

These dimensions can serve as a framework to understanding some cultural differences managers may face in business context, for instance, when dealing with partners across borders or managing an international team.

  1. Time perception

 Different cultures have different perceptions of time according to their traditions, history and lifestyle. Hall and Hall (1990) analysed variances in perception of timing among culture systems and developed two types of time systems: monochronic and polychronic.

“Polychronicity has traditionally been defined as a form of behaviour wherein a person engages in two or more activities during the same block of time, while monochronicity occurs when a person engages in one activity at a time. Due to the fact that different perception of time can lead to cultural misunderstandings and conflicts in international business, one should realize the dissimilarity between the two time systems along with its effect on professional communication. For example, some countries which are commonly described as having polychronic cultures, consider that deadlines stretchable, schedules flexible, and daily routines unstructured. On the other hand, in monochronic cultures, there is a tendency to follow firm deadlines, structured schedules and use of strict control systems.

2. High-context vs. Low context communication

Hall laid emphasis on the connection between communication and national culture. He says that it is essential to know the culture of a country to productively communicate with a person from another country. He divides cultures into two groups; High and Low context cultures. High context implies that a lot of unspoken information is implicitly transferred during communication.  People in a high context culture such as Saudi Arabia tend to place a larger importance on long-term relationships and loyalty and have fewer rules and structure implemented.

Low context implies that a lot of information is exchanged explicitly through the message itself and rarely is anything implicit or hidden.  People in low context cultures such as the UK tend to have short-term relationships, follow rules and standards closely and are generally very task-oriented.

III. Language: verbal and non-verbal

Language differences remain a major obstacle in cross- cultural communication process. Language can become a barrier to communication in cases where an individual has difficulty in understanding other party‟s language, fails to understand other‟s body language or uses poor or faulty translations. “Cross-cultural communication requires not only knowledge of another language but also familiarity with non-verbal behaviour and cultural practices, values, and customs. Extending beyond an understanding of the words, it is the ability to understand hidden meanings, motivations and intentions. Non-verbal communication (Body language) Non-verbal communication, although not directly dependent on use of language, is crucial to one‟s understanding of communicated message. It can include touch, glance, eye contact, proximity, gestures, facial expressions and posture. We often use non-verbal expressions to strengthen a verbal message. People from certain cultures may consider some non-verbal communication methods that are acceptable in other culture offensive. For example, “nodding the head up and down is a gesture that communicates a different message in different parts of the world. In North America, it means “I agree”. In the Middle East, nodding the head down means “I agree” and up means “I disagree”. In a conversation among Japanese, it often simply means “I am listening” . Understanding and respect of non-verbal communication signs of different culture may secure or spoil a potential or existing business relationship.

Cross Cultural Communication/ Cross Cultural Dimensions of Business

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