In this mini-series, we are looking at the challenges of managing across a diverse range of geographic and cultural boundaries. We have already presented the findings of Hofstede, Trompenaar & GLOBE. Today we are looking at the last of the National Cultural theorist, Edward Hall.
In his book ‘Beyond Culture’ Hall took an anthropological approach to considering cultural differences. In his book he looks at the various ways that societies deal with conflict, justice, truth and relationships. He considers cultural differences from the perspective of how much meaning is interpreted through the context of the situation or how much relies on explicit messaging. He introduces the concept of two main types of culture. High Context – those which have meaning embedded in the fabric of life – through symbolism, rituals and relationships leading to short-hand or understated communication. Low Context, by contrast, is more rule-bound, concerned with regulations and expectations, leading to explicit forms of communication. See examples (below):
Hall’s model offers us insights into why some cultures spend more time codifying human behaviour and rules (Germany, America) and those that spend more time on relationships (Southern Europe). We then see these differences manifest themselves through the way we, for example, develop statutes, run justice systems, appoint leaders etc.
Another significant observation from Hall is relationship to Time. Monochromic and Polychromic societies display differences in how they respond to and use time. Monochromic being those groups that take time as a finite resource, where punctuality is expected – ‘time is money’. Polychromic groups view time as a flexible resource that can be juggled around the needs and priorities of relationships and tasks at hand. We can easily imagine how business leaders from one group, negotiating and working with a leader from the other dimension, might well lead to frustration and conflict, merely because their approach to tasks and punctuality might vary. Hall’s booked helped to highlight these difference and what might be the basis to them.
Hall’s insights and models were developed from an anthropological perspective. This means that his lens was both US based, but also concerned with human behaviour and rituals in the context of their unique evolution. It was not developed with the business world in mind, unlike the other models, but it does provide a useful frame of reference in which to consider the manifestation of conflict and tensions across different national cultures.
What experiences have you had with cross cultural conflicts? Does this model help explain the reasons for those conflicts? Please share your thoughts or experiences on cross cultural management here, or email us if you would like to find out more about our work in this area at feedback@agents2change.com
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