high and low context cultures exampleshigh and low context cultures examples

The differences between high-context and low-context cultures is one of the most challenging things to navigate and one of the most important and distinct differences that exists across cultures. Ironically, contexting is most frequently discussed in terms of directness, yet empirical studies nearly all fail to support this relationship. Not only is the page itself busier . "[29] A similarity that the two communication styles share is its influence on social characteristics such as age, gender, social class and ethnicity. Ramos, D. C. (2014). The situation, people, and non-verbal elements are more important than the actual words that are communicated. The American sample scored the lowest compared to the two "Oriental samples," which aligns with Hall's concept. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. London: Routledge. Contexts in source publication. Listen to business speaker Erin Meyer explain how cultural differences can affect communication. [30] The diversity within a main culture shows how the high and low scale differs depending on social settings such as school, work, home, and in other countries; variation is what allows the scale to fluctuate even if a large culture is categorized as primarily one or the other. Two Types of Reflective Writing Assignments, Additional Resources for Improving Writing, Consistency in comparatives and listed elements: Parallelism, Hofstede Insights country comparison tool, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oYfhTC9lIQ, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQvqDv4vbEg, https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/42958_2_The_Cultural_Context.pdf, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, Tend to prefer indirect verbal interaction, Tend to understand meaning at one level only, Tend to understand meanings embedded at many sociocultural levels, Are generally less proficient in reading nonverbal cues, Are generally more proficient in reading nonverbal cues, Communication in highly structured messages, provide details, stress literal meaning, Communication is simple, sometimes ambiguous, messages; understand visual messages readily, Define cultural context (Guffey et al., 2013, p. 64), Contrast communicate styles for low-context and high-context cultures (Meyer, 2017, p. 59), Explain how cultural differences can affect workplace communication (Lavin Agency Speakers Bureau, 2014). Intercultural Business Communication by Confederation College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. For example, the body language and methods of communication experienced by a group of close friends in a casual setting differs greatly from a group of peers presenting at a professional business meeting. [14] However, understanding the broad tendencies of predominant cultures can help inform and educate individuals on how to better facilitate communication between individuals of differing cultural backgrounds. The Encyclopedia of Diversity and Social Justice states that, "high context defines cultures that are relational and collectivist, and which most highlight interpersonal relationships. Monochronic vs. Polychronic Communication Styles | What Are Chronemics? Teachers can illustrate the differences between high- and low- context cultures by providing examples of behaviors. "[17] On the other hand, he identified countries such as Germany, the United States and Scandinavia as low-context cultures. Initially, high culture rejects these outsiders but eventually embraces them or appropriates . Low-Context Culture Communication & Examples | What Is Low-Context Culture? Low-context cultures tend to be logical, analytical, action-oriented, and concerned with the individual. Low and High Context Culture. Carolyn Meyer (2017)[4]discusses the prototypes for communication in low-context and high-context cultures: Communicators in low-context cultures (such as those in Germany, Scandinavia, and North America) convey their meaning exclusive of the context of a situation. In other words, people communicate explicitly in low-context cultures. In this context, we will discuss those topics also. For a communicator to successfully interact with others from a different culture he must know whether his own culture is high or low context and which context is the culture in the interaction. These rules of communication are understood without being explicitly stated. In high-context cultures, language may be used to assist and maintain relationship-building and to focus on process. Also remember that although cultures are different from one another, no culture or cultural characteristic is better or worse than any other. Low context can describe situations, environments and cultures. Disagreement is depersonalized. They place a high value on interpersonal relationships and group members are a very close-knit community. The author states that Japan is a high context culture because they have every decision based on their culture and France is both a high and low mixture finally low context example is America. Cultures Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values. All articles are edited by a PhD level academic. Message is carried more by words than by nonverbal means. What is the role of such non-verbal communication in business relationships? Relationships are easy to build, can start very quickly but end just as soon. They have a Bachelor's in Air Traffic Management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and minored in Aviation Safety and Homeland Security. An in-depth understanding of cultural norms is not required because the communication is explicit. Context is less important than words. There are strong distinctions made between individuals who are members of the ingroup and those who are not members in high-context cultures. You can find his work on The Print, Live Wire, and YouTube. The continuum pictures how people communicate with others through their range of communication abilities: utilizing gestures, relations, body language . ", "Communication: intercultural communication. The GLOBE Project Overview & Behavior Styles | What is the GLOBE Project? Most of the contexting categories simply have not been researched enough to make firm conclusions. [35], The concepts of collectivism and individualism have been applied to high- and low-context cultures by Dutch psychologist Geert Hofstede in his Cultural Dimensions Theory. [34], Restricted codes are commonly used in high-context culture groups, where group members share the same cultural background and can easily understand the implicit meanings "between the lines" without further elaboration. The reverse holds true for High (Collectivistic) Context Cultures. (2012). I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. Unlike low-context cultures, high-context cultures prioritize the group over the individual (Hofstede, 1984). It can imply understanding or agreement, but it can also mean their conversea lack of certainty. Information is transmitted not through words alone but also through non-verbal cues such as gestures, voice inflection, and facial expression, which can have different meanings in different cultures. Communicating with high-context cultures can require you to focus on politeness strategies that demonstrate your respect for readers and listeners. Anchor Press/Doubleday. High-context cultures: Much of the society's communication takes place through . [26] The terms high- and low-context cultures are not classified with strict individual characteristics or boundaries. From each culture, 96 business managers were surveyed for the American and Chinese sample and 50 managers were surveyed from Korea. In high-context cultures, people are said to prefer symbolic, artful language that is implicit. We know that the way in which we say things at these gatherings is more important than what we say. A low-context (LC) communication is just the opposite; i.e., the mass of the information is vested in the explicit code.". 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High context refers to societies or groups where people have close connections over a long period of time. He studied English literature at the University of Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University. The answer is simple. Create your account. This article was peer-reviewed and edited by Chris Drew (PhD). For example, Hall describes how Japanese culture has both low- and high-context situations. High context cultures are more common in the eastern nations than in western and in countries with low racial diversity. A 2005 study by Elizabeth Wurtz demonstrates how cultural differences shape marketing and advertising. By contrast, a low-context culture enjoys communications that take place most often through written or spoken (verbal) speech and rules are directly and explicitly stated. For example, for someone who is older and more experienced within a society, the need for social cues may be higher or lower depending on the communication style. [18], Therefore, higher-context cultures tend to correlate with cultures that also have a strong sense of tradition and history, and change little over time. ), Hall, E. T.; Hall, M. R. (1990). A few relevant examples of differences in communication between low- and high-context cultures are found in Table 1. [31], Between each type of culture context, there will be forms of miscommunication because of the difference in gestures, social cues, and intercultural adjustments; however, it is important to recognize these differences and learn how to avoid miscommunication to benefit certain situations. An individual from Texas (a higher-context culture) may communicate with a few words or use of a prolonged silence characteristic of Texan English, where a New Yorker would be very explicit (as typical of New York City English), although both speak the same language (American English) and are part of a nation (the United States of America) which is lower-context relative to other nations. Bernstein, B. After you have finished with this lesson, you should be able to: To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Neuliup, J. W. (2011). Explain the differences between high- and low-context cultures, giving examples of each. In high-context cultures, communication cues are transmitted by posture, voice inflection, gestures, and facial expression. An experiment performed by the University of Glasgow shows that different cultures have different understanding of the facial expression signals of the six basic emotions, which are the so-called "universal language of emotion"happiness, surprise, fear, disgust, anger and sadness. For example, families typically engage in high context communication whereby they can communicate much with subtleties such as a glace. We cite peer reviewed academic articles wherever possible and reference our sources at the end of our articles. [2] Collectivist societies prioritize the group over the individual, and vice versa for individualist ones. Cultural Perceptions of Communication in Organizations: Low Context and High Context. Hall, E. T. (1976). They also are AT-CTI certified. Language may be used to achieve goals or exchange information. [5]:4223, Characteristics of high-context and low-context cultures, Examples of higher- and lower-context cultures, Overlap and contrast between context cultures, How higher context relates to other cultural metrics. "[27] This implies that communication is quite direct and detailed because members of the culture are not expected to have knowledge of each other's histories, past experience or background. - Dosage & Side Effects, Anxiolytic: Definition, Medications & Dependence, What is Citalopram? Cultures and communication in which context is of great importance to structuring actions is referred to as high context. Low-context cultures also want these communications to revolve around basic questions, like: What's happening? The study tested 16 items, covering various aspects of the high-versus-low context concept, including social orientation, responsibility, confrontation, communication, commitment, and dealing with new situations. In low-context cultures, communication tends to be more direct and to the point. Table 2 shows a classification of countries in low and high context, their characteristics and the expected role . Besides cultural context, personal experiences and preferences also shape communication. The composite score also indicates a significant difference among the three samples at the .01 level. Sage Publications. What is low context cultural communication? Although the concept of high- and low-context cultures is usually applied in the field of analyzing national cultures, it can also be used to describe scientific or corporate cultures, or specific settings such as airports or law courts. Because low-context communication concerns more direct messages, the meaning of these messages is more dependent on the words being spoken rather than on the interpretation of more subtle or unspoken cues. Because directness may be thought of as disrespectful, discussions in high-context cultures can be circuitous, circling key issues rather than addressing them head-on. In anthropology, high-context culture and low-context culture are ends of a continuum of how explicit the messages exchanged in a culture are and how important the context is in communication. In a high-context culture, emphasis is placed on interpersonal relationships rather than personal achievement. Low-context countries, on the other hand, relied more on linear processes and verbal communication. For example, the head wobble (tilting the head from side to side) in India is a gesture that can convey a variety of meanings depending on the situation. [25], The categories of context cultures are not totally separate. Developing Cultural Intelligence in Corporations, Cultural Perceptions of Time in Organizations: Monochronic and Polychronic Time, Using CRM to Improve Marketing & Customer Acquisition, Comparing Communication in Cultures with High & Low Tolerance for Ambiguity. Type of paper: Research Paper. High Context vs. Low Context High-context is that "most of the information is either in the physical context or initialized in the person, while very little is in the coded, explicit, transmitted part of the message." (Hall). Examples of high-context cultures include Asian, African, Latin American, and some European countries. They also displayed pictures of individuals, while high-context websites foregrounded group pictures. If you want to appear polite, you need to be willing to greet strangers and thank . Some recognized examples include: Higher-context culture: China, India, Korea, Japan, other Asian countries, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Mauritania, Oman, and Yemen, African countries such as Tanzania, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Nigeria, Latin America, the Pacific islands, France, Greece, Finland, Ireland, Italy, and Russia. Order now. Trust High context cultures and situations may extend significant trust to members. I feel like its a lifeline. [18] A trade language will typically need to explicitly explain more of the context than a dialect which can assume a high level of shared context. It is important to note that no culture is low-context or high-context in absolute terms but a mix of both. Writing Topic Sentences and Body Paragraphs, 38. 18 Examples of Low Culture. Since understanding every culture has its level of complexity, it is hard for other country people to determine what is the state of culture of the country they visit as a traveller. Whereas low-context cultures prefer more words (to a certain extent), high-context cultures prefer more images. High context is where the groups of people or societies in which individuals have had close links in the course of a long period. Both often take many aspects of the other's cultural communication abilities and strengths into account. Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): A graph which shows the level of context in various world cultures. As such, high-context cultures tend to cater to the development and promotion of ingroups, which are groups that we belong to and are loyal to, including families, cultures, and religious congregations. The Lavin Agency Speakers Bureau. [32] Awareness of miscommunication between high- and low-context cultures within the workplace or intercultural communication settings advocates for collected unification within a group through the flexibility and ability to understand one another. Strategies to work effectively with people from high context and low context cultures Follow these 4 key strategies to communicate effectively across cultures: 1. Conflict Styles and HighLow Context Cultures: A Cross-Cultural Extension. Settings and cultures where people come together from a wider diversity of backgrounds such as international airports, large cities, or multi-national firms, tend to use lower-context communication forms. Class, Codes and Control. (2013)[2]explain the concept of cultural context: Cultural context is a concept developed by cultural anthropologist Edward T. Hall. Low-context cultures (such as those in North America and Western Europe) depend less on the environment of a situation to convey meaning than do high-context cultures (such as those in Japan, China, and Arab countries). Rules are not directly or explicitly written or stated. The results show significant differences between the American, Chinese, and Korean samples on 15 out of 16 items, with 11 items significant at the .01 level, one at the .05 level, and three at the .10 level. Because a low-context setting cannot rely on shared understanding of potentially ambiguous messages, low-context cultures tend to give more information, or to be precise in their language. Traditionally, Western cultures are known for being more individualistic or communicating with a low context style. China, Japan, Turkey, and Mexico are some countries that lean towards high-context. Culture also affects how individuals interpret other people's facial expressions. Low context is a communication environment that doesn't heavily rely on common understanding such as shared culture, experiences and norms.This can be contrasted with high context communication that relies on common background or understanding. [12] Typically a low-context culture will be less close-knit, and so individuals communicating will have fewer relational cues when interpreting messages. What is a high-context culture and how does this communication culture differ from a low-context culture? In contrast, the use of restricted codes indicates that speakers and listeners do share a great deal of common background and perspectives, and hence much more can be taken for granted, and thus expressed implicitly or through nuance: restricted codes tend to be more context-dependent. Guffey, D. Lowey, K. Rhodes, K., & P. Rogin. Primarily use non-verbal methods to relay meaningful information in conversations, such as facial expressions, eye movement, and tone of voice. [15] In contrast, scientists working with living systems need to include more context because there can be significant variables which impact the research outcomes. In low-context countries, things need to be spelled out a bit more. Leaders in high-context cultures, such as Ethiopia, tend to communicate more implicitly, using more nonverbal communication and expressing more vague verbal messages (at least from the viewpoint of a low-context culture). Sourabh Yadav (MA) and Peer Reviewed by Chris Drew (PhD), Bureaucratization (Sociology): Definition, Features, Origins, Stereotype Content Model: Examples and Definition. However, no country is low-context or high-context in absolute terms; instead, there is a mix of explicit & implicit communication everywhere.

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