Cross-Cultural Training
Lesson 3: Introduction to Basic Cultural Differences
High-Context vs Low-Context Cultures
The anthropologist, Edward Hall, developed a way to classify cultures based on how they communicate. According to this classification, cultures can be seen as high-context or low-context cultures. The book "Global Marketing Management" explains each in detail.
High-Context Cultures
“Contextual cues” are key to understanding what is being said in high-context countries. These cues include the type of relationship that exist between the speaker and the listener. What is their age relative to each other? Their gender? The power quotient? Where is the communication taking place? In high-context cultures, much depends on what is left unsaid. China, Korea, Japan, Latin America, and to a certain extent, France, are considered to be high-context cultures.
Low-Context Cultures
In low-context cultures, the “context” in which something is said isn’t as important. What someone says is usually what they mean. You have to listen to the words, read the writing. Although at times you often have to pay attention to non-verbal clues as well. The United States is a perfect example of a low-context country. So are Scandinavia and Germany.
Optional Reading Assignment
Discover the implications of dealing with high-context and low context cultures by reading the information found here:
http://www.via-web.de/ibc/high_low_conte...
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