Cross-Cultural Training
Lesson 3: Introduction to Basic Cultural Differences
Various Cultural Notions
Do you know someone who is always “late” no matter how hard they try to be “on time?” I know a girl who is always 15 minutes late. In fact, she is so consistent that I really don’t consider her to be late anymore until after the 15 minutes have passed. But wait, if we were in France, and she arrived 15 minutes after the agreed upon time, would she be late or on time?
Different cultures view even “basic” things such as time and space differently. In the United States, it is considered rude to arrive after the appointed meeting time. And if extenuating circumstances occur that cause you to be late, you call to inform the parties involved. In France however, there would be nothing wrong with my friend arriving 15 minutes "late" even in a business setting. I would probably be the one viewed as being strange if I didn’t wait for her or commented on her tardiness. In other cultures, it is not abnormal for someone to say they will be somewhere at a certain time on one day and show up the next. Maybe there was a family issue or something else that had to be attended to. In their culture, because family is of the utmost importance, you are the one who just has to wait.
And what about space in terms of how close to you people are allowed to stand and what it implies in terms of your office size and location. Would an American manager like having an office in the middle of the building? If he were in France he would, since this is where top management is often placed.
Optional Reading
Time and space are just two notions that differ in different cultures. Edward T. Hall published an article some 30 years ago entitled “The Silent Language in Overseas Business.” Even though it is 30 years old, much of the information and underlying concepts and implications still apply today. You can find it in the book “International Marketing.” In my edition it is begins on page 135.
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