Transcript Intercultural Communication

Intercultural
Communication
Time, Space and Context
UDS
Utilitarian Discourse System
Global business culture
Roots in 19th century European philosophy
Spread by British and American
imperialism and economic domination
Mixing with local cultures
Edward T. Hall
Famous American Anthropologist
Hall, E.T. (1959). The silent language. Garden City, NY: Anchor
Press/Doubleday.
Hall, E.T. (1977). Beyond culture. Garden City, NY: Anchor
Press/Doubleday.
Hall, E.T. (1983). The dance of life. Garden City, NY: Anchor
Press/Doubleday.
Hall, E.T. (1985). Hidden Differences: Studies in International
Communication. Hamburg: Gruner & Jahr.
Hall, E.T. (1987). Hidden differences: Doing business with the
Japanese. Garden City, NY: Anchor Press/Doubleday.
Hall, E.T. (1990). Understanding cultural differences. Yarmouth, ME:
Intercultural Press.
Three Levels of Culture
Informal Level
Most important
Learned by example/modeling
Often unconscious
‘Exist like ‘air’ around us’
Formal level
Learned by rules
Technical level
Theories behind rules
Reasoning and abstractions
What we learn in school to justify informal system
The Silent Language
Spradley and Phillips (1972)
Asked overseas volunteers what they found
most difficult about adapting to a foreign
culture
Top three items
Language
The pace of life
punctuality
Punctuality in Brazil
As a visiting professor in Brazil, Levine (1988)
discovered that college students there had a very
different conception of class time compared to
American students. When the time came to meet
his first class, Levine arrived twenty minutes late
to an empty classroom (Levine & Wolff, 1985).
But, unlike in the U.S.A., that did not mean that
the class had already been there and left. Rather, it
meant that none of the class had even arrived!
Then, when class was over, only a few students
left. The rest hung around for an additional half
hour.
Flexibility in Time
Latin Americans vs. North Americans
Stereotypes
Lazy/irresponsible
Punctuality and Values
Levine asked US and Brazilian college
students about what makes a successful
person
US students rated people who were never
late for appointments as more successful
Brazilians rated people who were always
late for appointments as more successful
Why?
Time
UDS Time=abstract, measurable,
independent of circumstances, synthetic
Compare  many cultures time measured
in natural cycles (eg. Crops)
Chronos (‘clock time’)
Kairos (‘appropriate time’)
UDS Metaphors for Time
Time is money
Spend time
Waste time
Run out of time
Save time
Lose time
‘Depth’ in time
How ‘deep’ is the past?
For Americans
For Europeans
For Arabs
For Chinese
For Hong Kongers?
For your generation?
For your parent’s generation?
For your grandparent’s generation?
How far ahead is the future?
For Americans
For Chinese?
For Hong Kongers?
For you?
For your parents?
Attitudes towards the past and the
future
‘Golden Age’ view
Utopian view
Traditional Chinese/Confucian view
Maoist/Dengist view
American view
Your view?
Your grandparents’ view?
American view of time
Scheduling 15-30 minute intervals
Punctuality
On time—5 min.– 10 min.– 15 min. – 20 min –
30 min.– 45 min. – 1 hour late
American view of time
Urgency
Monochronism
Activity
Variety
Urgency
Type ‘A’ personality
‘hurry sickness’
Rural—city
Genders
Generations
Professions
Contexts
Effect of technology
Task
Rank the countries/regions based on how
‘fast paced’ you think they are.
Pace of Life
‘Fast’ societies and ‘slow’ societies
Urban vs. Rural
Bornstein (1979)
Population correlates with walking speed
V=0.86 log P + 0.05
Pace of Life
Rank the following countries on your impression of
their pace of life (fast vs. slow)
England
Japan
USA
Taiwan
Indonesia
Italy
Levine and Wolff (1985)
Measured
Walking speed
Accuracy of bank clocks
Post office speed
Results
Monochronic vs. Polychronic
Time
Monochronic
Linear, tangible, divisible
Single focus: Events
scheduled one item at a
time
Schedule takes precedence
over relationships
Emphasis on punctuality
Adherence to plan
Polychronic
Circular, holistic. Flexible
Multiple focus:
Simultaneous attention to
different things
Greater involvement with
people
Change plans easily
Easily distracted
Monchronic vs. Polychronic
Northern European and American
Mediterranean, Latin American Asians
Different discourse systems (generations,
professions) in a society are different
People adhere to different patterns in
different situations (eg. At work vs. at
home)
ageric vs. non-ageric
How does one define being ‘busy’
Thinking vs. Doing
Especially important in corporate discourse
systems
‘Looking busy’
Variety
Related to sense of time passing
Boredom
Cultural differences
Urban-rural
Generational
Effects of technology
Rhythm
Synchrony
People tend to move in ‘synch’
Places develop rhythms
Groups develop rhythms
Feeling of being ‘out of synch’
Task
Rate the different discourse systems you are
familiar with based on the dimensions we
have discussed
Proxemics
The Hidden Dimension (1966)
human perceptions of space are molded and
patterned by culture
differing cultural frameworks for defining and
organizing space can lead to serious failures
of communication and understanding in
cross-cultural settings
personal spaces that people form around
their bodies
cultural expectations about how streets,
neighborhoods and cities should be properly
organized.
Territoriality
In animals
Relates to ownership and power
Some places are reserved for people in
power
Different cultural patterns
Use of Space: Business
North Americans
big boss has the corner office on the top floor, deep
carpets, an expensive desk, and handsome accessories.
The most successful companies are located in
the most prestigious buildings.
France
the highest-ranking executives sit in the middle of an
open area, surrounded by lower-level employees.
Middle East
fine possessions are reserved for the home, and
business is conducted in cramped and modest quarters.
Task: Space and Power
Look at the floor plan of the EN department
and try to determine who has the most and
the least power
City U Corporate Discourse
System
Offices
Size
Windows
Corner
Personal Space
Intimate space
the closest "bubble" of space surrounding a
person. Entry into this space is acceptable only for
the closest friends and intimates.
Social and consultative spaces
the spaces in which people feel comfortable
conducting routine social interactions with
acquaintances as well as strangers.
Public space
the area of space beyond which people will
perceive interactions as impersonal and relatively
anonymous.
Personal Space
In the United States people engaged in
conversation will assume a social distance of
roughly 4-7’
in many parts of Europe the expected social
distance is roughly half that
Americans traveling overseas often
experience the urgent need to back away
from a conversation partner who seems to be
getting too close..
Personal Space
The distance one keeps with the other person may
influence the response one will get
If you are too close to a person who is used to
keeping a certain physical distance in
conversation, this person may feel threatened.
If you keep the same distance with a person who is
used to physically closer interaction, physical
distance may be interpreted as psychological
distance.
Proxemics
The Hidden Dimension (1966)
human perceptions of space are molded and
patterned by culture
differing cultural frameworks for defining and
organizing space can lead to serious failures of
communication and understanding in cross-cultural
settings
personal spaces that people form around their bodies
cultural expectations about how streets,
neighborhoods and cities should be properly
organized.
Elevator Rules
What are the rules are for standing in the elevator? Where
do people stand when there are only two or three people?
What happens when a fourth person enters the elevator.
How would you feel if there were two people on the
elevator and a third person entered and stood right next to
you?
What happens when the elevator becomes more crowded
and there are now four or more people?
How close will people stand? What is allowed to "touch?"
What do people look at in a crowded elevator?
When is it permissible to talk to the other people?
Elevator Rules: US
1. If there are only two or three people on an elevator, each person usually leans
against the walls. If a fourth person boards the elevator, the four corners are
normally occupied.
2. This would be a breach of our personal “space.” We would feel very
uncomfortable and move or get off the elevator at the next stop.
3. When there are more than four people on an elevator, the occupants begin to
follow a complex set of rules for behavior. Everyone turns to face the door. Hands,
purses, and briefcases hang down in front of the body. People usually scrunch up,
rounding their shoulders, so that they take up as little space as possible.
4. People don’t touch each other in any way unless the elevator becomes very
crowded, and then they only touch at the shoulders or upper arms. If you see an
overcrowded elevator, you will probably choose to wait for the next one.
5. Everyone usually looks at the floor indicator located above the door.
6. It is unusual for people (who are strangers) to speak to each other in an elevator
unless they are sharing some kind of similar experience. (Such as a conference)
People who do know each other will usually speak softly. When a group of people
enter the elevator and do not follow these rules, other occupants usually feel very
uncomfortable.
Use of space: Cities
United States cities are customarily set
out along a grid
In France and Spain a star pattern is
preferred
Context
We can’t pay attention to everything in the
context
Culture provides a screen that determines
what we pay attention to and what we don’t
High vs. Low Context
Low
Most of the meaning in
the words
Background information
more explicit/verbalized
Narrower social networks
High
Most of the meaning in
the context
Background information
more implicit/tacit
Wider on social networks
‘New couple’
‘Old couple’
High/low context depends on
Situation
Relationships
Past experience
‘Culture’
Situation
Low context
Law court
High context
Getting along with your girlfriend/boyfriend
High context
Chinese language
Tones
Time
Number
HC
context
meaning
Information
LC