high and low context cultures examples

Hall and Hall proposed a "spectrum" of national cultures from "High-Context cultures" to "Low-Context Cultures. Communication cultures differ societally between high-context and low-context cultures, a concept first described by anthropologist Edward T. Hall in his 1976 publication Beyond Culture. Learn more about our academic and editorial standards. You can find his work on The Print, Live Wire, and YouTube. Culture is a combination of our thoughts, roles, manners, values, etc. Instead, many cultures tend to have a mixture or at least some concepts that are shared between them, overlapping the two context cultures.[26]. In his model, context refers to the stimuli, environment, or ambiance surrounding an event. 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. Power Distance Index & Examples | What is Power Distance? Conclusions are explicitly stated. High-context cultures, on the other hand, depend on both the spoken words and the context of the situationincluding the shared values/assumptions of the groupto convey meaning. Besides cultural context, personal experiences and preferences also shape communication. When it comes to emails, texts, and online messaging, low-context cultures use it to fire off quick, frequent messages. High-context cultures: Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, China, India, and Saudi Arabia are some of the highest-context cultures in the world. Most of the contexting categories simply have not been researched enough to make firm conclusions. For example, Hall describes how Japanese culture has both low- and high-context situations. Generally, high-context cultures prefer oral communications, while low-context cultures favor written communications. Verbal message is explicit. The review process on Helpful Professor involves having a PhD level expert fact check, edit, and contribute to articles. Amount of Detail Expected - High-context cultures such as Japan, China, and France provide little details in their writing. It is important to note that no culture is completely high-context or low-context, since all societies contain at least some parts that are both high and low. High context culture is common wherever there is a relationship between people. (2014, May 9). (1971). Rules are not directly or explicitly written or stated. Communication is seen as a way of exchanging information, ideas, and opinions. High Context vs. Low Context (Internet) Example of McDonalds Internet site: High: Families shown, lots of people on the website ads Low: You, your choices, easy to navigate High Context vs. Low Context (Law) High: Traditions are the laws Low: Rules and order are spelled out. According to Hall, the high-context culture definition relates to a culture by which the rules of communication are primarily and dominantly transmitted through the use of contextual elements. These are some important high-context culture characteristics to look out for. But the fact that contexting has not been empirically validated should not necessarily be construed as a failure of the theory. In addition, Hall identified countries such as Japan, Arabic countries and some Latin American Countries to practice high-context culture; "High context communication carries most of its information within physical acts and features such as avoiding eye contact or even the shrug of a shoulder. [42] In a case study conducted by the IT University of Copenhagen, it was found that websites catering to high-context cultures tended to have more detailed and advanced designs, including various images and animations. [4] The model of high-context and low-context cultures offers a popular framework in intercultural-communication studies, but has been criticized as lacking empirical validation. A high-context culture is a culture or society that communicates dominantly through the use of contextual elements, such as specific forms of body language, the status of an individual, and the tone of voice employed during speech. London: Routledge. Examples of low-context cultures include Germany, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Canada, and the United States. For example, families typically engage in high context communication whereby they can communicate much with subtleties such as a glace. Intercultural Communication on Websites: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Websites from High-Context Cultures and Low-Context Cultures. 2. These countries are quite explicit and elaborate without having prior knowledge to each member's history or background. Examples of low context cultures include: Scandinavia; Germany, and the US. In other words, high-context communicators attach great importance to everything that surrounds the explicit message, including interpersonal relationships, non-verbal cues, and physical and social settings. Gudykunst, W. B., & Ting-Toomey, S. (1988). Low context implies that a lot of information is exchanged explicitly through the message itself and rarely is anything implicit or hidden.People in low context cultures such as the UK tend to have short-term relationships, follow rules and standards closely and are generally very task-oriented. Cultural Perceptions of Communication in Organizations: Low Context and High Context. Cultures where the group is valued over the individual promote. Anchor Press/Doubleday. [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. Examples of low-context cultures include the United States, Australia, and many European countries. [2] High-context cultures often exhibit less-direct verbal and nonverbal communication, utilizing small communication gestures and reading more meaning into these less-direct messages. However, this type of segregation is not rigid, but takes the form of a gradient since the contextual base of a culture is not a quantifiable but relative concept. All articles are edited by a PhD level academic. Germany, Sweden, and the United States are generally classified as low-context cultures. Low-context cultures tend to be logical, analytical, action-oriented, and concerned with the individual. They rely less on context & non-verbal cues and instead convey meaning more directly. A few relevant examples of differences in communication between low- and high-context cultures are found in Table 1. [12] Typically a low-context culture will be less close-knit, and so individuals communicating will have fewer relational cues when interpreting messages. Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons. Remember that culture is dynamic, and that every individual within a culture is unique and may not conform exactly to the general characteristics of that culture. There are smaller communities and specific settings within national/linguistic cultures, and they may exhibit different communication patterns. A high-context culture is one in which communication may be more unspoken rather than explicit - for example, much attention is paid to body language, facial expressions, and other non-verbal cues in order to discern a speaker's meaning. 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). Many aspects of cultural behavior are not made explicit because most members know what . Japan and other countries located in Asia, Brazil and other countries located in South America, African tribal groups and most countries located in Africa, A majority of the Middle East, including Iraq and Iran, Describe Edward T. Hall's characterization of high-context cultures, Distinguish between high-context and low-context cultures, Explain the characteristics of high-context cultures, Recall the importance of ingroups to high-context cultures. Hall, E. T. (1976). This allows individuals of different generations to communicate through a shared set of values, which, in turn, provides stability to the culture. On the other hand, certain intercultural communication skills are unique for each culture and it is significant to note that these overlaps in communication techniques are represented subgroups within social interactions or family settings. Negotiators basically say what they mean. Copyright 2023 Helpful Professor. For example, resemblance is a significant trait in cultures with a high level of context. Edward T. Hall describes low-context culture as one in which: most of the information is either in the explicit code or readily available elsewhere (Hall, 1976). Discover high context culture examples, and identify the importance of high context vs. low context communication. (2012). [3] Low-context cultures do the opposite; direct verbal communication is needed to properly understand a message being communicated and relies heavily on explicit verbal skills. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education and holds a PhD in Education from ACU. Hall identifies high-context cultures as those in which harmony and the well-being of the group is preferred over individual achievement. From each culture, 96 business managers were surveyed for the American and Chinese sample and 50 managers were surveyed from Korea. In a 2008 meta-analysis of 224 articles published between 1990 and 2006, Peter W. Cardon wrote: [T]he theory was never described by Hall with any empirical rigor, and no known research involving any instrument or measure of contexting validates it. The study collected three samples from different cultures - the US, China, and Korea - with 96 business managers surveyed in the American and Chinese sample and 50 managers in the Korean sample. High-context cultures are more likely to be intuitive, contemplative, and concerned with the collective. 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. 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. Examples of low- and high-context cultures are those based in the following culture clusters: High-context cultures The Sub-Saharan Africa Cluster The Middle East Cluster The Latin Europe Cluster The Eastern Europe Cluster The Latin America Cluster The Southern Asia Cluster The Confucian Asia Cluster Low-context cultures The Anglo Cluster Create your account, 10 chapters | For example, if you have ever been to a family gathering, then you have experience with a high-context culture. In this context, we will discuss those topics also. Watch this video from international business expert Erin Meyer [1]. Yolanda has taught college Psychology and Ethics, and has a doctorate of philosophy in counselor education and supervision. High-context cultures rely heavily on non-verbal cues, such as facial expressions, body language, tone of voice, etc. What is the role of such non-verbal communication in business relationships? Examples of high context cultures include many Asian, African, and Latin American countries, as well as some European cultures such as Spain and Italy. [2] Collectivist societies prioritize the group over the individual, and vice versa for individualist ones. These experiences inclu. [10] In low-context cultures, relationships are not viewed as important figures to identity. Communicators in high-context cultures pay attention to more than the words spoken they also pay attention to interpersonal relationships, nonverbal expressions, physical settings, and social settings. Typically a high-context culture will be relational, collectivist, intuitive, and contemplative. [37] Because individualistic cultures may value cultural diversity, a more explicit way of communicating is often required to avoid misunderstanding. Meaning is determined not by what is said but by how it is said and by how social implications such as the communicators status and position come into play. Therefore, it is necessary for more explicit information to be included in the message so it is not misinterpreted. Writing Topic Sentences and Body Paragraphs, 38. Because of this, communication can change drastically from one generation to the next, creating communication gaps between parents and children. 9. [23] For example, Native Americans in the United States have higher-context cultures with a strong sense of tradition and history, compared to general American culture. High-context cu. One approach to gaining such an insight is through the use of the high and low context culture framework, which was established by anthropologist Edward T. Examples of low context cultures are countries such as China, Brazil or Saudi Arabia. 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. Low-context cultures tend to focus more on the individual than the group, which is why they value individualism and autonomy. Context 1. . In contrast, take a look at the ads on the front page of Weibo, which is considered China's version of Facebook. In high-context cultures (such as those in Japan, China, and Arab countries), the listener is already "contexted" and does not need to be given much background information [3]. However, no country is low-context or high-context in absolute terms; instead, there is a mix of explicit & implicit communication everywhere. Identify your style Before implementing effective communication practices across cultures, identify your own style: How Do I Format and Cite Long Direct Quotes? Their communication is often indirect and requires a nuanced understanding, so outsiders might find it more difficult to enter their culture. Both the speaker and listener act under the assumption that all relevant information has been explicitly stated. They are not simply complementary but are often used as the primary means of conveying a message and require the members to have greater cultural understanding. Cultures and communication in which the context of the message is of great importance to structuring actions are referred to as high context. Examples of a low context communication cultures include The United States, the UK, Switzerland, Canada and Germany. Low-context cultures also want these communications to revolve around basic questions, like: What's happening? This can be quite confusing to an outsider, especially someone from a low-context culture who is used to communicating via explicit messages. Masculine vs. Feminine Cultures: Distinctions & Communication Styles. Low context communication is more common in the English speaking world, whereas high context communication is more common in Eastern cultures such as Japan and China. 3. High- context cultures are often collectivist in nature and largely defined by group communications, as well as the development or promotion of ingroups, or groups that individuals may become loyal to. Cultural differences in advertising and marketing may also be explained through high- and low-context cultures. Traditionally, Western cultures are known for being more individualistic or communicating with a low context style. A few examples of high-context cultures include China, Japan, South Africa, Argentina, and Spain; While low-context cultures are found more dominantly in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. High-context cultures are those that communicate in ways that are implicit and rely heavily on context. The following chart will compare the main differences between high-context vs. low-context cultures and a discussion of example cultures will follow: While nations such as the United States have many low-context situations, it is important to recall that all societies experience high-context events as well. Emphasis on verbal vs. non-verbal communications, the existence of close personal space, emphasis on collectivism and ingroup learning and achievements, and the importance of interpersonal relationships are but a few of the most significant distinguishing factors. Examples of low-context cultures include the United States, Australia, and many European countries. This is in contrast to lower-context cultures in which the shared experiences upon which communication is built can change drastically from one generation to the next, creating communication gaps between parents and children, as in the United States.[18]. Nonetheless, the contexting model simply cannot be described as an empirically validated model. Since North American business practices tend to follow low-context norms, most of us are more familiar with this system than we are with high-context cultures. Words: 825. 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. The terms "high context culture" and "low context culture" are used to define how people in various cultures communicate messages to each other. "[28] In such cultures, people are highly perceptive of actions. [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 high and low context cultures in this concept refers to how important contextual cues are in interpreting a message. 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. Low context cultures rely on the spoken word to communicate. A few predominantly high-context cultures include Japan, China, Brazil, Argentina, and South Africa. [32] Since all sets of cultures differ, especially from a global standpoint where language also creates a barrier for communication, social interactions specific to a culture normally require a range of appropriate communication abilities that an opposing culture may not understand or know about. Low-context cultures can seem slightly more formal due to the explicit & precise nature of their messages. In contrast, low-context cultures rely on explicit verbal communication. High-context cultures promote the development of ingroups. It can imply understanding or agreement, but it can also mean their conversea lack of certainty.

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