Some gestures can mean wildly different things in different parts of the world. 29. Hofstede also refers to these tendencies as being more assertive. Exchange of business cards is important. If youre not used to it you can either ignore it or get easily offended as they use sarcasm a lot, usually in a form of statement about a reality (eg. Asia, the Polish name, is spelled the same as the continent but pronounced very differently! Foreigners are expected to be punctual, and there is a value on being on time. A society is called feminine when emotional gender roles overlap: both men and women are supposed to be modest, tender, and concerned with quality of life [emphasis in original]. Vodka became a popular alcoholic drink since then. Employees may be suspicious of training because of the communist legacy and may not recognize it as a perk for advancement. When Poles are comfortable with you and you are part of their private circle, communication can be more outspoken, direct and even cynical. Another form of respectful greeting is a brief, shallow bow. High-context communicators tend to expect to be noticed for their hard work, sacrifice, and achievement, without ever having to verbalize themselves. High-context communication style may be detrimental to the design of global Web sites, making them less readable, less effective in their use of colors and graphics, and less interactive for. For example, an invitation to a party would be addressed to Mr. Poland is also known for its electronic dance music with Vader being the most famous band performing this genre of music. The final characteristic of cultures is a new one first reported on in the 2010 edition of Cultures and Organizations. The order of affection received was (in order of the most trait affection received) United States, Denmark, Poland, and Iceland. ACTION is your ability to adapt (and not adapt) when working in multicultural contexts. Why do you think context is such an important cultural characteristic? Feedback must be handled carefully, and many Poles may not feel comfortable evaluating those above them. This is most common for women, but some men also embrace and kiss. South Korea, Canada, England, Saudi Arabia, What statement best describes a high power distance culture?, T/F: Cultures with a strong uncertainty avoidance orientation sense that uncertainty in life is a continuous threat that must be fought. Striving for everyone to have equal rights is an important theme. According to Hsien Chin Hu, the concept of face stems from two distinct Chinese words, lien and mien-tzu. They required me to work on myself so that this narrative doesn't get stuck in my head, and that I still continue living my own life, while doing my best to care for the relationships that I wanted to keep in my life. The terms low-context culture (LCC) and high-context culture (HCC) were created by Hall to describe how communication styles differ across cultures. Negotiations with new customers are going to be tougher and longer until a relationship is established. More simplistically, face is essentially a persons reputation and feelings of prestige within multiple spheres, including the workplace, the family, personal friends, and society at large.49 For our purposes, we can generally break face down into general categories: face gaining and face losing. The concept of face is especially problematic in emotionally vulnerable situations (such as embarrassment, request, or conflict situations) when the situation identities of the communicators are called into question. Imagine youre having an interaction with an individual from India. 27) on the transformation of Poland from a country of departure to a country of arrival 30 April 2021 - 16:09; 23.04.2021 - Radio broadcast . I can feel the differences of course, but its nothing extremely surprising rather something you need to get used to. Asian, African, Arab, central European and Latin American cultures are generally considered to be high-context cultures. Lets laugh together - what are some of your stories of language misunderstandings? Use titles and surnames until invited to use first names. However, income is just one indicatory of power distance within a culture. Bg si rodzi, Bogurodzica are some of the oldest musical compositions originating in Poland. But they pay attention to the volume of their voices and tend to speak quietly in business and in public. Join me in the webinar on Tuesday, 7 March and let's discuss how you can ensure not to fall into the trap of those myths! "In high-context culture, people tend to personalize their disagreement with others. So I was talking about Asia tables (region-Asia), while my teammate was taking about Asia from the Polish team confirming their participants for a Poland table Around 10 to 15% of the Polish population is composed of the nobles or the gentry called the szlachta. When it comes down to it, despite the issues we have in our country, the power disparity is not nearly as significant as it is in many other parts of our world. Its a real life example from my first job in London where I was a campus recruiter and was organising an international event for students studying in the UK but wanting to work for our office in other parts of the world. The United States is number one on individualism, according to Hofstedes data.27 Americans are considered individualistic. He ended up more comfortable and confident when it comes to talking about emotions, with a tool to help him actually name what he's feeling, and empowered to reach for his professional goals. Employees are often looking for direction and may not be comfortable taking personal initiative. Legal. Communication within a family or close-knit group is high context in almost any part of the world. During Christmas in Poland, the Poles hold grand Christmas feasts at their homes and share the food with family members. What I do remember is that my environment was generally very supportive, I didn't feel like I was leaving with some bad emotions between any of the close family and friends. Thisstatement needs to be followed by creating a set of team rules which lean towards the low-context ways of communication as well as agreed upon by all members. Jozef Chemoski was a famous Polish painter belonging to the realist school. )%2F06%253A_Cultural_and_Environmental_Factors_in_Interpersonal_Communication%2F6.03%253A_Cultural_Characteristics_and_Communication, \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}}}\) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash{#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\), 6.4: Improving Intercultural Communication Skills, https://doi.org/10.1080/17475759.2017.1292944, Jason S. Wrench, Narissra M. Punyanunt-Carter & Katherine S. Thweatt, source@https://milnepublishing.geneseo.edu/interpersonalcommunication, status page at https://status.libretexts.org, Strong Distinctions Between In and Out-Groups. Its opposite pole, restraint, reflects a conviction that such gratification needs to be curbed and regulated by strict social norms. 34 The top five on the Indulgence end are Venezuela, Mexico, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, and Nigeria, whereas those on the restraint end are Pakistan, Egypt, Latvia, Ukraine, and Albania. The Poles have always welcomed artists from abroad and adopted cultural trends of other countries to enrich their own lively cultural scene. If yes - start developing your cultural intelligence! Other national heroes include: John Paul II, Lech Walesa, Nicolaus Copernicus and Frederic Chopin. Collectivistic cultures tend to think about actions that might affect the entire group rather than specific members of the group. Expect polite formality at initial meetings; warmer interactions take place after relationships and trust have been established. The peasants and workers constitute the majority of the population. The cultural variability dimensions of individualism-collectivism and small/large power distance shape the orientations, movements, contents, and styles of facework. Uncertainty avoidance then involves the extent to which cultures as a whole are fearful of ambiguous and unknown situations. High-context cultures will use communication that focuses on underlying context, meaning, and tone in the message, and not just the words themselves. Messages are both spoken and read between the lines. President Nixon did the same thing existing an airplane in Brazil flashing his famous OK sign with his thumb and forefinger forming a circle, but this is the middle finger in that culture. Poland is also one of the largest beer producers in Europe and a beer consumer in Poland drinks 92 liters of beer annually. From an interpersonal perspective, people from high uncertainty avoidant cultures are going to have a lot more anxiety associated with interactions involving people from other cultures. The other countries did not differ from each other with regard to trait affection given. as well as much of Europe. But the Brazilian culture presents some particularities that McDonald's marketing team seem very aware of. Meetings generally start on time. Krzysztof Komeda was a famous Jazz musician from the country who composed several movie soundtracks. Notice that the U.S. does not make it into the top five or the bottom five. and also 'Oh wow, noo, you're leaving? 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. Lien is both a social sanction for enforcing moral standards and an internalized sanction.46 On the other hand, mien-tzu stands for the kind of prestige that is emphasized in this country [America]: a reputation achieved through getting on in life, through success and ostentation.47 However, David Yau-fai Ho argues that face is more complicated than just lien and mien-tzu, so he provided the following definition: Face is the respectability and/or deference which a person can claim for himself from others, by virtue of the relative position he occupies in his social network and the degree to which he is judged to have functioned adequately in that position as well as acceptably in his general conduct; the face extended to a person by others is a function of the degree of congruence between judgments of his total condition in life, including his actions as well as those of people closely associated with him, and the social expectations that others have placed upon him. Hierarchy Dismissal is governed by the laws of the EU. Dress, manner-isms, relationships, meeting setting and hierarchy all contrib-ute to the way a message may be delivered and interpreted. US is the most low-context culture followed by Australia, Canada, Netherlands, Germany, UK. These include particular types of body language, a person's social or familial standing, and the tone of voice used when speaking. Need for Certainty Several other festivals and holidays are also celebrated in Poland. The province also promotes the offer of "healthy" tourism. Humor is sometimes used to make a point. #expatcoaching #expatlife #livingabroad #expatcoach #workingabroad #lifeabroad #workabroad #careerabroad #internationallife #internationalcareer #globalcareer #globallife #globalleaders #culturalawareness #selfawareness #selfgrowth #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #culturalcompetence #movingabroad #zyciezagranica #zycienaemigracji #pracazagranica #rozwojosobisty #polacyzagranica, There are a few more myths that I see again and again, and I'd like to dispel them once and for all! High-context cultures typically lack explicitly stated or written regulations. Having local representation can contribute to trust and sometimes lead to less strenuous negotiations. - Our Planet Today on April 20, 2022 Is Poland a high or low context culture? Wigilia is a popular Christmas Eve supper consumed in Poland. Hiking, skiing, ski jumping, and mountain biking are popular activities enjoyed by both amateur and professional sportsperson visiting the mountains of Poland. During this time, three poets, entitled the Three Bards (Zygmunt Krasiski, Adam Mickiewicz, and Juliusz Sowacki) acted as the spiritual leaders of the nation. The beaches and coastal waters of the country offer aquatic sports and beach activities like canoeing, kayaking, sports-fishing, etc. Countries that fall into this categorization are Japan, China, France, Spain, Brazil, and more. I believe that this book is a great source for reading about cross-cultural differences. When it comes to British humour however, I totally get it (if I understand the vocabulary of course, cause sometimes sadly I dont )! Is Singapore a high context culture or low context culture? Lace-up boots and a coral bead necklace complete the look. Catholicism plays a significant role in the lives of people living here and around 65% attend Church services regularly. 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. If youre interested I would be happy to continue that topic and describe the possible challenges of moving both of these ways. His interests ultimately culminated in his 1980 publication Cultures Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values where he explained some basic cultural differences.22 Over the years, Geert has fine-tuned his theory of culture, and the most recent update to his theory occurred in 2010.23 In Geerts research examining thousands of workers from around the globe, he has noticed a series of six cultural differences: low vs. high power distance, individualism vs. collectivism, masculinity vs. femininity, low vs. high uncertainty avoidance, long-term vs. short-term orientation, and indulgence vs. restraint. Heres a 4-minute speech from Erin Meyer on this topic as an extra source: click. Relationship Focused Polish language is also more complex than English, both grammatically and structurally, which has its impact on how we communicate with one another and what we expect in communication. There was atime when I attended a meeting where a decision has been made on the task split and further steps of the project. Well, typical. In the past, HR was seen as a channel for instilling the goals of the communist party. What is important to remember when analysing these graphs is that we cant definitely say whether a culture IS a low or high context. Geert Hofstedes research created a taxonomy for understanding and differentiating cultures. Japan is the most high-context society due to long shared history, followed by Korea, China and Indonesia. The United States ranked 31 out of 39, with Pakistan being number 39. I left the meeting happy with all the information thatI received and ready to start working on my tasks. Poland was under the rule of communism from 1945- 1989 The killing of a large section of the Polish intelligentsia by the Nazis and the Communists during and after World War II greatly reduced the rigid social stratification in the country. Poles gesticulate a great deal while speaking to make their point. "The Culture Map Persuading. Wojewdztwo promuje take ofert turystyki zdrowotnej. Poles are good listeners, and may listen thoroughly before responding. Expect employees to be willing to share opinions, though it may be in an indirect, but insistent manner. In 1924, the novel Chopi won Wadysaw Reymont a Nobel Prize in Literature. At the long-term end of the spectrum are countries like China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan; whereas, countries like Pakistan, Czech Republic, Nigeria, Spain, and the Philippines are examples of short-term. It triggered a lot of thoughts and memories when I was reading it. Among the non-alcoholic beverages, the Kompot is an indigenous drink that is produced by boiling one or more types of fruits with or without the addition of sugar and spices. In these cultures, there tends to be high respect for the past and the various traditions that have made that culture great. This is my favourite post on Polonization blog, but I recommend it allto be honest. High-context cultures: Much of the society's communication takes place through . The headgear consists of a floral wreath in the case of unmarried women while the married ones tie a white kerchief. The earliest culture of Poland traces its origin to the culture of the Early Slavs who settled in the country. Accessibility StatementFor more information contact us atinfo@libretexts.orgor check out our status page at https://status.libretexts.org. Fluid Time People from high-context culture communicate in an allusive way, body language is very important because the interlocutors use non-verbal signals to a large extent. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. High-Context Cultures. yes it is a high context culture! Use of titles is expected until someone suggests first-name basis. One of the earliest researchers in the area of cultural differences and their importance to communication was a researcher by the name of Edward T. Hall. Wojewdztwo pomorskie - wojewdztwo znajdujce si w pnocnej czci kraju. We cannot escape it; however, some people are more prone to becoming fearful in situations that are ambiguous or unknown. Individual Orientation Admittedly, in Hofstedes research, there does tend to be a difference between females and males on these characteristics (females tend to be more relationally oriented and males more assertive), which is why Hofstede went with the terms masculinity and femininity in the first place. Yes. The top 5 percent had incomes of $191,157 or more.25. Messages are often implied but not plainly expressed." Here is the graph showing UK and Polish cultures compared with my preference on the Communication scale. A traditional Polish meal starts with soup (zupa), followed by a main course with meat (cutlets) served with cooked (boiled) potatoes or dumplings. Wiki User 2009-07-14 11:34:45 This answer is: Study guides Hungary 22 cards What form of government exists in the People's Republic of China today What is. Ultimately, we can define these types of cultures in the following way: A society is called masculine when emotional gender roles are clearly distinct: men are supposed to be assertive, tough, and focused on material success, whereas women are supposed to be more modest, tender, and concerned with quality of life. However, over the years, the traditional views have changed and marriages are now based more on the consent of couples than the family and divorces have also become more common than before. His book Beyond Culture is still considered one of the most influential books for the field of intercultural communication.17,18 According to Hall, all cultures incorporate both verbal and nonverbal elements into communication. Poland boasts 17 Nobel prize winners, including four Peace Prizes and five in Literature. In the modern times, the folk dances are usually performed by dance companies on special occasions like cultural and religious festivals or four tourism purposes. With class, many cultures have three clear segments low, middle, and upper. The national dances of the country are Oberek, Mazurek, Krakowiak, and Kjawiak. For example, the median income for the average U.S. household is $51,100.24 When discussing household incomes, we use the median (middlemost number) because its the most accurate representation of income. How did your friends react to your decision of moving abroad? In relationship-based cultures, eg. Meetings are formal. In his work, "Beyond Culture", Hall described these two different types of cultural relationships as they applied to information. A high context culture may look very different to a person who is familiar with a low context communication style. All who are present are free to participate; however, in some cases rules of hierarchy mean that senior level people speak first and subordinates will speak when they know it is appropriate. Lets briefly look at each of these. I would like to close this article with a recommendation as I feel like it can really be an interesting read for you. You may be wondering, by this point, how low-context and high-context cultures differ across different countries. Others are who gets educated and what type of education they receive, who gets health care and what type, and what types of occupations do those with power have versus those who do not have power. Face-negotiation theory ultimately concerned with three different types of face: self-face (concern for our face), other-face (concern for another persons face), and mutual-face (concern for both interactants and the relationship).39 As you can see from Ting-Toomeys last assumption in her theory above, individuals who are competent in facework can recognize when facework is necessary and then handle those situations appropriately, effectively, and adaptively. As a manager, take time to articulate specific tasks and check with employees to demonstrate the importance of the employee and the project. It will be based on the book entitled The Culture Map by an INSEAD professor and cross-cultural specialist Erin Meyer. Over the years, Hofstede and his fellow researchers have regularly collected additional data from around the world to make his conceptualization of six cultural differences one of the most widely studied concepts of culture. It's a set of competences which help you relate and work effectively in culturally diverse situations. Other religions practiced in the country include Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Here is the graph showing UK and Polish cultures compared with my preference on the Communication scale. Meyer defines them as follows: Low-context: Good communication is precise, simple and clear. Starting in the 1970s, Geert became interested in how people from different cultures approach work. Differentiate between Edward T. Halls low-context and highcontext cultures. High-context: "Good communication is sophisticated, nuanced, and layered. KNOWLEDGE is your understanding how various cultures may be similar or different, on many levels business culture, leadership, laws, linguistics. Companies who decide to hire locally should be prepared to have translators present during interviews. High Context 30.04.2021 - Radio broadcast (no. Long-term orientation focuses on the future and not the present or the past. Learn more about how different cultures rely on high or low levels of context in their communication overall. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions 2023 worldatlas.com. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. One of the biggest differences between cultures is the method by which we communicate. The Culture Map Communication: Low and High context cultures, 5 easy ways to overcome self-doubt after moving abroad, How to stay connected with family and friends when living abroad. This did not come to me as a surprise although it triggered some thoughts on that topic. Women tend to stand and walk very close, and often hold hands when walking. Anxiety about the future based on: a history of beingtaken over by neighboring countries; and the legacy ofbeing under communist rule from 1945-1989. Each of the participants (culturally diverse team) was making notes on their particular tasks as well as general goals of the project. Starting one step at a time to develop these can really transform the way you react and manage challenging intercultural scenarios! The traditional clothing of the Polish people varies greatly with their location in the country. Onboarding programs for foreign companies are key to helping new recruits understand international business culture which may differ from traditional Polish business culture. D.I.V.E. One of Halls most essential contributions to the field of intercultural communication is the idea of low-context and high-context cultures. What does that mean? #expatcoaching #expatlife #livingabroad #expatcoach #workingabroad #lifeabroad #workabroad #careerabroad #internationallife #internationalcareer #globalcareer #globallife #globalleaders #culturalawareness #selfawareness #selfgrowth #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #culturalcompetence #movingabroad #zyciezagranica #zycienaemigracji #pracazagranica #rozwojosobisty #polacyzagranica, Which one - peach or coconut - do you feel closer to yourself? What is Poland culture? High-context cultures: Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, . I didn't tell many people about me looking for a job abroad, so for some it was somewhat surprising. #expatcoaching #expatlife #livingabroad #expatcoach #workingabroad #lifeabroad #workabroad #careerabroad #internationallife #internationalcareer #globalcareer #globallife #globalleaders #culturalawareness #selfawareness #selfgrowth #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #culturalcompetence #movingabroad #zyciezagranica #zycienaemigracji #pracazagranica #rozwojosobisty #polacyzagranica, Are you a global leader who has these topics on your mind recently, but not yet sure of the 'how'?