Low & High Context Culture (Adnan)

ASSIGNMENT
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LOW CONTEXT

& HIGH CONTEXT CULTURE
SUBJECT: COMPARATIVE MANAGEMENT
PROGRAM: MBA, MOR (7
th
Semester)
DEPARTMENT: DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRAION
SUBMITTED TO: MR. MUAMMAD SA!EEM MERANI
SUBMITTED B": ADNAN AS!AM (MB#$%#&')
SUBMISSION DATE: &()$%)&$*&
B+U, BAADUR SUB#CAMPUS !A""A
HIGH & LOW CONTEXT CULTURES
HIGH CONTEXT CULTURES
Todays entrepreneurs, regardless of the size of their operation, have to become aware of
international issues. One extremely important aspect of this body of knowledge is the concept of
high- and low-context cultures. e can usually categorize most cultures as being either high context
or low context. Think of the context as the social environment or surroundings in which a business
transaction takes place. !ontext "ualities include such factors as#
$ The physical location of a meeting
$ The way participants are dressed
$ The general mood or ambiance of a meeting
$ The status of the individuals presenting information.
%n a high-context culture, the social context or social environment is more important than the words
being spoken. This means that in a high context culture, nonverbal communication is even more
important than in low-context cultures. %t may take time to build a relationship before your
international business partner feels comfortable in talking about business dealings. %f you have come
to the meeting with an introduction from someone who knows you and the other business
representative, this could take a few hours. &ut if you have come without with a formal introduction,
and without a 'go-between' to explain who you are, it might take months or years before you are
trusted enough to be able to close a deal.
%n a high-context culture, a contract is (ust a starting point for negotiations in closing a deal. )igning
the contract does not represent a closing of the business deal. *xamples of high-context cultures
include +apan, most other ,sian countries, most ,rab countries, -atin ,merica, most ,frican
countries, and %taly. %n reality, most cultures fall somewhere along a continuum, or sliding scale, in
their perception of the importance of context .with high and low being the end points of the
continuum/.
LOW-CONTEXT CULTURES
%n a low-context culture, the words themselves are more important than the surrounding social
context. This means that nonverbal communication, while still very important in understanding
others is less important than it is in high-context cultures. , written agreement can be taken at face
value in a low-context culture. , contract, for example, means exactly what it says, no more and no
less than that. , contract is considered the final product of negotiations, not the starting point.
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*xamples of low-context cultures include 0ermany, 1orway, 2enmark, )weden, 3inland, !anada,
and the 4nited )tates.
)ince 1orth ,merican business practices tend to follow low-context norms, most of us are more
familiar with this system than we are with high-context cultures. %n a low-context culture, you would
not expect to give or receive gifts in order to seal the deal--it would seem unethical. %n a high context
culture, gifts may be expected.
DIFFERENT CULTURES
To understand what someone really meant in a conversation and to avoid misunderstandings it is
important to realize 5how6 it was said. %n high-context systems people expect from their interlocutor
that he or she knows what the message of the communication was. This can be done without that it
was specifically told !hinese and 3rench use a high-context communication. They place great
importance on ambience, decorum, the relative status of the participants in a communication and the
manner of massages delivery. %n 3rance it might be hard to feel fully accepted for outsiders within
their culture because of their big diffuse connections. %n comparison members of individualistic
cultures using low-context communication like 0ermans, ,mericans and 3inns sometimes ignore
those differences from high-context countries cultures. %n case of a meeting where those countries
from low- and high-context cultures would have to work and discuss the 3rench and especially the
!hinese would not interact and express their disagreement or reservations. 3or !hinese issues,
circumstances and relationships are as important as work so they would comment only in a more
private or appropriate occasion.
!hinese people tend to be reserved which is considered as active behaviour in collectivistic cultures.
They first need to build up an interpersonal relationship 7 a foundation where it is possible to find the
right level of context. %n contrast low-context cultures they argue about each others opinion within
the decission-making process and take discussions in their own hands to come to an agreement.
ithin this process members of low-context tend to be precise and provide (ust the re"uired
information and in case of silence it has to be filled. but this is (ust a generic statement. %n contrast
the 3inns regarding to silence have a different cultural behaviour. )ilence is seen as polite and
doesnt have to be replaced with communication. %n this point they differ immensely from the
,mericans who are seen as the characteristic low-context country. They need to know what is going
on and have to be provided with detailed background information. %nformation is freely available in
an ,merican company.
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%n contrast the 0ermans try to hide information which is sacrificed even within a company or
department. 3rench are a high-context culture. They assume that the listener knows everything. %t can
happen that the 53rench will think the ,mericans think they are stupid because they start explaining
everything, and vice versa.
HIGH-CONTEXT CULTURE LOW-CONTEXT CULTURE
Much covert and !"#ct !e$$a%e&
8etaphoric and read between the
lines meaning
Much overt and e'"#ct !e$$a%e&
9lain and literal meaning
Interna#(ed !e$$a%e$&
%nner locus of control and blame for
failure
)#an#* coded !e$$a%e$&
Outer locus of control and blame
outer for failure
Much nonver+a# codn%&
, lot of attention paid to body
language and mannerisms
,er+a#(ed deta#$&
8ore expression emphasized in the
verbal versus body language
Re$erved reacton$&
:eact more inwardly than outwardly
Reacton$ on the $ur-ace&
:eact more outwardly
D$tnct n%rou"$ and out%rou"$&
!losely knit groups of affiliation
3amily 0athering, &irthday party
F#e'+#e n%rou"$ and out%rou"$&
Open groups of affiliation ie. 9T,,
3ast food restaurant
Stron% "eo"#e +ond$&
3amily and community most important
Fra%#e "eo"#e +ond$&
3amily and community less important
H%h co!!t!ent&
:elationship more important than task,
-ong term relationships
Lo. co!!t!ent &
Task more important than relationships,
short term relationships
O"en and -#e'+#e t!e&
9rocess more important than product H%h#* or%an(ed t!e&
9roduct more important than process
REFERENCES
http://staf.washington.edu/saki/strategies/101/hallcul.htm
http://www.cascadebusnews.com/business-tips/networking/154-high-context-a-
low-context-cultures
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ASSIGNMENT

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LOW CONTEXT

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