high and low context cultures examples

Pages: 3. With this regard, America culture is a low-context . [39][40] In high-context cultures, facial expressions and gestures take on greater importance in conveying and understanding a message, and the receiver may require more cultural context to understand "basic" displays of emotions. Unlike the linear communication style preferred in low-context cultures, high-context communicators may use spiral logic, circling around a topic indirectly and looking at it from many tangential or divergent viewpoints. Traditionally, Western cultures are known for being more individualistic or communicating with a low context style. Relationships: The components of these cultures tend to value long-term relationships. High context cultures have a communication style based on body language, tone, and overall context; while low context cultures are more straightforward and explicit in communication. [2] Collectivist societies prioritize the group over the individual, and vice versa for individualist ones. 2. However, no country is low-context or high-context in absolute terms; instead, there is a mix of explicit & implicit communication everywhere. Intercultural Communication on Websites: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Websites from High-Context Cultures and Low-Context Cultures. [38] By contrast, low-context cultures tend to change more rapidly and drastically, allowing extension[definition needed] to happen at faster rates. As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 88,000 "High context". 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. According to Watson, "the influence of cultural variables interplays with other key factors for example, social identities, those of age, gender, social class and ethnicity; this may include a stronger or weaker influence. Getting the message across. 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. Intercultural communication. Low-context cultures can seem slightly more formal due to the explicit & precise nature of their messages. 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. [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. Intercultural Communication in the Workplace, 18. They place a high value on interpersonal relationships and group members are a very close-knit community. 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. But we can also use them to talk about smaller groups, such as corporate cultures or a specific setting like the airport. In high context cultures like Native American tribes, Japan, China, and Arabic countries, communication is curvilinear, and often what is left unsaid is just as important than what is, and there is more flexibility with time and looser schedules. Conclusion The dynamics of relationships within High and Low context cultures are very different. Learn more about our academic and editorial standards. Individualism and collectivism are related to low-context and high-context cultures, respectively. Explain the differences between high- and low-context cultures, giving examples of each. The study suggests that in high-context cultures, such as China and Korea, people tend to be more socially oriented, less confrontational, and more complacent with existing ways of living compared to people from low-context cultures like the US.[23]. By contrast, a low-context culture enjoys communications that take place most often through written or spoken (verbal) speech and rules are directly and explicitly stated. Watch this video from international business expert Erin Meyer [1]. A case study was done on 30 Romanian and 30 Russian employees, to compare high- and low-context cultures, and results strongly suggested that Russia and Romania are both high-context cultures. In high-context cultures, language may be used to assist and maintain relationship-building and to focus on process. The aim of this report is to evaluate the concept of different communication cultures through the application of Hall's high and low-context model of culture. Low-context cultures also want these communications to revolve around basic questions, like: What's happening? As a result of these years of interacting with one another, the members know what the rules are, how to think, and how to behave, so the rules do not have to be explicitly stated. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. The most prominent characteristics of high context culture is non-verbal communication, while for low context culture, it is obvious to have verbal and written communication. Moreover, their communication is often task-oriented and driven by rational decision-making, which can further add to their formality.. The study identifies whether and how variables that characterize high- and low-context cultures are reflected on Web sites. It further attempts to draw parallels between face-to-face communication and communication on the web by looking at communication rules and patterns in high-context cultures and comparing and contrasting them to the . Reviewers ensure all content reflects expert academic consensus and is backed up with reference to academic studies. Examples of low context cultures include: Scandinavia; Germany, and the US. In this article, we will give you examples of high and low context mediation. 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. Answer (1 of 2): Examples of high context countries include: Japan, China, and the Arab countries. Although the concept of high- and low-context cultures is usually applied in the field of analyzing national cultures, it can also be used to describe scientific or corporate cultures, or specific settings such as airports or law courts. High-context cultures usually do not have rules that are explicitly written or stated. High context communication cultures . [37] Because individualistic cultures may value cultural diversity, a more explicit way of communicating is often required to avoid misunderstanding. Because a low-context setting cannot rely on shared understanding of potentially ambiguous messages, low-context cultures tend to give more information, or to be precise in their language. Typically a high-context culture will be relational, collectivist, intuitive, and contemplative. "[28] In such cultures, people are highly perceptive of actions. Yolanda has taught college Psychology and Ethics, and has a doctorate of philosophy in counselor education and supervision. Low-context countries, on the other hand, relied more on linear processes and verbal communication. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. Low-context cultures tend to be logical, analytical, action-oriented, and concerned with the individual. 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. As such, what is said is what is meant, and further analysis of the message is usually unnecessary. The Lavin Agency Speakers Bureau. In, Meyer, C. (2017). Members of ingroups usually share many characteristics and experiences. When individuals from high-context and low-context cultures collaborate, there are often difficulties that occur during the exchange of information. High context culture is common wherever there is a relationship between people. What is the role of such non-verbal communication in business relationships? Most notably, members of either culture must recognize and make an effort to understand the values and characteristics of other cultures so that miscommunications may be avoided. In a low-context culture, communication occurs through explicitly spelled out and defined words, and listeners just have to interpret spoken or written words as they are. The hypotheses tested indicated the high-context culture in Mexico would provide different motives for communication when compared with the low-context culture of the U.S. People from low-context cultures value logic, facts, and directness. Researchers today are using it greatly to study different cultures all over the world. classifications are discussed below. High context cultures include Japanese, Arabs and French. [42] The images found on the websites used in the study promoted individualistic and collectivist characteristics within the low-context and high-context websites, respectively. [42] Low-context websites had less animation and more stagnant images, with more details on information. "[27] This implies that communication is quite direct and detailed because members of the culture are not expected to have knowledge of each other's histories, past experience or background. [30], Hall links language to culture through the work of Sapir-Whorf on linguistic relativity. (2013)[2]explain the concept of cultural context: Cultural context is a concept developed by cultural anthropologist Edward T. Hall. ", Last edited on 27 February 2023, at 23:13, http://db19.linccweb.org/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/rowmandasj/high_context/0, "Intercultural Communication on Web sites: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Web sites from High-Context Cultures and Low-Context Cultures", "The Influence of High- and Low-Context Communication Styles On the Design, Content, and Language of Business-To-Business Web Sites", "The Influence of High-/Low-Context Culture on Perceived Ad Complexity and Liking", "Communication Style and Cultural Features in High/Low Context Communication Cultures: A Case Study of Finland, Japan and India", 10.1002/(SICI)1520-6793(199809)15:6<507::AID-MAR2>3.0.CO;2-A, "Communicational Features in High/Low Context Organizational Culture: A Case Study of Romania and Russia", "low-context and high-context communication", https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/dictmedia/communication_intercultural_communication/0, "Communication: intercultural communication", "Managing conflict in global teams: 4 keys to leveraging cultural differences in diverse teams", "International communication 101: staying on the right side of culture", "Individualism, Collectivism, High And Low Context", "Discovering cultural differences (and similarities) in facial expressions of emotion", "The Human Face as a Dynamic Tool for Social Communication", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=High-context_and_low-context_cultures&oldid=1141991389, This page was last edited on 27 February 2023, at 23:13. Therefore, it is necessary for more explicit information to be included in the message so it is not misinterpreted. By contrast, a low-context culture is characterized by information being communicated primarily through spoken language, as well as rules being explicitly and directly stated. Context 1. . Low-context and high-context cultures are the ends of a continuum portraying how cultures communicate. They often use written contracts and agreements to clarify expectations (Gudykunst & Ting-Toomey, 1988). All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. High-context cu. 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. Nonetheless, the contexting model simply cannot be described as an empirically validated model. 3. [34], Restricted codes are commonly used in high-context culture groups, where group members share the same cultural background and can easily understand the implicit meanings "between the lines" without further elaboration.