Which of the following characteristics would you be most likely to find in a high context culture?

It can be helpful to consider a few examples of high and low context cultures. Traditionally, Western cultures are known for being more individualistic or communicating with a low context style. More collectivistic cultures, including in Japan, China, France, and Spain are known for communicating in a high context style.

However, Instead of defining high and low context cultures by countries or even large groups of people, it is best to use them when referring to a specific team or a collection of employees. This is because the culture of someone shapes their thoughts and beliefs, meaning just because someone lives in an individualistic or collectivistic society does not mean that they follow the same communication styles. It is important to keep in mind that while a society as a whole may shift toward one style of communication, most people do use both styles in the workplace.

People’s communication styles may vary, depending on the current situation. For example, an employee who feels accepted and understood by their employer is more likely to refer to low context communication styles, versus an employee who has less of a developed relationship. Also, one team member may communicate with another team member they have known longer using a low context style, switching to a high context communication style with newer team members.

You may work with communication styles of all types in the workplace. Here are a few examples:

• You are working with a team from your employer’s office in Japan. They tend to communicate in a high context manner, whereas you are conditioned to a low context communication style.
• You are working on a project with a client from Germany. While you both tend to communicate in a low context style, you still notice subtle differences including some team members being more direct in written communication or lengthy meetings due to other team members clarifying each point in the presentation.
• While working on a project with a team member based out of France, you feel like they are holding back important details on the project. Your coworker who works in your home office in the U.S. shares even less information with the team in France. You learn that each employee follows an in-group mindset, where they only share close information with coworkers in which they have developed a relationship.
• You’re sent to China to oversee a project. While there, you find it difficult to understand the nonverbal communication styles of your coworkers. You request each step to be documented, but find that the process of written communication is less structured.

As you can see, miscommunications can occur not only between high and low context communication styles but even within the same communication style. These differences can affect professional relationships, how employees interact with other team members, and how an employee learns.

Learn more: Work Trip? 10 Fun Activities to Do When Traveling for Work

The general terms "high context" and "low context" (popularized by Edward Hall) are used to describe broad-brush cultural differences between societies.

High context refers to societies or groups where people have close connections over a long period of time. Many aspects of cultural behavior are not made explicit because most members know what to do and what to think from years of interaction with each other. Your family is probably an example of a high context environment.

Low context refers to societies where people tend to have many connections but of shorter duration or for some specific reason. In these societies, cultural behavior and beliefs may need to be spelled out explicitly so that those coming into the cultural environment know how to behave.

High Context

• Less verbally explicit communication, less written/formal information
• More internalized understandings of what is communicated
• Multiple cross-cutting ties and intersections with others
• Long term relationships
• Strong boundaries- who is accepted as belonging vs who is considered an "outsider"
• Knowledge is situational, relational.
• Decisions and activities focus around personal face-to-face relationships, often around a central person who has authority.

Examples:

Low Context

• Rule oriented, people play by external rules
• More knowledge is codified, public, external, and accessible.
• Sequencing, separation--of time, of space, of activities, of relationships
• More interpersonal connections of shorter duration
• Knowledge is more often transferable
• Task-centered. Decisions and activities focus around what needs to be done, division of responsibilities.

Examples:

While these terms are sometimes useful in describing some aspects of a culture, one can never say a culture is "high" or "low" because societies all contain both modes. "High" and "low" are therefore less relevant as a description of a whole people, and more useful to describe and understand particular situations and environments.

Ways that High and Low Context Differ

1. The Structure of Relationships

   • High:

       Dense, intersecting networks and longterm relationships, strong boundaries, relationship more important than task

   • Low:

       Loose, wide networks, shorter term, compartmentalized relationships, task more important than relationship
2. Main Type of Cultural Knowledge

   • High:

       More knowledge is below the waterline--implicit, patterns that are not fully conscious, hard to explain even if you are a member of that culture

   • Low:

       More knowledge is above the waterline--explicit, consciously organized

Entering High and Low Context Situations

Low contexts are relatively easy to enter if you are an outsider (because the environment contains much of the information you need to participate, and because can you form relationships fairly soon, and because the important thing is accomplishing a task rather than feeling your way into a relationship).

Remember that every culture and every situation has its high and low aspects. Often one situation will contain an inner high context core and an outer low context ring for those who are less involved.

For instance, a PTA is usually a low context situation: any parent can join, the dates of the meetings, who is president, what will be discussed, etc. are all explicitly available information, and it is usually fairly clear how to participate in the meetings.

However, if this is a small town, perhaps the people who run the PTA all know each other very well and have many overlapping interests. They may "agree" on what should be discussed or what should happen without ever really talking about it, they have unconscious, unexpressed values that influence their decisions. Other parents from outside may not understand how decisions are actually being made. So the PTA is still low context, but it has a high context subgroup that is in turn part of a high context small town society.

NOTE:

What are the characteristics of high context culture?

What are 3 examples of high context cultures?

What does it mean to be a high context culture?

What is a characteristic of a high context culture quizlet?