)%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. The St. Stephan's Day is celebrated the next day. It is crucial that we compare the cultures in relation to each other on the graph. The way people act with one another may be based on relationship, hierarchy and other contextual cues. 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. The LibreTexts libraries arePowered by NICE CXone Expertand are supported by the Department of Education Open Textbook Pilot Project, the UC Davis Office of the Provost, the UC Davis Library, the California State University Affordable Learning Solutions Program, and Merlot. 2.2: Taxonomies of Cultural Patterns - Social Sci LibreTexts Poles are good listeners, and may listen thoroughly before responding. 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. Another form of respectful greeting is a brief, shallow bow. Poland is bordered by 7 countries and the Baltic Sea. You know, various comments of how things are going to be worse off, when will I come back from that little adventure of mine, why don't I visit more often, why can't I be there for that family occasion and clearly those are no longer important since moving abroad. 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. Try to make initial introductions through a local representative rather than on your own. The province also promotes the offer of "healthy" tourism. It is therefore of a higher context than the British one. Furthermore, individuals from more indulgent cultures tend to be more optimistic, while their restrained counterparts tend to be more cynical. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. 30.04.2021 - Radio broadcast (no. The final characteristic of cultures is a new one first reported on in the 2010 edition of Cultures and Organizations. Is Poland a high context culture? In general, for me as a Polish person UK approach doesnt seem extremely far away from what Im used to. Heres a 4-minute speech from Erin Meyer on this topic as an extra source: click. #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, If youd like to explore your own cultural values and see how they are at play in your working life - DM me the word CULTURE and Ill share more information with you about the CQ Assessment and debrief session where we discuss your personalised assessment report and create a plan forward to develop your cultural competences further! 7. As you can imagine, depending on the type of culture you live in, you will have wildly different social interactions with other people. Staying in regular contact with business colleagues / partners can help facilitate the process. Furthermore, there tend to be higher levels of prejudice and higher levels of ideological, political, and religious fundamentalism, which does not allow for any kind of debate. The results also indicated that trait affection given was significantly associated with the individualism-collectivism, masculinity-femininity, and uncertainty avoidance dimensions of cultures. What is Poland culture? The notion of masculinity and femininity are often misconstrued to be tied to their biological sex counterparts, female and male. If yes - start developing your cultural intelligence! (such as the United States, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Finland, Denmark the UK, or Poland) and need to communicate with people from a high-context culture (like Japan, Indonesia, Iran, China, Kenya, . #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. Asian, African, Arab, central European and Latin American cultures are generally considered to be high-context cultures. 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. When it came to trait affection received, all four groups differed from one another. 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. AgilePMO - The Culture Map - how to deal with diversity In an individualistic culture, there is a belief that you can do what you want and follow your passions. The ruling class or nomenclatura that held the ruling power during the Communist rule in Poland is striving to regain power in the country. The danger here is that a person from a direct culture may come across as insensitive and ill-mannered, while the person from the indirect culture may appear scattered and shifty. Older, more traditional managers have technical skills but may lack management skills. High and Low Context Culture Impacts on International Retailing PDF Understanding the Merits and Demerits of High and Low Context - CORE Management in high-and low-context cultures - Poland and Korea in the light of empirical research. The Polish culture has greatly evolved over the years having been influenced by the geographic location of the country at the confluence of European regions with their distinct cultures. I can feel the differences of course, but its nothing extremely surprising rather something you need to get used to. Can be very slow. Poles consider themselves independent and self-disciplined. Although English is the language of business, it is best to have all contracts and documents translated into Polish. During the middle of the conversation, you have a feeling that your interactional partner is losing face. To give you an example, in comparison to Asian countries such as Japan, China or Indonesia both UK and Poland could be described as rather a low-context culture. If youre interested I would be happy to continue that topic and describe the possible challenges of moving both of these ways. . I know that the British are often characterised as masters of sarcasm and irony. The father holds absolute authority and must be obeyed by the children. The cultural variability dimensions of individualism-collectivism and small/large power distance shape the orientations, movements, contents, and styles of facework. Being on time is important. Creating a Culturally Inclusive Online Classroom 2023 IOR Global Services. After the country lost its sovereignty in the 19th century, Romantic literature flourished in the country. Mikoaj z Radomia was the first noted Polish composer who lived in the 15th century. and more. Speedway is extremely popular in Poland and the Polish Extraleague attracts the greatest number of spectators among all sports played in the country. As such, there is a focus on both persistence and thrift. As such, facework should be viewed as a necessary component for understanding any form of interpersonal interaction but is especially important when examining interpersonal interactions that occur between people from differing cultural backgrounds. Poland - IOR Around 10 to 15% of the Polish population is composed of the nobles or the gentry called the szlachta. The St. Andrew's Day is a traditional holiday in the country and is celebrated on November 29. A high context culture may look very different to a person who is familiar with a low context communication style. Professional titles are used. In fact, within the latest edition of the book examining these characteristics, Hofstede and his colleagues title the chapter on uncertainty avoidance as What is Different is Dangerous, calling out the threat factor people in high uncertainty avoidance cultures feel.31 Cultures at the high end of uncertainty avoidance include Greece, Portugal, Guatemala, Uruguay, and Belgium Flemish; whereas, cultures at the low end of uncertainty avoidance include Singapore, Jamaica, Denmark, Sweden, and Hong Kong. The Renaissance period also witnessed the production of great literary works by the Polish authors and poets. In other words, collectivistic cultures focus on how the group can grow and be productive. It's a set of competences which help you relate and work effectively in culturally diverse situations. People in cultures with high uncertainty avoidance can view this ambiguity and lack of knowledge as threatening, which is one reason why people in these cultures tend to have higher levels of anxiety and neuroticism as a whole. I heard opinions that its weird, stupid, not-funny-at-all, thats also a widely heldstereotype about that culture. STRATEGY is the awareness of your own cultural preferences and how they impact your interactions with others, as well as the ability to plan for multicultural interactions and check whether your understanding was correct or not. There is a great blog of an American living in Poland that I would like to recommend to you as its a very interesting perspective to learn about. A high-context culture is a culture in which people rely heavily on nonverbal and implicit communication. yes it is a high context culture! These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Christianity is the dominant religion in Poland with about 92.2% of Poles being Roman Catholics. However, the concepts of what is low, middle, and upper can have very large differences. Top 10 Alcohol Consuming Countries In The World, The Biggest Heists and Bank Robberies in American History. In anthropology, high-context culture and low-context culture are ends of a continuum of how explicit the messages exchanged in a culture are and how important the context is in communication.The continuum pictures how people communicate with others through their range of communication abilities: utilizing gestures, relations, body language, verbal messages, or non-verbal messages. High Context Culture: All You Need to Know - Gudwriter.com The terms "low-context culture" (LCC) and "high-context culture" (HCC) were created by Hall to describe how communication styles differ across cultures. One of the biggest differences between cultures is the method by which we communicate. Let's chat! What Is The Difference Between Catholic And Christian? Imagine youre having an interaction with an individual from India. Use of titles is expected until someone suggests first-name basis. Since Christianity is the religion of the majority in Poland, Christian festivals are celebrated with great pomp and glory in the country. This experience just brought my attention to these deep-lying beliefs that are connected to the culture we were raised in. Geography Communication in Polish society is ' low context ', meaning that they usually speak frankly and can be very direct when it comes to saying 'no'. The national dances of the country are Oberek, Mazurek, Krakowiak, and Kjawiak. Low vs. high context The Culture Map - intercultural communication - Project Abroad With time I actually started to appreciate most of these minutes after meetings and sometimes I dont even take notes any more if I know the lead will send a summary afterwards! However, because there is still a great deal of bureaucracy, deadlines are often delayed. In an individualistic culture, if someone asked what you do for a living, they would answer by saying their profession or occupation. Poland was under the rule of communism from 1945- 1989 However, many of these beliefs and observances have currently vanished from modern Polish society but are still prevalent in the conservative households in the country. Swoim okrgiem konsularnym konsulat obejmuje Wojewdztwo . Short-term oriented cultures, on the other hand, tend to focus on both the past and the present. DM me the word 'CULTURE' and I'll come back with the details of how to get started. High-context cultures: Much of the society's communication takes place through . Being an American and moving from a lower context culture to a higher context culture, you will experience different emotions and challenges than moving from higher context culture to the lower one. Lets laugh together - what are some of your stories of language misunderstandings? 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. The first scale is Communication, with a spectrum from low-context to high-context. Link to sign up in bio. Compare and contrast two countries and their levels of context. Additionally, there is a strong emphasis on saving face, which we will discuss more in the next section, fulfilling ones obligations today, and enjoying ones leisure time. In his 1959 book, The Silent Language, Hall states, culture is communication and communication is culture.19 In the previous chapter, we talked about the importance of nonverbal communication. In high-context communication, a message cannot be understood without a great deal of background information. People generally remove their shoes when entering someones home. 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. Jozef Chemoski was a famous Polish painter belonging to the realist school. We also acknowledge previous National Science Foundation support under grant numbers 1246120, 1525057, and 1413739. Asian, African, Arab, central European and Latin American cultures are generally considered to be high-context cultures. HR Business Partner Poland and Austria & HR Country Head Austria Witold Lutosawski and Henryk Grecki are two of the most famous Polish classical Modern Composers. Meetings generally start on time. Krzysztof Komeda was a famous Jazz musician from the country who composed several movie soundtracks. Long-term orientation focuses on the future and not the present or the past. In this section, were going to examine three important luminaries that have helped shape our understanding of culture and intercultural communication: Edward T. Hall, Geert Hofsteded, and Stella Ting-Toomey. Working with people from low context culture . Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 46(2), 161-172. https://doi.org/10.1080/17475759.2017.1292944. In my opinion switching from high-context culture to a low-context one is much easier, technically, than the other way around. Asia, the Polish name, is spelled the same as the continent but pronounced very differently! When it came to trait affection given, the United States participants reported giving more affection than any of the three other countries. Individualism-collectivism shapes members preferences for self-oriented facework versus other-oriented facework. During this time, three poets, entitled the Three Bards (Zygmunt Krasiski, Adam Mickiewicz, and Juliusz Sowacki) acted as the spiritual leaders of the nation. And yet they hurt. Wojewdztwo promuje take ofert turystyki zdrowotnej. High Context Culture: What Does It Mean and How to Adapt Individualistic, but with a large emphasis on family as an extension of the individual. They come from people caring for us and the relationships we have together. According to Hsien Chin Hu, the concept of face stems from two distinct Chinese words, lien and mien-tzu. For example, an invitation to a party would be addressed to Mr. Our Privacy Policy can be found. When it came to trait affection given, the United . Children are taught to be polite and the Polish society stresses a lot on polite behavior. Its always great to get another perspective on cultural differences! 45 Lien represents the confidence of society in the integrity of egos moral character, the loss of which makes it impossible for him to function properly within the community. Approaches to problem-solving can be indirect, and often one-on-one meetings are more productive than large group discussions. Its important to understand that for an American for instance (America is located to the very left of the scale, by the low-context), both British and Polish cultures may seem very high-context and combining that with a tendency to use sarcastic humour cultural shock guaranteed! Face gaining refers to the strategies a person might use to build their reputation and feelings of prestige (e.g., talking about accomplishments, active social media presence), whereas face losing refers to those behaviors someone engages in that can harm their reputation or feelings of prestige (e.g., getting caught in a lie, failing). Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Is Singapore a high context culture or low context culture? 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. Currently, Polish art is enjoyed and recognized worldwide. The rest of the world tends toward high-context communication. 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. Although Poland and England are not so far away from each other on the communication scale, I had moments when low-context behaviours were annoying for me. Expect polite formality at initial meetings; warmer interactions take place after relationships and trust have been established. A number of poets and authors produced works that focussed on patriotism and the revival of the country. I hope that at this point you more or less get the idea of what the Communication Scale involves. Is it tiring? This page titled 6.3: Cultural Characteristics and Communication is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Jason S. Wrench, Narissra M. Punyanunt-Carter & Katherine S. Thweatt (OpenSUNY) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request. Formula One Racing was first introduced to Poland by driver Robert Kubica. Here is the graph showing UK and Polish cultures compared with my preference on the Communication scale. Shaking hands is the most common business greeting. Poles are also used to less personal space in public, and they offer help to one another on trams, busses and in other public locations. Concerts are held and carols are sung throughout the country on New Years Day. Some interesting findings associated with indulgence include experiencing higher levels of positive emotions and remembering those emotions for more extended periods. Geerts taxonomy was originally based on data collected by IBM, and he found that cultures could be differentiated by power distance, individualism/collectivism, masculinity vs. femininity, uncertainty avoidance, long-term vs. short-term orientation, and indulgence vs. restraint. Business is still largely based on relationships. In Table 6.3.1, we broke down issues of context into three general categories: communication, cultural orientation, and business. Use titles and surnames until invited to use first names. (PDF) The Influence of High and Low-Context - ResearchGate Is Romania a high context culture? - Answers Is Poland a high context culture? - Answers Formality is very important in Poland. Poland is definitely a culture of a higher context than UK. Messages are often implied but not plainly expressed.. During Christmas in Poland, the Poles hold grand Christmas feasts at their homes and share the food with family members. Generally Polish employees are motivated by the recognition of good performance, a more visible position with a higher title, the opportunity to work in a company that is contributing to the modernization of Poland, a chance to develop good relationships with colleagues, and by incentives that allow them to spend more leisure time with family and friends. DM me with the word 'AD HOC' and I'll reply with the details of how you can schedule yourself in for that! For example, in a high-context culture, you may rely more on subtlety, but it's incumbent upon you to be direct in a low-context culture. The same is true of thrift. If something was not clear, the team was asking clarifying questions easily. Each of the participants (culturally diverse team) was making notes on their particular tasks as well as general goals of the project. In the Krakw region of Lesser Poland, women wear elaborate traditional dresses that comprise of a white blouse, an embroidered vest, an apron, and a full floral skirt. #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! Poland is in the middle on the scale, closer to low-context which doesn't mean it is easer for us to adjust. Differentiate between Edward T. Halls low-context and highcontext cultures. However, it is sometimes challenging for outsiders to understand the real message in the communication because people may talk around the main issue and expect the real meaning will be understood. Jan Kochanowski was a renowned Polish poet of the time. Interpersonally, long-term oriented countries were more satisfied with their contributions to Being attentive to daily human relations, deepening human bonds in family, neighborhood and friends or acquaintances when compared to their short-term counterparts.32. 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, income is just one indicatory of power distance within a culture. 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. Finally, individuals from indulgent cultures tend to be more extraverted and outgoing as a whole, whereas individuals from restrained cultures tend to be more neurotic. Employees are often looking for direction and may not be comfortable taking personal initiative. This did not come to me as a surprise although it triggered some thoughts on that topic. High-Context Culture: Examples, Definition & Countries While containing emotion in a business setting is respected, it is not uncommon for people to become very passionate and engaged in a discussion or negotiation. Starting one step at a time to develop these can really transform the way you react and manage challenging intercultural scenarios! 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. High-Context Culture: 4 Characteristics of High-Context Cultures Meyer in her book mentions that there are a couple of factors influencing countries position on that scale. If you are from a high context culture and working with someone from a low context culture, focus on the content of the message without looking for hidden meaning. But making decisions may take longer than in some fixed time cultures because of the emphasis on maintaining relationships and building consensus.