high and low context cultures examples high and low context cultures examples

Same as low context communication high context do have its own peculiarities like they talk in hidden meanings and often double meanings or coded information. High-context communications, as well as low-context interactions, are important to understand from many perspectives. Verbal message is explicit. Class, Codes and Control. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. These experiences inclu. When a part of these groups, a low-context individual may be more drawn to interpersonal relationships with others than focusing on their own accomplishments and do not require information to be elaborated because they maintain an understanding of group behaviors. Copyright 2023 Helpful Professor. [5], These concepts were first introduced by the anthropologist Edward T. Hall in his 1959 book The Silent Language. For example, the body language and methods of communication experienced by a group of close friends in a casual setting differs greatly from a group of peers presenting at a professional business meeting. Due to this shared understanding, high-context cultures are slightly more informal. Note: Comparison of low- and high-context cultures reprinted from Business communication: Process & product (p. 64) by M.E. . Intercultural Business Communication by Confederation College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. They rely less on context & non-verbal cues and instead convey meaning more directly. (2014, December 10). The American sample scored the lowest compared to the two "Oriental samples," which aligns with Hall's concept. This can be quite confusing to an outsider, especially someone from a low-context culture who is used to communicating via explicit messages. High context culture is common wherever there is a relationship between people. The scale of high- and low-context cultures helps explain much about how we experience communication across our cultural experiences. In a low-context culture, the onus for communication lies with the speaker. Since a high-context culture is based on fewer, deeper relations with people, there are many unspoken social rules and understandings within the culture. Sourabh Yadav is a freelance writer & filmmaker. They place a high value on interpersonal relationships and group members are a very close-knit community. High-context cultures are those that communicate in ways that are implicit and rely heavily on context. High-Context and Low-Context Cultures: Understanding the Differences May 17, 2022 May 17, 2022 Reading Time: 5 minutes Read More High-Context and Low-Context Cultures: Understanding the Differences Individualism and collectivism are related to low-context and high-context cultures, respectively. Nonetheless, the contexting model simply cannot be described as an empirically validated model. Low-context communication is often seen in Western, more individualistic cultures (i.e., U.S., Australia, some European countries) where communication is direct, to the point, and one doesn't have to guess the meaning or intention behind what is being said. In low-context cultures, communication tends to be more direct and to the point. These include specific forms of body language, the social or familial status of an individual, and the tone of voice employed during speech. [38] By contrast, low-context cultures tend to change more rapidly and drastically, allowing extension[definition needed] to happen at faster rates. Furthermore, cultural aspects such as tradition, ceremony, and history are also highly valued. "[17] On the other hand, he identified countries such as Germany, the United States and Scandinavia as low-context cultures. What are the effects on the communication process? Croucher's study examines the assertion that culture influences communication style (high/low-context) preference. There are strong distinctions made between individuals who are members of the ingroup and those who are not members in high-context cultures. Low-context and high-context culture are anthropological concepts that describe the level of explicit information and the importance of context in a cultures communication. On the other hand, certain intercultural communication skills are unique for each culture and it is significant to note that these overlaps in communication techniques are represented subgroups within social interactions or family settings. [37] Because individualistic cultures may value cultural diversity, a more explicit way of communicating is often required to avoid misunderstanding. Depending on the amount of information conveyed, cultures are classified as being high-context and low-context. The Self in a Social Context: Help and Review, Figure-Ground Perception: Definition & Examples, Psychological Research & Experimental Design, All Teacher Certification Test Prep Courses, High Context vs. Low Context Characteristics, Introduction to Social Psychology: Help and Review, Research Methods and Ethics: Help and Review, Social Cognition & Perception: Help and Review, The Self: Executive and Organizational Functions & Gender and Cultural Differences, Introspection and Self-Awareness Theory in Psychology: Definition & Examples, Self-Perception Theory: Definition and Examples, Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation in Education: Definition & Examples, Two-Factor Theory of Emotions: Definition and Relation to the Misattribution of Arousal, Social-Comparison Theory: Upward vs. Emphasis on verbal vs. non-verbal communications, the existence of close personal space, emphasis on collectivism and ingroup learning and achievements, and the importance of interpersonal relationships are but a few of the most significant distinguishing factors. Examples of low- and high-context cultures are those based in the following culture clusters: High-context cultures The Sub-Saharan Africa Cluster The Middle East Cluster The Latin Europe Cluster The Eastern Europe Cluster The Latin America Cluster The Southern Asia Cluster The Confucian Asia Cluster Low-context cultures The Anglo Cluster Getting the message across. 3. Low-context cultures are less stable than high-context cultures as they are not founded upon any shared background. High-context cultures: Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, China, India, and Saudi Arabia are some of the highest-context cultures in the world. Cultural contexts are not absolutely "high" or "low". [5]:4223, Characteristics of high-context and low-context cultures, Examples of higher- and lower-context cultures, Overlap and contrast between context cultures, How higher context relates to other cultural metrics. What is the role of such non-verbal communication in business relationships? High-context cultures are related to connotation. Information has to be explicit and detailed for the message to be conveyed without distortion. A high-context culture is a culture in which the values, rules, and social norms are primarily communicated through the use of contextual elements (such as body language, a person's status, and tone of voice) and are not explicitly stated. [36], High-context cultures tend to be more stable, as their communication is more economical, fast, efficient and satisfying; but these are gained at a price of devoting time into preprogramming cultural background, and their high stability might come with a price of a high barrier for development. People from low-context cultures value logic, facts, and directness. One approach to gaining such an insight is through the use of the high and low context culture framework, which was established by anthropologist Edward T. Examples of low context cultures are countries such as China, Brazil or Saudi Arabia. Interaction. The cultural context. Examples of low-context cultures include the United States, Australia, and many European countries. According to Hall's theory, the Chinese and Korean samples represented higher-context cultures while the American sample represents a lower context culture. Cultural differences in advertising and marketing may also be explained through high- and low-context cultures. Relationships are easy to build, can start very quickly but end just as soon. Low context is a communication environment that doesn't heavily rely on common understanding such as shared culture, experiences and norms.This can be contrasted with high context communication that relies on common background or understanding. Answer (1 of 2): Examples of high context countries include: Japan, China, and the Arab countries. In this context, we will discuss those topics also. The general terms "high context" and "low context" (popularized by Edward Hall) are used to describe broad-brush cultural differences between societies. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Devon has tutored for almost two years. Hall identifies high-context cultures as those in which harmony and the well-being of the group is preferred over individual achievement. The Lavin Agency Speakers Bureau. In low-context countries, things need to be spelled out a bit more. Cultures and communication in which the context of the message is of great importance to structuring actions are referred to as high context. Eye contact, for example, which is encouraged in North America, may have ambiguous meaning or be considered disrespectful in certain high-context cultures. Instead, many cultures tend to have a mixture or at least some concepts that are shared between them, overlapping the two context cultures.[26]. Meaning is determined not by what is said but by how it is said and by how social implications such as the communicators status and position come into play. Teachers can illustrate the differences between high- and low- context cultures by providing examples of behaviors. In contrast, low-context websites had lesser animation and images, focusing instead on the information. Type of paper: Research Paper. 9. [22], The concept of elaborated and restricted codes was introduced by sociologist Basil Bernstein in his book Class, Codes and Control. Context 1. . The answer is simple. Cultural Perceptions of Communication in Organizations: Low Context and High Context. Low-context cultures tend to focus more on the individual than the group, which is why they value individualism and autonomy. Ironically, contexting is most frequently discussed in terms of directness, yet empirical studies nearly all fail to support this relationship. For example, while the United States is a low-context culture, family gatherings (which are common in American culture) tend to be high-context. Data was gathered in India, Ireland, Thailand, and the United States where the results confirm that "high-context nations (India and Thailand) prefer the avoiding and obliging conflict styles more than low-context nations (Ireland and the United States), whereas low-context nations prefer the uncompromising and dominating communication style more than high-context nations."[16]. [12] Typically a low-context culture will be less close-knit, and so individuals communicating will have fewer relational cues when interpreting messages. [25], The categories of context cultures are not totally separate. Routledge. High-context communication tends to be more indirect and more formal. classifications are discussed below. Low-context and high-context cultures are the ends of a continuum portraying how cultures communicate. Both the speaker and listener act under the assumption that all relevant information has been explicitly stated. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you Because of this, many features of cultural behavior in high-context cultures, such as individual roles and expectations, do not need much detailed or thought-out explanation. Sage Publications. Hofstede, G. (1984). For example, the head wobble (tilting the head from side to side) in India is a gesture that can convey a variety of meanings depending on the situation. low-context communication is "the mass of information is vested in the explicit code". Germany, Sweden, and the United States are generally classified as low-context cultures. All the advice on this site is general in nature. Table 2 shows a classification of countries in low and high context, their characteristics and the expected role . Carolyn Meyer (2017)[4]discusses the prototypes for communication in low-context and high-context cultures: Communicators in low-context cultures (such as those in Germany, Scandinavia, and North America) convey their meaning exclusive of the context of a situation. Their communication is less-task oriented, and their decision-making is driven by relationships, shared experiences, and emotions. [30], Punctuation marks and emojis are more often used by high-context users than low-context users. High-context cultures usually do not have rules that are explicitly written or stated. High Context vs. Low Context High-context is that "most of the information is either in the physical context or initialized in the person, while very little is in the coded, explicit, transmitted part of the message." (Hall). Create your account, 10 chapters | 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. 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. Lower-context culture: United States, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden, Canada and other European nations. [6] Moreover, their communication is often task-oriented and driven by rational decision-making, which can further add to their formality.. Anchor Press/Doubleday. Your email address will not be published. In contrast, a high-context language like Japanese or Chinese can use a high number of homophones but still be understood by a listener who knows the context. France. Low-context cultures also want these communications to revolve around basic questions, like: What's happening? Since understanding every culture has its level of complexity, it is hard for other country people to determine what is the state of culture of the country they visit as a traveller. According to Hall's theory, Chinese and Korean samples represented higher-context cultures while the American sample represents lower context. High context cultures include Japanese, Arabs and French. As we discuss culture, we are making generalizations to create cultural prototypes. Beyond Culture. Power Distance Index & Examples | What is Power Distance? For example, resemblance is a significant trait in cultures with a high level of context. With this regard, America culture is a low-context . A 2005 study by Elizabeth Wurtz demonstrates how cultural differences shape marketing and advertising. Most of the contexting categories simply have not been researched enough to make firm conclusions. [19] This has been expanded to further countries by Sheposh & Shaista. I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. High Context vs. Low Context (Internet) Example of McDonalds Internet site: High: Families shown, lots of people on the website ads Low: You, your choices, easy to navigate High Context vs. Low Context (Law) High: Traditions are the laws Low: Rules and order are spelled out. In other words, people communicate explicitly in low-context cultures. 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. [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. This means that the members' identity is heavily rooted in groups, i.e., families and work units. We'll also look at how they're different and what that means for your work in global business. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education and holds a PhD in Education from ACU. We know that the way in which we say things at these gatherings is more important than what we say. 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. For example, if you have ever been to a family gathering, then you have experience with a high-context culture. Therefore, it is necessary for more explicit information to be included in the message so it is not misinterpreted. The American legal system, for example, relies on low context communication. Seekprofessional input on your specific circumstances. High vs. Low Power Distance Cultural Communications | What are High and Low Power Distance Cultural Communications? Pages: 3. Effectively communicating within this culture, therefore, requires messaging that is perceived as objective, professional, and efficient. Low context implies that a lot of information is exchanged explicitly through the message itself and rarely is anything implicit or hidden.People in low context cultures such as the UK tend to have short-term relationships, follow rules and standards closely and are generally very task-oriented. Websites catering to high-context audiences had a lot of animation & images. [2] Collectivist societies prioritize the group over the individual, and vice versa for individualist ones. Required fields are marked *, This Article was Last Expert Reviewed on January 24, 2023 by Chris Drew, PhD. Examples of a low context communication cultures include The United States, the UK, Switzerland, Canada and Germany. Listen to business speaker Erin Meyer explain how cultural differences can affect communication. Hofstede, G. (1984). In comparison, the United States is perhaps the best example of a diverse and low-context culture. Published: 2020/12/03. Verbal message is direct; one spells things out exactly. Instead, they depend on the explicit code of the words and written rules to convey meaning. High-context cultures: Much of the society's communication takes place through . For example Japan, which has a very high context culture, uses both polychronic and monochronic time. Ramos, D. C. (2014). 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. Individuals in such cultures must hear or read a direct order, point, etc for it to be taken as valid.