Culture

Culture is a word for people's 'way of life', meaning the way groups do things. Different groups of
people may have different cultures. A culture is passed on to the next generation by learning,
whereas genetics are passed on by heredity. Culture is seen in
people's writing, religion, music, clothes, cooking, and in what they do.
The concept of culture is very complicated, and the word has many meanings.[1] The word 'culture' is
most commonly used in three ways.

• Excellence of taste in the fine arts and humanities, also known as high culture.
• An integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior.
• The outlook, attitudes, values, morals goals, and customs shared by a society.

Most broadly, 'culture' includes all human phenomena which are not purely results of human
genetics. The discipline which investigates cultures is called anthropology, though many other
National cultures[change | change source]
disciplines play a part

Cultures are what make countries unique. Each country has different cultural activities and
cultural rituals. Culture includes material goods, the things the people use and produce. Culture is
also the beliefs and values of the people and the ways they think about and understand the world
and their own lives.
Different countries have different cultures. For example, some older Japanese people wear kimonos,
arrange flowers in vases, and have tea ceremonies. Some countries oppose some things in their
culture, like racism or ableism.

Social and Behavioral Norms: What are the

advantages and disadvantages of a high-context vis
a vis a low context culture?
1 Answer

Shoba Lal, from a nation with rich cultural heritage

Answered Feb 14 2016 · Author has 190 answers and 298.7k answer views
Understanding cultural diversity is relevant in today's world. There is a greater degree of
interdepedency among nations as business has become global.

Cultural differences may appear across the desk as much as they exist across borders. As
more number of people are working in transnational corporations, cultural differences are
no longer localised to a specific geographical area.

Anthropologist Edward T. Hall developed the theory of high and low context culture. The
theory helps to understand the effect of culture on communication.
To understand the advantages and disadvantages of the two cultures, it is necessary to give a
brief outline of the two diverse cultures:

High context culture. (HCC)

1. Communication is through greater use of non verbal elements. This includes voice
tone, expressions, posture, gestures, eye movements.
2. Verbal messages are implicit and indirect
3. Context is more important than words.
4. Relationships are built up slowly. Trust is important in relationship.
5. Work gets done on the basis of relationship.
6. Authority is centralised and the person at the top is responsible.
7. One's identity is rooted in the group. As such, these cultures are collectivist and
work on group harmony and consensus rather than individual achievement.
8. Space is common as people share the same space.
9. Time is not scheduled. The focus is only on getting the activity done.
10. Change is slow as things are rooted in the past.
HCC includes the regions of the Middle East, Asia, Africa, South America.

Low context culture: (LCC):

1. Communication is in the form of explicit verbal messages.

2. Verbal messages are direct means of exchanging information, ideas and opinion.
3. Context is less important than words.
4. Work is done by following procedures and the focus is on goals.
5. Relationships begin and end quickly.
6. Authority is decentralised and responsibility goes further down.
7. One's identity is rooted in oneself and one's accomplishment.
8. Space is privately owned as privacy is important.
9. Things are scheduled to be done at a particular time. Time becomes a commodity
to be saved or spent.
10. Change is quick and the results are immediate.
North America and Western Europe are examples of LCC.

Advantages of HCC vs LCC:

1) HCC works on interpersonal relationships. Business transactions are based on trust. The
advantage is that deals can be made with the person who exercise authority over the group.
It is the top leader who is responsible for maintaining group harmony and achieving results
collectively.

LCC has a more decentralised social structure. So there is no 'key' person to deal with.

2) As identity of an individual is rooted in the group, there is a sense of belonging. This also
gives a feeling of security. Members put in their best efforts by motivating each other. It is
the group performance that is important. Group loyalty becomes the motivating factor in
HCC.
 In LCC identity is rooted in the individual's accomplishment. All may not be achievers. The
individual has to motivate himself to attain goals. Money or love for the job are the only
motivating factors. Finer qualities like loyalty may not exist.

3) Learning is through observing while others demonstrate. Group learning and problem
solving is encouraged in HCC. So accuracy and how well something is learned is important.

As opposed to this in LCC, individual learning and problem solving is given importance. The
individual learns by following explicit directions. Speed is valued. The focus is more on
getting the job done efficiently rather than on precision.

4) In HCC, relationships are more long term and personal. So there may be a more humane
approach while solving disputes

Disadvantages of HCC vs LCC:

1) In LCC communications are straightforward and clear. Precise words are used for
communication.

Communication in HCC is less verbal. There is the difficulty in understanding what is

communicated.

2) Decisions in LCC depends on facts rather than intution. Negotiations end up in explicit
contracts. Legal documents and language precision are important.

In HCC people may distrust contracts and may feel offended at the lack of trust in
negotiations.

3) Disagreement is depersonalised in LCC. Focus is more on getting the task done.

In HCC disagreement is personalised. Conflicts should be solved before work can progress.

4) In LCC, things are scheduled to be done at a particular time.

The disadvantage in HCC is that time is not scheduled and people's needs may interfere
with keeping a set time.

5) Change is fast and the result of such change can be seen immediately in LCC.

HCC, being rooted in the past is very slow in introducing change.

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