Intercultural Communication: High Cultures vs Low Cultures

It is generally acknowledged that people from different cultures communicate in ways that often lead to misunderstandings (Nishimura et al, 2014). The differences can be on many levels of communication, starting with the language. But underneath the language are a whole set of (cultural) norms and values that direct our behavior and influence the way we communicate more than we are aware of. We all work in an environment with many different nationalities or sub cultures, and we work intensively with them. How do these differences affect our cooperation and communication and in that sense, what effect do they have on the effectiveness and performance of our organization? Let us share some examples we encountered in our work.

A Western (German) manager delegated work to his Vietnamese staff. After a certain amount of time, he wondered if the delegated work was delivered. He approached his staff and heard that nothing had happened. He was quite upset and asked us what to do.

One of the Indonesian managers we coach, delegated some work to his Dutch staff. Immediately after this staff member sent out an email to all his colleagues, telling them that he was in charge of the project and that any kind of communication about the project, should go via him. This certainly wasn’t the intention of the Indonesian manager, he was still in charge.

There are many examples and many ways to look at these differences and I guess you all have some experiences with this. You can imagine these two situations are not conducive to a productive and pleasant working environment. Edward Hall (1976) suggested the categorization of cultures into high context (HC) versus low context (LC) cultures in order to understand their basic differences in communication style and cultural issues.

High Context Cultures
In HC cultures, communication style is influenced by the closeness of human relationships, well-structured social hierarchy, and strong behavioral norms (Kim et al., 1998. 512). In a high context (HC) culture, internal meaning is usually embedded deep in the information, so not everything is explicitly stated in writing or when spoken. In an HC culture, the listener is expected to be able to read “between the lines", to understand the unsaid, thanks to his or her background knowledge.

In an HC culture, people tend to speak one after another in a linear way, so the speaker is seldom interrupted. Communication is indirect, ambiguous, harmonious, reserved and understated. In an HC culture, greater confidence is placed in the nonverbal aspects of communication than the verbal aspects (Hall, 1976).

Low Context Cultures
In an LC culture, meanings are explicitly stated through language. People communicating usually expect explanations when something remains unclear. As Hall (1976) explains, most information is expected to be in the transmitted message in order to make up for what is missing in the context (both internal and external). An LC culture is characterized by direct and linear communication and by the constant and sometimes never-ending use of words. Communication is direct, precise, dramatic, open, and based on feelings or true intentions.

Going back to our examples from before, German and Dutch cultures are considered to be low context cultures, whereas Vietnam and Indonesia are seen as high context cultures. The misunderstanding between the colleagues in the examples above can be explained by this insight. How do you transform misunderstandings into inspiring working relationships? How do you actually use the differences and go one step higher in the cooperation? Here are some tips:

1. Expect that someone else thinks differently and may have other values (this can also apply to people from your own culture). 
2. Check understanding by summarizing what the other says and asking for clarification before you draw conclusions (in a polite, ‘non-violent’ way). 
3. Accept that you may have a different role than you are used to playing. Managers from a low context society could find it difficult to be a hierarchical manager and managers from a high context culture may encounter confrontations with Western staff. Adapt your (management) behavior to what is most effective (realizing your goals and maintaining a good relationship). 
4. Consult colleagues from the other culture with whom you have a good relationship as an intermediate or adviser. 
5. Always be critical of your own ‘truths’ and know that these come from your (personal and cultural) values and beliefs. 

If you want to learn more about other cultures and how you can increase cooperation and communication or if you simply want to improve your intercultural management skills, please don’t hesitate to contact us at MDF Asia (mdfpi@mdf.nl).

Author Name; Silvia van der Cammen (Senior Management Consultant at MDF Asia Indonesia Office)

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Ms. Van der Cammen has over 25 years of experience in different roles working in Asia, Africa and Europe. She is driven by involving and connecting stakeholders with different backgrounds and from other cultures in the process of finding the best solutions in any given situation. Her qualities and experience are in the field of leading and inspiring others to reach their desired goals together with a team. She is highly communicative and ‘involving’ and believes that in our inter-connected world, being able to effectively communicate with others of different cultures and backgrounds is one of the key factors to success. She is analytical and visionary as well as result-oriented and has proven to be a creative force and leader within a team.