5. Culture and Context in Communication
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Communication includes verbal and nonverbal cues. According to the cartoon below, this is an
example of what the Triangle of Meaning explains regarding the concept of:
___________ time puts people into more rigid timeframes.
a. Monochrome
The concept of ____________ describes people’s attitude toward the ambiguity and
unpredictability of life.
In business dealings, the Chinese tend to be more formal. They have a preference for strict form
in negotiations—by following certain protocol. This usually means the opening discussion will
be very formal. The host side will first describe themselves—who they are and what they do—
with many statistics. Then they will expect the guests to do the same. Why?
a. This formality helps the Chinese to blend with the physical environment in harmony.
In Kenya, speeches are organized differently (more fluid) than mainstream US speech styles
(more linear). Therefore, when speaking a Kenyan speaker will probably not get to the point as
quickly as someone from the US. When you think about the focus on time—the Kenyan style of
time would be more:
a. monochronic
Cultures can have different styles of communication. For example, the “bicycle wheel” or “web”
speech pattern in Africa would indicate that communication flows from the center to “connect”
all of the spokes to the tire or “catch” all of the strands of the web so that they bind together.
This analogy could be representative of the ______________ dimension.
a. constraint
We have learned that all communication (both verbal and non-verbal) is symbolic, deciphered
by both communicators as they try to be on the same frame of reference. This means that:
a. meaning is in language
Language doesn’t only consist of the words you use with the literal meaning (___________). As
we discussed in the Triangle of Meaning, language is symbolic and carries with it interpretive
meaning (___________)—even images carry meaning.
a. significant/insignificant
Regarding the Triangle of Meaning, when we act as interpreters, we hope to select symbols that
others will understand in precisely (or approximately) the same way we do. Remember,
communication is only successful when both the sender/receiver:
a. create meaningful symbolism
Since Edward T. Hall arranges cultures on a continuum going from low-context to high-context
communication, he seems to suggest that a low-context culture cannot be high context.
However, his descriptions of cultures argue against this proposition. For example, he describes
the high-context way that the Japanese communicate with one another but the low-context
way they communicate with Westerners. Also, the karaoke bar is a Japanese innovation which
is popular with other Asian nations (e.g., S. Korea and Malaysia) presumably because it allows
for the expression of low-context behavior and serves as an emotional outlet for such rules–
focused and high-context cultures. Even when businesspeople from a high-context culture
entertain their counterparts from a low-context culture in a karaoke bar, they tend to move
away from high-context behavior toward low-context behavior.
Which response is the most pragmatic (reasonable) response?
a. We can’t really accept Hall’s basic formulation about low-context and high-context
cultures because he appears to contradict himself.
If we look at the metaphor “Time is money,” this means that people pay close attention to time
and don’t “waste” time. This would best refer to the concept of:
a. polychronic
According to the discussion on language in the text, all language (both verbal and nonverbal) is
actually a code, which means it is ________________. In other words, there is no inherent
meaning in words (or characters) except when people create meaning for them.
When dealing with someone from a collectivistic and traditional culture, one should focus on:
a. Spending a lot of time talking about the details of the contract.
Many global companies have made egregious errors regarding miscommunication during sales
and marketing of their products. This can happen with:
a. translation of grammar/words
In Japanese culture, the art of silence, or “extra–verbal” communication, is called haragei or
“belly art,” which is the equivalent of what “heart” connotes for Americans. For the Japanese, it
is the belly (or the heart in our perspective) that houses a person’s essence. The art of haragei is
in the intuitive understanding and tolerance gained through experience—something Americans
might call wisdom. In Japan, a business person would use silence and controlled listening. This
is an example of”
a. pre-context communication
Jack, a rather boisterous but well-liked British chap, had a roommate from Thailand named
Pitchit. They seemed to get on fairly well and Jack remarked to one of his American friends how
easy Pitchit was to live with compared with some of his previous roommates. However, several
months later, Pitchit suddenly announced that he was moving out next week. Jack was quite
upset and puzzled, and asked Pitchit why. At first Pitchit was reticent about saying anything, but
after persistent questioning he told Jack that he could not tolerate his habits—Jack was always
playing loud music, had friends visiting at all hours, and was untidy. Jack reacted by pressing
him as to why he had not told him before. He had not realized that he was disturbing Pitchit in
any way. Pitchit said nothing.
According to this critical incident, what is the most likely reason Pitchit didn’t tell Jack previously of
his dissatisfactions?
Cultures and societies with ____________ appreciate flexibility and have a greater tolerance for
differences. Not every aspect of behavior needs to be legislated.
A high power distance country’s overall organizational culture would probably include:
Communication includes verbal and nonverbal symbolic cues. The triangle of meaning explains
the concept of:
Meaning resides in one’s mind and not the symbol. No two humans can communicate 100%
effectively because no two humans have learned to perceive identically.
Analyze the following scenario regarding specific experiences and observations about
differences in cultural groups based upon course concepts. Choose the best answer.
Joint Venture: A major US telecommunications company was working on a joint venture
project with a communications company based in India. On the first visit, Casey Maddox, a
senior engineer, headed the US team. On the second visit, one of her subordinates led the
team. Over the course of the next few scheduled visits, the composition of the US team
kept changing.
The Indian team could not understand why different individuals would show up each time.
The project was soon riddled with problems. The members of the Indian team were
reluctant to act on decisions and enact processes that had already been agreed upon
because they did not feel they knew any of their US counterparts well enough to trust
them.
What are the most accurate cultural explanations for the US team’s actions?
d. Both parties have their own ways of doing things. Since the Americans are the visitors in
India, they expect that their business partners will welcome them and accommodate
their US styles of “doing,” “individualism,” and “equality.”
Symbols have specific meaning.