【文章內(nèi)容簡(jiǎn)介】 onships. Developing trust is an important first step to any business transaction. According to Hall, these cultures are collectivist, preferring group harmony and consensus to individual achievement. And people in these cultures are less governed by reason than by intuition or feelings. Words are not so important as context, which might include the speaker’s tone of voice, facial expression, gestures, posture—and even the person’s family history and status. A Japanese manager explained his culture’s munication style to an American: “We are a homogeneous people and don’t have to speak as much as you do here. When we say one word, we understand ten, but here you have to say ten to understand one.” Highcontext munication tends to be more indirect and more formal. Flowery language, humility, and elaborate apologies are typical.Lowcontext cultures (including North America and much of Western Europe) are logical, linear, individualistic, and actionoriented. People from lowcontext cultures value logic, facts, and directness. Solving a problem means lining up the facts and evaluating one after another. Decisions are based on fact rather than intuition. Discussions end with actions. And municators are expected to be straightforward, concise, and efficient in telling what action is expected. To be absolutely clear, they strive to use precise words and intend them to be taken literally. Explicit contracts conclude negotiations. This is very different from municators in highcontext cultures who depend less on language precision and legal documents. Highcontext business people may even distrust contracts and be offended by the lack of trust they suggest.Cultural continuum, ranging according to the extent towhich cultures depend on context Comparisons between Highcontext Culture and Lowcontext Culturea. Examples of High and LowContext CulturesLowContext Cultures HighContext CulturesScandinaviaGermanySwitzerland North AmericaMediterraneanKoreaVietnamJapanChinaMiddle EastLatin Americab. c. Values of High and LowContext CulturesLowContext (Individualistic) HighContext (Collective) Mastery over NaturePersonal Control over the EnvironmentDoingFuture OrientationChangeTime DominatesHuman EqualityYouthSelfHelpIndividualism/PrivacyCompetitionInformalityDirectness/Openness/HonestyPracticality/EfficiencyMaterialism Harmony with NatureFateBeingPast or Present OrientationTraditionFocus on RelationshipsHierarchy/Rank/StatusEldersBirthright InheritanceGroup WelfareCooperationFormalityIndirectness/Ritual/FaceIdealism/TheorySpiritualism/Detachment d. CONTRASTING COMMUNICATION STYLES./Australian Low context Cultures1. Get down to business first2. Value expertise and performance3. Negotiations as efficient as possible4. Agreement by specific, legalistic contract5. Motives directly expressed6. Communication is explicit, verbal7. Informal8. Spontaneous9. Emotionally expressive10. Selfpromoting and egocentric11. Shortterm and symmetrical reciprocity12. Personal and public relationships are often separateTraditional Asian High context Cultures1. Establish social trust first2. Value personal relations and goodwill3. Negotiations slow and ritualistic4. Agreement by general trust5. Motives indirectly expressed6. Communication is implicit, nonverbal7. Formal8. Goaloriented9. Emotionally controlled10. Self effacing and modest11. Longterm and asymmetrical reciprocity12. Personal and public relationships often overlap How to Determine Whether a Culture is Highcontext or LowcontextDetermining If a Culture Is High or Low contextLowContext Cultures HighContext Cultures178。 emphasize the need to dress nicely. Improper dress can insult the hosts or the occasion. Dress should also reflect your social standing. If you’re in a hot climate and people aren’t wearing shorts, they’re high context. If teens and college students wear slacks instead of jeans, you’re in a high context culture. Are the women wearing high heels instead of fortable sandals – even in the park? Then they’re high context!178。 have indirect munication styles. Meaning can be found in many areas: symbolic gifts that indicate love, hate, friendship。 a preference for saying yes when the answer is no or I don39。t know. They may not say I love you to their marital partner but convey the love in other ways. There is often a concern with not embarrassing another person by asking direct questions. Gestures may or may not be an integral part of the munication pattern. 178。 have a concern with such things as posture and other nonverbal munication, not just for the sake of good posture but because it conveys respect, good training from parents, etc. For example, in some high context cultures (like Thailand) it is disrespectful for lower status people to put their hands in their pockets when talking to a higher status person. 178。 have greetings that indicate deference to people of higher status (as with bowing in Japan or the wai in Thailand).178。 place a high value on fitting in with what other people say and do (dress, manners, etc.)178。 are usually shame cultures so behaviors are seen as reflecting on your family, your city/village and your country. 178。 A majority of the verbal information is explicitly municated. For example, an apology must be clearly articulated, whereas in a highcontext culture the same message can be municated through a variety of nonverbal gestures such as a smile, a sigh, a shrug, or a frown. 178。 Directness, openness, and honesty are valued, as is freedom of emotional expression. Spontaneity and casualness characterize informal relationships. Within this context, successful munication requires an understanding of the explicit and implicit norms of behavior. On