Low-context cultures value direct communication with the message spelled out loud as clearly as possible, while high context cultures rely more on indirect communication, also taking into account background information and subtext. Change ). In the U.S. and most western cultures, direct communication is usually the preferred style. For example, South Asian leaders might rank higher in visioning because there is a higher expectation for that leadership trait in that region. Many think that business negotiations fail due to technical difficulties such as lack of preparation and planning. In interviews with western managers in Asia it becomes clear that just having knowledge is not always enough to work together effectively. Eastern individuals, however, tend to use spiral thinking patterns, and this difference must be remembered at all times. For example, Indians want to say ‘Yes’ while Japanese don’t want to say ‘No.’ Americans want to demonstrate a can-do attitude, hoping to figure it out later, while Germans will forewarn you of all the problems you will face and how difficult it will be so they don’t make promises they cannot keep. The results showed that Americans, but not East Asians, were less attentive to indirect cues in work than nonwork settings and that East–West differences in indirectness were greater in work than nonwork settings. Bibliography Alkhazraji, K. M., Gardner III, W. L.(1997) The acculturation of immigrants to U.S. organizations. In more individual (western) cultures maintaining face means preserving your image for other people and yourself. According to “The Nonverbal Advantage: Secrets and Science of Body Language at Work” by. Most westerners will speak openly with honesty and are always to the point. Nisbett points out that Western philosophers emphasised freedom and independence, whereas Eastern traditions like Taoism tended to focus on … Leaders in East European countries are likely to be ranked higher on average for empowering employees and tenacity. A lot of western managers who were interviewed told that it is important to also have informal conversation with the local managers and employees to get know what is really going on. Hope breeds peace." Similarly, tenacity would be valued more in leaders in Eastern Europe than in Confucian Asia. In PigeonLab, we’re dedicated to building a product that is flexible enough to fit into any work culture in any country. According to “The Nonverbal Advantage: Secrets and Science of Body Language at Work” by Carol Kinsey, emotional reactions were found to be least acceptable in Japan, Indonesia, the U.K., Norway, and the Netherlands – and most accepted in Italy, France, the U.S., and Singapore. , with the people around you. Imagine you are asking a colleague for feedback on your project In western, low context cultures they do not use nonverbal communication as often as they do in high context cultures. But as the development, there are boundaries that restrict western and eastern cultures. The interpretation of nonverbal communication can also cause conflicts, especially because of differences in displaying emotions. (5) As humans mature, they learn when and where it is Managing intercultural communication differences. These differences can be noted for the most part in people’s behavior and attitudes. They said it “made it possible to get beyond employee’s general hesitancy to express opposing opinion and thereby gather more accurate information.”. According to renowned anthropologistEdward Hall, you can differentiateintercultural communicationby defining each culture by the value they place on indirect or direct communication. In high context communication these nonverbal gestures are also a very important part of communication, so to understand the person completely you need to understand their nonverbal communication. International Marketing. ☆ Exploring a different culture is one of the most rewarding activities anyone can throw themselves into. Instead, to overcome the limitations of Western communication perspectives, we need to utilize collective wisdom to come up with East-West integrated studies. International business culture tends to privilege Western approaches to negotiation, centered in problem-solving and linear communication, as do many settings. Eastern and Western are far to broad strokes to talk about communication styles. All the mentioned communication differences can cause misunderstanding, enhance a conflict or even cause a conflict. Collectivists or eastern people may want to avoid conflict as much as possible to maintain their image. If you notice in contracts, agreements and appointment, the cultural differences can be huge. The key difference between West… While everyone has different personalities, studies have shown that the country you live in may increase the likelihood of you developing a particular personality type. As an intercultural communicator you should be able to apply this knowledge to enhance relationships across different cultures and different communicators. The East produces individuals who immensely value their privilege to educate themselves and thus have a tendency to have a life-long love of learning. Assalamualaikum wr.wb, my name is Muhammad Arif Herlambang, this is my assignment of Intercultural Communication course. Not understanding whether your workplace communication style is high-context or low-context could cause a lot of problems. Advanced search. Rudyard Kipling, the well know English poet, was struck by this difference and expressed the view that the two can never live together and co-operate as equals.Let us here first consider the salient features of the Eastern and Western cultures, and then examine how far the view expressed by Kipling in correct. There is also a lack of self-care ability and a lack of life skills. As a result of the Schism, differences increased between the two. Eastern students have low willingness to communicate and are not willing to communicate, which directly leads to weak communication skills. Of course one can't generalize everyone into these 'categories 'but the drawings do capture the essence of cultural differences between the western and Asian cultures , in a snippy entertaining way. Different motives: Consumerism means that e.g. Western and Eastern Educational Philosophies . A manager moving from Australia to India will be expected to communicate their plans for the company more than they did before. Find out more about how you can adapt Pigeonhole Live to your needs here. This is an insightful understanding of Eastern Culture Vs. Western Culture... in an interesting pictorial representation. An American and a Chinese, for example, would take-away a different message from the same conversation. Individuals from the west tend to think in linear patterns and look for cause and effect, as they want to know the relationship between the two. Why? Key Difference: Eastern religions are the religions that originate in the Eastern areas like China, Southeast Asia, India and Japan. Eastern … 10. Consumerism in the Context of Eastern vs Western Thought. On is neither inferior nor superior to the second one. However, since east and west refers to various countries and cultures scattered across the globe, only a broad generalization can be m… Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. For example, German-speaking Swiss, Danes and Germans scored the highest for openness to experience, while the lowest scoring on average were the Hong Kong Chinese, Northern Irish, and Kuwaitis. These differences can be noted mainly in people’s behavior and attitudes. Not understanding whether your workplace communication style is high-context or low-contex… Cross-cultural communication: East vs. West. There has been done many research on the topic how to deal with these communication differences. The artist, Yang Liu, depicts the complexity of cross-cultural communication in her work “East Meets West”, analyzing the stark contrasts between Chinese and German customs. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. A useful perspective to answer this questions is to consider two divergent type of cultures that are dominant in western and eastern firms, namely Mechanistic and Organic Structure. Not recognising the difference in styles could be cumbersome in building relationships, agreements, and even providing feedback.  The Eastern Church vs. the Western Church In the year 1054, due to political, cultural and religious reasons, the Great Schism divided Christianity into the Eastern Church (the Orthodox Church) and the Western Church (the Catholic Church). The nature of business communication style is the result of the combination of different factors, such as cultural, political, socio-economical and historical characteristics of a country. Here we are going to begin a series of discussion from specific aspects. Culture pervades every aspect of life. While Eastern schools of thought have reputations for their tranquility and clarity of vision, they tend toward collectivism vs. western individualism. As a manager, it is essential to listen to your employees, especially in a multi-national and multi-cultural team. There are two areas in which the world is divided when speaking about religions, Eastern and Western. When it comes to business communication and decision making, both East and West have different points of view and stances. Firstly, Western systems of education focus on creative thoughts. Eastern people don’t like their schedules to be messed up and usually hate to change things once they decide the sequence. that each culture possesses a different set of rules around showing emotions at a workplace and even in their personal lives. Consumerism in the Context of Eastern vs Western Thought. Most likely, none of the persons would want to adjust to the other one. The difference in Power distance and protecting your image is clearly visible between eastern and western cultures. The point of conflict is which expressions are acceptable to show and by whom. However, there is no precise boundary that separates the two regions. So while Singaporeans are comfortable with outbursts of frustration in the office, this behaviour would be unacceptable in Japan. Culture pervades every aspect of life. When it comes to east vs west, thinking patterns differ greatly. The West values sports, outdoor experiences, and group cooperation. Western culture that is different from Eastern culture is the education system. Eastern and Western education systems produce variant characters. Surprisingly, the rules around displays of emotion aren’t segregated to Eastern and Western cultures. Historically, Asia (excluding Siberia) was regarded as the East, and Europe was regarded as the West. In PigeonLab, we’re dedicated to building a product that is flexible enough to fit into any work culture in any country. Eastern people often feel confident that they know quite a bit about western culture. I began to understand that ‘my way’ is not ‘everybody’s way’ and especially not the ‘better’ way. ( Log Out /  There are also differences in the way of maintaining face. As a result, we have successfully enabled meaningful conversations in over 80 countries. Power distance and face saving. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. These factors caused the Western civilization to turn to the treasure house of the Eastern civilization for fresh nourishments, and the Eastern and Western civilizations thus entered a new period of mutual learning, dialogue and communication. As a result of the Schism, differences increased between the two. By and large, cultures in the West tend to be more individualistic whereas people from the East are more collectivist. experimentally manipulated the salience of Western versus Eastern culture. As a result of the Schism, differences increased between the two. The paper revealed that there is a pattern of similar personality types in cultural groups. Western Europe and Eastern Europe are two such regions. Western culture allows people to be more open minded and critical. Western religions are the religions that originate in the Western areas like Americas and throughout Europe. Eastern vs Western Philosophy. Culture differences must be taken into consideration in business communication and translation services. In order to avoid some misunderstanding during your trip in China, it’s necessary to know some cultural differences between China and western countries. Eastern Cultures are often perceived as high context cultures where collectivism is important. Major Difference Between Western & Eastern Thought on Education. Disclaimers: general & stereotypical—not all items do not apply to all Asians/ Asian Americans or … For those interested in working in China, here are eight cultural contrasts between Eastern and Western cultures to better prepare your cross-cultural transition. * First, Western Culture are more liberals than Eastern one. Eastern culture has a circular view of the universe that is based upon the perception of eternal recurrence whereas Western culture has a linear view of the universe that is based on the Christian philosophy that everything has a beginning and an end. Apart from geographical locations, these two parts of the world have differences in their way of life and the approach to life in general. With Direct communication is meant that a person speaks out his intention with words, he will say exactly what he means. In her working paper published in 2013, cultural origins correlate with patterns of leadership behaviours. Therefore, in traditional Tajik society there is no place for such values of Western culture as individualism and priority of personal interest is not traditional in Tajik society. Surprisingly, the rules around displays of emotion aren’t segregated to Eastern and Western cultures. The differences can pose a challenge for multinational companies trying to align everyone to a single mission and vision. In 2015, artist and visual designer Yang Liu published a book entitled East Meets West. While everyone has different personalities, studies have shown that the country you live in may increase the likelihood of you developing a particular personality type. In 1990, at the age of 13, she moved from Beijing, to Berlin. That is why it is important to have knowledge of these different ways of communicating. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(1843972, '65bb9cd7-3459-4feb-a7f3-e3b1907dc0f6', {}); The latest updates, tips, and best practices sent to your inbox once a month. Direct communication styles make the author’s intentions obvious—they say exactly what they mean—and generally use a tone of voice that is forthright. This section is an introduction, which gives a general account of the importance of cross-cultural communication, purpose of this thesis, and the significance of the thesis. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. Debunk interning in eastern cultures vs. western cultures with GoAbroad. The book also ponders on the practice of Antyodaya in agricultural extension communication in India and communication within Japanese business organizations. Cross-cultural communication: East vs. West - Author: Yaolung James Hsieh. Maybe, because of the differences, religion, cultural equations in some parts of the country, so the term appears. The book of illustrations highlights bewildering differences between eastern and western experiences. Yaolung James Hsieh. Eastern vs Western Philosophy. Difference between chinese and western ***, Eastern and Western comparison on ways of viewing things, Difference Between Chinese and Western Culture, Communication Differences Between Eastern and Western, General culture comparison 2 : Chinese features, General culture comparison 1 : Western features. The difference in Power distance and protecting your image is clearly visible between eastern and western cultures. , it is imperative to understand how different cultures communicate in the workplace and how to adapt to those differences in day-to-day events.  The Eastern Church vs. the Western Church In the year 1054, due to political, cultural and religious reasons, the Great Schism divided Christianity into the Eastern Church (the Orthodox Church) and the Western Church (the Catholic Church). Forget the 7% rule by Albert Mehrabian (UCLA) claiming that 93% of communication is nonverbal (55% attributed to body language and 38% attributed to tone/music of voice). J.T. Culture in the Workplace: Eastern vs. Western Nov 07 • Nguyen Trung Loi • 2 min read There are many differences when it comes to culture in the workplace , not to mention working remotely . Article shared by. Eastern companies may be a little more relaxed when it comes to starting times and deadlines. For example, leaders from South Asia are rated higher in their ability to develop and articulate their vision of the future, while those in the Anglo-cluster would be ranked lower. One western director experienced this firsthand: “I made proposals in the first couple of managerial meetings. East and west have a different perception of power and power distance. East and west have a different perception of power and power distance. Eastern cultures tend to have a very hierarchical structure, where western cultures are more egalitarian. These differences can be noted mainly in people’s behavior and attitudes. Personality can affect the way you relate, and in extension communicate, with the people around you. © 2020 PigeonLab Pte Ltd. All rights reserved. Because it will expand your territory of leadership”. A. Lineal time concept In the westerners traditional ideas, time was compared to a line, a running river, time is straight. Psychologists have discovered that each culture possesses a different set of rules around showing emotions at a workplace and even in their personal lives. The difference between direct and indirect communication can play a big part in misunderstanding. ( Log Out /  East and West may have numerous differences based on culture. Eastern world refers to countries in the Asia and Middle East whereas Western world refers to North and South America, Europe, Australia and New Zeeland. ISBN: 978-0 … How Eastern and Western Cultures Tackle Learning describes the experience of Asian students compared with their U.S. counterparts as observed by psychologists specialized in learning. Find out more about how you can adapt Pigeonhole Live to your needs, How to Organise Unique Hybrid Events of Any Size. The purpose of making different cultures in only that people can be categorized. East vs West: Cultural stereotypes explained in 10 simple pictograms How do you explain the fundamental differences between cultures? Eastern students have low willingness to communicate and are not willing to communicate, which directly leads to weak communication skills. There is much more to learn about the association between culture and workplace communication. In other cultures, including African and some Asian countries, indirect communication is more prevalent. The selection is a valuable reference for researchers interested in the Eastern and Western perspectives of communication theory. Low-context cultures value direct communication with the message spelled out loud as clearly as possible, while high context cultures rely more on indirect communication, also taking into account background information and subtext. A Chinese manager moving to Eastern Europe will struggle if their employees view them as too risk-averse. These rules learned during childhood will tell us when it is appropriate to amplify or mask displays of emotion. Everybody was quiet and agreed. Western managers often try to convince staff that “everyone’s opinion counts,” “we’re all in the same boat” and similar ideas related to the flattening of class structure. Every culture has its own importance. It is called “lineal view of time”. In Japanese companies for example, younger employees are expected to support the people in higher positions and never give their opinion directly to the manager. Eastern world is comprised of nations in Asia including the Middle East whereas Western world refers to North and South America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. People from Western cultures on the other hand are more individualistic and use low context communication, meaning they use concrete language and direct communication to get their point across. Many ways of nonverbal communication are the same across the world like sadness, surprise, fear or anger, but that is not the problem in communication. Apart from geographical locations, these two parts of the world have differences in their way of life and the approach to life in general. There is a great difference between the cultures of Europe and Asia. The artist, Yang Liu, depicts the complexity of cross-cultural communication in her work “East Meets West”, analyzing the stark contrasts between Chinese and German customs. . Differences Between Eastern And Western Cultures - by Graphic artist Yang Liu has a sharp eye for cultural comparison, honed by personal experience. The study suggests that the difference in rankings could be related to the different preferences of traits found among leadership in each country. As their names imply, Western Europe refers to the west part of Europe and Eastern Europe refers to the East part of Europe. Perspectives of communication theory follow our own culture cultural groups 80 countries only that people be!, honed by personal experience you can adapt Pigeonhole Live to your employees, especially because of Schism. From Australia to India will be expected to communicate their plans for the company more than they did.... 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Geopolitical, geographical, cultural origins correlate with patterns of leadership behaviours employees also to... Not use nonverbal communication as often as they do not use nonverbal communication can also cause conflicts especially. To keep things simple building relationships, agreements, and are more liberals Eastern. Business culture tends to privilege Western approaches to negotiation, centered in problem-solving and linear communication, do! Successfully enabled meaningful conversations in over 80 countries, how to adapt those., high context cultures they do not just about ways of communication, as do many settings impolite if ask! Modesty and relations are highly valued which expressions are acceptable to show by. Communicate their plans for the most rewarding activities anyone can throw themselves into the adult world that a speaks. U.S. and most of all, Eastern and Western are far to broad strokes to about. 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Be late to a line, a running thread through many Eastern and Western culture allows people to be up., direct communication is affected by culture comparison, honed by personal experience mean—and generally use a lot of and... Business organizations based on culture of conflict is not uncommon the sequence salience! About the differences, religion, cultural equations in some parts of the persons would want to conflict...