Edward T. Hall was an American cross-cultural researcher who is known for describing high and low context
Question:
Edward T. Hall was an American cross-cultural researcher who is known for describing high and low context cultural factors. He also defined two systems of time in the world: monochronic and polychronic time. Monochronic time is typified by German, Swiss, Scandinavian, and American/Canadian culture. These low-context Western cultures tend to concentrate on one thing at a time and stay on time. Polychronic time, present in high-context cultures like China, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, and Middle Eastern countries, is characterized by looser time schedules and taking time to develop deeper relationships prior to conducting business.
http://changingminds.org/explanations/culture/hall_culture.htm
Suppose you are an American manager working for a company in Brazil. Would you
(1) learn to adjust to polychronic time to avoid getting frustrated, or
(2) attempt to change the culture of the company from within to get things done in a timely manner?
Choose your preferred route to successful management and support your decision.
Global Marketing management
ISBN: 978-0470505748
5th edition
Authors: Masaaki Kotabe, Kristiaan Helsen