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The idea about high and low context culture was developed by the American anthropologist, Edward Hall, who tried to differentiate cultures in terms of how people perceive the context or the circumstances of their surroundings and its impact on how they behave and communicate towards each other (Nishimura, Nevgi, & Tella, 784). According to Hall, Eastern cultures, such as the cultures of China and Japan, are considerably high-context (Yama, & Zakaria, 2552). People who share a high-context type of culture, for instance, are those who place great value in the surrounding circumstances before they act or communicate. These cultures are often characterized by people who are engaged in less explicit verbal communication. Most often, the people who are under a high-context culture value strong interpersonal relationships and are careful not to hurt someone else’s feelings. For the same reason, they are quite cautious in the way they communicate with each other as they do not want to offend each other. The people under a high-context culture consider many things before making any decisions.
Low-context cultures, on the other hand, are those cultures who perceive things as what they are. These are people who tend to analyze and reacts based on actual experience rather than their surrounding circumstances. Western culture, such as the culture of the United States and Europe, for instance, is considered as low-context culture. These cultures, for instance, prefer explicit and direct communication. People in this type of culture are not afraid to voice out their opinions and to question authority if needed in order to clarify things. As observed by scholars, communication in low-context cultures is “direct, precise, dramatic, open, and based on feelings or true intentions” (Nishimura, Nevgi, & Tella, 785). Another characteristic of low-context culture is their individualistic inclination. People with low-context cultural background are more concerned about their self-interest as opposed to creating harmony with their environment. People who operate in a low-context culture, for instance, are more likely to challenge social norms as compared to people who live under a high-context culture (Yama, & Zakaria, 2554).
Misunderstanding often arise between people from high-context and low-context culture primarily because they have conflicting views and interests. The Chinese and Japanese, for instance, find people who are outspoken as offensive while Westerners prefer candid and direct communication. Westerners perceive people who can communicate with frankness and clarity as trustworthy while Easterners may find it rude and disrespectful. Easterners are also unlikely to challenge authority and the status quo because of the strong traditional culture that places high regards to hierarchy and social status. Westerners, on the other hand, are more open to being challenged and are also inclined to challenging authority, which may create conflict under high-context cultural setting. Westerners also view contracts as something that is written in stone while Easterners are more willing to renegotiate the terms of a contract in order to achieve consensus. Easterners or people with high-context culture are the people who are likely to consider the environmental impact of their actions and are most likely to promote harmony between their personal interest and the interest of the stakeholders. People with low-context culture, on the other hand, are more firm with their decisions and are more concerned about results rather than conformity.
Works Cited
Nishimura, S., Nevgi, A., & Tella, S. Communication Style and Cultural Features in High/Low Context Communication Cultures: A Case Study of Finland, Japan and India. n.d. February 2016 <http://www.helsinki.fi/~tella/nishimuranevgitella299.pdf>.
Yama, H., & Zakaria, N. Inference and culture : The distinction between low context culture and high context culture as a possible explanation for cultural differences in cognition. n.d. February 2016 <https://mindmodeling.org/cogsci2012/papers/0443/paper0443.pdf>.
