Introduction
The different countries of the world operate in varying time zones. As a result, effective communication across borders tends to become slightly complicated due to the differences in time as well as the varying perceptions of the citizens of different countries. It has been well established that the developed countries and their citizens usually perceive time very precisely. On the other hand, individuals in developing countries or underdeveloped countries tend to struggle with maintaining punctuality and effective time management.
Chronemics and India
Chronemics is the study of how individuals perceive and utilize time. Different countries and their culture influence the time perception of time for the local individuals. It has been noted that people in the developed countries such as US and Europe consider time in a linear sense that is in one direction wheres people residing in countries like India consider it to be in a circular manner that repeats itself . In terms of time perception, cultures can sometimes be divided into Monochronic time and Polychronic time. In a Monochronic system of time, the tasks are accomplished one at a time (Chronemics, 2016). In the Polychronic system, time is perceived in a fluid like structure, and more than one task can be achieved simultaneously. India and its citizens follow and perceive time under the Polychronic time system.
The polychronic time culture is also otherwise known as the synchronic culture, the relationship between the individual and time is not perceived as that of a master and slave, but rather, time is perceived as a source of guidance. For example, in Indian culture system, it is found that completing the task properly, rather than on time, holds more value than simply striving to achieve a deadline. When the different chronemics oriented countries and their citizens interact, there is a high chance of miscommunication or misunderstanding. For instance, while the American follow a linear perception of time, the Indians, may get late or early, depending on the situation. Indians in America have realized the differences of time perception that arise between the Indian and American society, that they even joke about the situation by stating that they follow “Desi Standard Time” or “DST”, which refers to the circular or Polychronic notion of time. It has been stated that the people who work in the Polychronic time culture do not give a lot of consideration to being punctual and they are usually late. In such cultures it is difficult to offend someone . Same is the case in India, where people use estimates of time rather than giving definite time for something.
In such cases, the different cultures need to be aware of each other’s customs and traditions and strive to reduce any possibility of miscommunication or misunderstanding. For example, regarding business dealings and other international interactions, it can be expected that the individuals who reside in polychromic cultures, such as Indians, are more likely to miss deadlines, or place too much emphasis on scheduling or punctuality. Unlike monochronic countries, Indians as polychronic people prefer to engage in several tasks at once. They do not strive to follow any specific agenda or focus on a relationship with a particular client or partner. It has been observed, that in a Polychronic culture, as is in India, the people tend to give much more preference to their relatives rather than the job, unlike the Monochronic culture, where jobs are the most important (MacLachlan, 2010). For example, an Indian employee will prefer to visit a sick cousin rather than come in to work on time. Promptness in responding or communicating will also is highly dependent on the nature of the relationship between two individuals or companies. Such individuals can also change their plans easily and often. Personal preference is an important aspect of determining the importance of a task or situation for an individual. For instance, the occurrence of an unperceived emergency will shift the values of the individual from their daily tasks or job to the responsibility.
Justification and Conclusion
Since India had up until recent years been an industrial country, therefore, the people did not have to follow strict deadlines or achieve specific goals. Since the individuals were considerably self-sufficient regarding food and shelter, until recently, therefore, there was little need for time to perceive in a notion other than that of Polychronic time notion. However, the advent of industrialization and high rates of commercialization in the country have encouraged the citizens to become more goal oriented and shift their perspective from polychromatic to monochromatic time. Such transition has been of a very limited range as India is still being defined as a polychronic culture. The increased globalization and internationalization of businesses and citizens has led to a considerably higher understanding of the differences in the perception of time and other tasks for an individual. For example, recently India has seen a significant increase in international investments and business interests due to its shifting professional outlook regarding the perception time from polychronic to monochromic times. It has been suggested that the Indian perception of time may have arisen out of their religion, as it teaches them to perceive the value of actions rather to their results. Such concept promotes the notion that current actions can be detached from future results.
The Indians perceive the time to be less relevant than the changing phases of life, or the changing seasons. In sharp contrast to Indians, the American Society, like other western societies of the developing world, has become fast-paced and goal oriented. The high rate of capitalism encourages the society to view time as a commodity rather than an abstract phenomenon. India and its citizens follow and perceive time under the Polychronic time system.
References
Chronemics. (2016). Retrieved from Basic Knowledge 101 : http://www.basicknowledge101.com/pdf/km/Chronemics.pdf
MacLachlan, M. (2010). Cross-Cultural Concept of Time: Chronemics. Retrieved from Communicaid : https://www.communicaid.com/cross-cultural-training/blog/chronemics-concept-of-time/
Rutledge, B. (2011). Cultural Differences - Monochronic versus Polychronic . Retrieved from http://thearticulateceo.typepad.com/my-blog/2011/08/cultural-differences-monochronic-versus-polychronic.html
Time in Different Cultures. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.exactlywhatistime.com/time-in-different-cultures/
