germany high or low context culture germany high or low context culture

Imagine an ad for a sports car that does not feature the car, but instead shows a leopard running on a coastal road. Individual Orientation Intercultural communication. Guffey, D. Lowey, K. Rhodes, K., & P. Rogin. The low score of 40 on this dimension indicates that the German culture is Restrained in nature. In other words, people communicate explicitly in low-context cultures. This proved to be the case (F(1, 287) = 5.85, p =.016, 2 =.02). High context refers to societies or groups where people have close connections over a long period of time. In his model, context refers to the stimuli, environment, or ambiance surrounding an event. Praise is rarely given, and when it is given, it is understated, e.g. Original music by Dan Powell and . For the replacement metaphor, an example is the ad for Contrex water, which features a Contrex water bottle looking at itself in the mirror (replacing a human person looking at his or her body shape). ^o_JcqT On the other hand, low-context culture does not have any such shared background. When it comes to the role of context culture on perceived complexity, a linear regression showed, in the first place, that nationality predicted perceived complexity (F (1, 287) = 4.48, p =.035, R2 =.01; B = .216, SE =.102, p =.035): Belgian participants (M = 3.28, SD = 0.86) perceived the ads as less complex than the Dutch participants (M = 3.49, SD = 0.83). As Hall (Citation1976, p. 79) states: A high-context (HC) communication or message is one in which most of the information is either in the physical context or internalized in the person, while very little is in the coded, explicit, transmitted part of the message. and the German culture is referred to low context and status-oriented cultures [Kulikova, 2006; Kotthoff, 2003; Gnther, 2002; Khorrami . The result is a highly structured and punctual culture, which plays into the high masculinity. Registered in England & Wales No. According to M.Q. Establishing relationships is an important part of communicating and interacting. Formal/Reserved The indirect effect of nationality on perceived complexity through participants' individual context score proved to be significant (b = .05; CI [0.117, 0.007], bootstrapping technique, N = 50,000). A Feminine society is one where quality of life is the sign of success and standing out from the crowd is not admirable. Put it in writing. It is hoped that more research attention will be paid to context culture in the area of culture and advertising. One framework for approaching intercultural communication is with high-context and low-context cultures, which . This methodological issue is not unique; Cardon (Citation2008), in his review of papers on context culture and communication, also noted that context culture was measured at the individual level in only a minority of studies. . Generally, high-context cultures prefer oral communications, while low-context cultures favor written communications. A conclusion may be implied but not argued directly. To become successful as a cross-cultural communicator in Germany: Let's analyse the first dimension today! In this study, we follow their classification: Belgium is expected to be a higher-context culture than the Netherlands. This dimension describes how every society has to maintain some links with its own past while dealing with the challenges of the present and future, and societies prioritise these two existential goals differently. This means that the potential cross-cultural differences observed cannot be accounted for by different languages used in the study (following the suggestion made by Van de Vijver & Leung, Citation1997). In contrast, high-context cultures use facial expressions, body language, and gestures in a nuanced manner. Understanding German business protocol is the first step toward success in Germany. In the second half, we will explain how context theory is related to people's comprehension of messages, leading to the hypotheses of the current study. gut (good) rather than fantastic.. Fewer words can often lead to better understanding. Germans have a decidedly pragmatic approach to this dimension, and score very high in this aspect. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education and holds a PhD in Education from ACU. b'K/{:6 ,eQ_`RYHS9pkRg91o)?OM8u}Vo0~8m The extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations and have created beliefs and institutions that try to avoid these is reflected in the score on Uncertainty Avoidance. Restrained German society also stresses compartmentalizing personal and professional lives in this pursuit of success. On the other hand, he identified countries such as Germany, the United States and Scandinavia as low-context cultures. Exact Time This is why complex messages are sometimes more effective than less complex messages. In line with the philosophical heritage of Kant, Hegel and Fichte there is a strong preference for deductive rather than inductive approaches, be it in thinking, presenting or planning: the systematic overview has to be given in order to proceed. The present study shows that individuals' context scores account for the national differences between perceived complexity and liking of ads with complex visual metaphors. The current study is the first empirical examination of context theory's role on message comprehension and appreciation. April 28, 2023. The red line (Benrath-Linie) divides Low German and Middle German. These relationships are relevant to the hypotheses. It is the reader who has to infer the so-called implicatures, the inferential steps that are needed to decipher the message (Sperber & Wilson, Citation1995). In countries like Germany, it is a sign of respect and professionalism to speak clearly and leave no room for misinterpretation especially in a difficult conversation. Bill McDermott, the CEO of SAP, details his methodology when he began working with the German company, saying, When I present to a U.S. audience, I try to inspire them quickly, get them engaged right from the beginning. An example of an ad with a juxtaposition metaphor is the one for Land Rover, which shows three objects crossing a large river: two hippos and one Land Rover (with the implicature that the vehicle is able to cross that river as smoothly as the two animals). How Do I Format and Cite Long Direct Quotes? These cookies do not store any personal information. A polite nod accompanied by a firm handshake is a common greeting, both in a business as well as social context; eye contact is made and held during a face-to-face conversation. They often use written contracts and agreements to clarify expectations (Gudykunst & Ting-Toomey, 1988). 1 From High Context to Low Context . This means that messages beyond a certain tipping point (Van Mulken etal., Citation2014) are too complex, and therefore become less effective. Another source of variation is consumers' cultural background; namely, their context culture, as the next section will explain. All the advice on this site is general in nature. Depending on the amount of information conveyed, cultures are classified as being high-context and low-context. Measuring a cultural construct responsible for the expected cultural differences at the level of the studies' participants is an essential methodological tool to enable attributing empirical, cultural differences to that cultural construct (Hoeken & Korzilius, Citation2003; Van de Vijver & Leung, Citation1997). Communicators in high-context cultures pay attention to more than the words spoken they also pay attention to interpersonal relationships, nonverbal expressions, physical settings, and social settings. Germany has a relatively low score when it comes to indulgence, meaning the country is restrained in nature. Greetings are formal and tend to include academic titles (Guten Morgen, Frau Doktor Faust). Hall defines intercultural communication as a form of communication that shares information across different cultures and social groups. In low-context cultures, gestures and facial expressions are never the primary means of communication; they only serve to clarify or complement a point. People tend not to smile in public with people they dont know. Brings out best in individual; challenges to produce best possible outcome, yet a strong sense of collaboration persists, Task Orientation In other words, high-context communicators attach great importance to everything that surrounds the explicit message, including interpersonal relationships, non-verbal cues, and physical and social settings. Low-context and high-context cultures are the ends of a continuum portraying how cultures communicate. As a result, context theory predicts complex messages containing visual metaphors to be better understood and to be better appreciated in high- rather than in low-context cultures. That is, recipients can be persuaded by a message even if they have not processed (and thus comprehended) that message. Required fields are marked *, This Article was Last Expert Reviewed on March 15, 2023 by Chris Drew, PhD. Websites catering to high-context audiences had a lot of animation & images. Although there are problems associated with the use of self-reported measurements, it is the best tool there currently is (see Matsumoto & Yoo, Citation2006; Taras, Rowney, & Steel, Citation2009). With a score of 66 Germany is considered a Masculine society. Hofstede, G. (1984). Due to this shared understanding, high-context cultures are slightly more informal. Routledge. When doing business with German clients, having employees in place who command respect with extensive knowledge and a willingness to have an open mind will be a huge asset. . https://helpfulprofessor.com/low-context-culture-examples/. Germany is valued around the world for its precision engineering, especially in the auto industry. A high context culture may look very different to a person who is familiar with a low context communication style. Unlike the linear communication style preferred in low-context cultures, high-context communicators may use spiral logic, circling around a topic indirectly and looking at it from many tangential or divergent viewpoints. According to the information processing theory of McGuire (Citation1972), for instance, a persuasive communicative attempt is only expected to be successful if it passes a number of critical steps, including the comprehension of the message. The Nine Competencies that Characterize an IEP, Strategies to Increase your IEP[footnote]Deardorff, D. K. (2012). 3099067 Even if not stated exactly, a speaker's intent will rarely be misunderstood. McQuarrie & Mick, Citation2003, Citation2009), jargon (cf. People understand many things that are left unsaid. Measure your personal cultural preferences on Hofstedes 6D model, compare them to the culture of a selected country and become aware of cultural pitfalls. Repeat key points. Small families with a focus on the parent-children relationship rather than aunts and uncles are most common. Class, Codes and Control. The difference between High and Low Context Culture is that Low Context Cultures (Individualistic Cultures) do not need a lot of additional (Contextual) information to engage in " communication ". In high-context cultures, people are said to prefer symbolic, artful language that is implicit. Because directness may be thought of as disrespectful, discussions in high-context cultures can be circuitous, circling key issues rather than addressing them head-on. Sage Publications. The United States is the lowest context culture in the world followed by Canada, Australia, Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom. Belgium and the Netherlands are highly comparable in their political system, their economic status, and their geographical location, and they both have Dutch as a national language. Many aspects of cultural behavior are not made explicit because most members know what . Bernstein, B. All Anglo-Saxon cultures fall on the left-hand side of the scale, with the United Kingdom as the highest context culture of the Anglo-Saxon cluster. The present study had an approach taken in a number of other studies (e.g., Le Pair & Van Mulken, Citation2008; McQuarrie & Mick, Citation1999, Study 2; Van Enschot & Hoeken, Citation2015): participants were asked to report the degree to which they understood the message. [emailprotected], 2022 Hofstede Insights | Privacy policy, Virtual Organisational Culture Certification, The Role Management Plays in Organisational Change, Organisational Culture What you need to know. Edited by Liz O. Baylen and Mike Benoist. While a lot of resources are in the realm of international relations and business, there are some valuable high and low context culture lessons to glean for community engagement. Conclusions are explicitly stated. Many low context cultures are individualist so people openly express their views, and tend to make important information obvious to others. w'SJVJu V\.|w0#1n`(+~#/ w6'nZ6eFaLYCfFUL_xZ7(oe4pT`s;@Cu}E+=Rg 8Mt:}=v6mqFA*h;oC,}Y aE^:w?M0y'HF;c& nZiQR e The fundamental issue addressed by this dimension is the degree of interdependence a society maintains among its members. Complex ads, such as the example of the liquid detergent, may be better comprehended and better appreciated in higher- than in lower-context cultures. Sage Publications. For this reason, understanding differences between U.S. and German business communication may prove useful when starting conversations and negotiations with German business partners. While some traditions and norms are important to Germans, they can also be adapted to suit solutions that are dependent on time, situation, and context. In societies with a pragmatic orientation, people believe that truth depends very much on situation, context and time. In K. Berardo & D. K. Deardorff, eds. The five areas of future research relate to the study of context culture on the nonlinear relationship between comprehension and persuasion, the selection of complex message components other than visual metaphors, the measurement of context culture on an individual level, the measurement of message comprehension, and the measurement of persuasion. In other words, if a recipient has noticed a message, and is motivated to process it, the message will only have an impact on beliefs, attitudes, and intentions if it is comprehended. Fourth, in future empirical studies on the role of context theory in comprehension and persuasion, it may be worthwhile to vary the ways in which message comprehension is measured. 6e`pS"\wFR-O/XXdg%8a'Gz:A9=w5G>+1 ) Which one of the following countries is considered a low context culture? In high-context cultures (such as those in Japan, China, Korea, and Arab countries), communication relies heavily on non-verbal, contextual, and shared cultural meanings. In such circumstances, recipients are persuaded by other elements in the message for which comprehension is less relevant. Xu & Wyer, Citation2010), or foreign languages (cf. Want to create or adapt books like this? The Belgian and Dutch students did not differ in mean age (F (1, 287) = 3.67, p =.056) or in gender distribution (X2(1) = 3.27, p =.071). Which of the following countries is considered a high context culture? Second, it seems useful to conduct conceptual replications of this kind of study with other complex ads that do not contain visual metaphors, but instead contain other complex message characteristics. Managers are expected to be decisive and assertive. German directness is a particularly noticeable cultural standard. zsOx B*@ Focus on individual; very task-oriented; Hoechstleistung (to give your best) is expected and nothing less; depending on the position and the nature of the organization, working overtime might be expected. "@AutisticCoach_ Autism is universal but our struggles and disabilities aren't, they are affected by the culture. /T?KrGM7IL];K7,~`}b`x2Zp|yMkX1h1s]0;Vq4{i `{DXB=1 u`sBY.I43VO9#"43puz qAZf6I'a^OD. A principal component analysis did not lead to a more reliable scale. In, Meyer, C. (2017). Goodwill Messages and Recommendations. Future studies should, however, incorporate study background as a personal characteristic. In contrast, low-context websites had lesser animation and images, focusing instead on the information. (2014, December 10). Permission is granted subject to the terms of the License under which the work was published. endstream endobj 313 0 obj <>stream However, be sure to consider that your communication style doesnt highlight instant gratification or a can-do emotion. This conservative, reasoned approach to problems that arise gives Germany the ability to change quickly to local and global situations. We cite peer reviewed academic articles wherever possible and reference our sources at the end of our articles. =AUj/9B Xxbhn%nH4o An example of such a complex ad is an ad for liquid detergent that was used in Western Europe. Germany demonstrate the characteristic features of the low-context culture, the communicative style of the German-speaking Swiss is mitigative as they are referred to the high-context culture. In high-context cultures, communication cues are transmitted by posture, voice inflection, gestures, and facial expression. People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read. Let us help you make your transition easy! You can often convey more information with fewer words. Germany is among the uncertainty avoidant countries (65); the score is on the high end, so there is a slight preference for Uncertainty Avoidance. Oxford University Press. Similarly, ad liking was higher for Belgian than for Dutch participants, and again, this difference was explained by context score. An example of a fusion metaphor is the ad for Ariel liquid detergent that was discussed in the introduction. Beyond Culture. If we explore the German culture through the lens of the 6-D Model, we can get a good overview of the deep drivers of German culture relative to other world cultures. \}c^a3e7n o+:~z Finally, it is expected that the effect predicted in H3 is mediated by participants' context-culture scores (H4): H3: Participants from a higher-context culture like ads with visual metaphors better than participants from a lower-context culture. Cultures with a low-context orientation, including North America and Western Europe, tend to solve problems with logic rather than intuition and highly value directness. Gudykunst, W. B., & Ting-Toomey, S. (1988). [emailprotected], Technical Support Two examples of items were A speaker can assume that listeners will know what they really mean, and People understand many things that are left unsaid (all nine items are in Appendix1). Social media in Germany is used by only 50 percent of the populationdrastically lower than many countries in Europe. (The Netherlands in the referent category). In an advertising context, the more effort is spent in deciphering an ad, the more satisfied consumers will be that they have succeeded in this deciphering. Therefore, empirical evidence was also found for H4, which means that participants' personal context scores indeed mediated the effect of nationality on ad liking. The socio- . Effectively communicating within this culture, therefore, requires messaging that is perceived as objective, professional, and efficient. The authors thank Ellen van Maaren for her assistance in the data collection, and Christian Burgers for his suggestion for the data analysis. As the ads depicted individuals or individuals in interaction, they chose to measure the participants' personal achievement (i.e., leadership) and affiliation (i.e., friendship) evoked by the images as measures of implicit meaning. This dimension is defined as the extent to which people try to control their desires and impulses, based on the way they were raised. Low-context cultures tend to focus more on the individual than the group, which is why they value individualism and autonomy. In our fully Read More, Is your business looking for French translation services or interpreting services? In general, both Germany and the U.S. are low-context cultures, meaning that information and meaning are usually communicated explicitly through words. Sourabh Yadav (MA) and Peer Reviewed by Chris Drew (PhD), Transhumanism: 10 Examples and Definition, Terminal Values: 10 Examples and Definition, Instrumental Values: 10 Examples and Definition, Latent Inhibition: 10 Examples and Definition.