People from different cultures obtain, perceive, and process information in different ways; thus, they may also reach different conclusions.
People identify things by means of their senses in various ways with each sense. The particular cues used vary both for physiological and cultural reasons. [For example, the richer and more precise a language, the better one’s ability to express subtleties.]
Language represents a culture’s means of communication. In a low-context culture, people rely on firsthand information that bears directly on a decision or situation; people say what they mean and mean what they say. In a high-context culture, people also rely on peripheral information and infer meaning from things communicated indirectly; relationships are very important. [For example, while Germany is considered to be a low-context culture, Saudi Arabia is considered to be a high-context culture.
All cultures categorize, plan and quantify, but the ordering and classification systems they use often vary. In monochromic cultures (e.g., northern Europeans) people prefer to work sequentially, but in polychromic cultures (e.g., southern European) people are more comfortable working on multiple tasks at one time. Likewise, in some cultures people focus first on the whole and then on the parts; similarly, in idealistic cultures people will determine principles before they attempt to resolve issues, but in pragmatic cultures they will focus more on details than principles.
Read more: MGT520 - International Business - Lecture Handout 17
Read more: MGT520 - International Business - Lecture Handout 11