Countries that fall into this categorization are Japan, China, France, Spain, Brazil, and more. Poland is a member of the European Union, NATO, the United Nations and the World Trade Organization. In essence, "in LCC, meaning is expressed through explicit verbal messages, both written and oral. When Poles are comfortable with you and you are part of their private circle, communication can be more outspoken, direct and even cynical. Theres also a massive difference in the approach to marriage. Although English is the language of business, it is best to have all contracts and documents translated into Polish. Poland boasts 17 Nobel prize winners, including four Peace Prizes and five in Literature. Working with people from low context culture . The Culture Map Communication: Low and High context cultures, 5 easy ways to overcome self-doubt after moving abroad, How to stay connected with family and friends when living abroad. Other national heroes include: John Paul II, Lech Walesa, Nicolaus Copernicus and Frederic Chopin Poland is bordered by 7 countries and the Baltic Sea. You may be wondering, by this point, how low-context and high-context cultures differ across different countries. Pomeranian Voivodeship - a voivodeship located in the northern part of Poland. #expatcoaching #expatlife #livingabroad #expatcoach #workingabroad #lifeabroad #workabroad #careerabroad #internationallife #internationalcareer #globalcareer #globallife #globalleaders #culturalawareness #selfawareness #selfgrowth #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #culturalcompetence #movingabroad #zyciezagranica #zycienaemigracji #pracazagranica #rozwojosobisty #polacyzagranica, Which one - peach or coconut - do you feel closer to yourself? This page titled 6.3: Cultural Characteristics and Communication is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Jason S. Wrench, Narissra M. Punyanunt-Carter & Katherine S. Thweatt (OpenSUNY) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request. Younger managers are beginning to adopt a less hierarchical, more results-driven manner of managing teams. In public, women who need directions or have other questions are expected to ask policemen or other women; approaching men is seen as flirtation. All Rights Reserved. The earliest literature produced in the country was in Latin. Another very important researcher in the area of culture is a man by the name of Geert Hofstede. The peasants and workers constitute the majority of the population. Anxiety about the future based on: a history of beingtaken over by neighboring countries; and the legacy ofbeing under communist rule from 1945-1989. ACTION is your ability to adapt (and not adapt) when working in multicultural contexts. In the 1970's, anthropologist Edward T. Hall coined the phrases "high-context culture" and "low- context culture.". Such a good opportunity!' Notice that the U.S. does not make it into the top five or the bottom five. In terms of two interacting parties, face is the reciprocated compliance, respect, and/or deference that each party expects from, and extends to, the other party.48. Furthermore, individuals from more indulgent cultures tend to be more optimistic, while their restrained counterparts tend to be more cynical. We had tables for each region or country and coordinating the event preparation and lists of invitees with our recruiting colleagues from the participating offices. and Mrs. John Smith. In feminine cultures, men and women are upheld to the same standards, and their relationships should be based on mutual friendship. Its always great to get another perspective on cultural differences! The ruling class or nomenclatura that held the ruling power during the Communist rule in Poland is striving to regain power in the country. #expatcoaching #expatlife #livingabroad #expatcoach #workingabroad #lifeabroad #workabroad #careerabroad #internationallife #internationalcareer #globalcareer #globallife #globalleaders #culturalawareness #selfawareness #selfgrowth #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #culturalcompetence #movingabroad #zyciezagranica #zycienaemigracji #pracazagranica #rozwojosobisty #polacyzagranica, If youd like to explore your own cultural values and see how they are at play in your working life - DM me the word CULTURE and Ill share more information with you about the CQ Assessment and debrief session where we discuss your personalised assessment report and create a plan forward to develop your cultural competences further! Companies who decide to hire locally should be prepared to have translators present during interviews. Then, there is a much bigger chance for success. Formality is very important in Poland. I know that the British are often characterised as masters of sarcasm and irony. Communication within a family or close-knit group is high context in almost any part of the world. Geography Communication in Polish society is ' low context ', meaning that they usually speak frankly and can be very direct when it comes to saying 'no'. In an individualistic culture, if someone asked what you do for a living, they would answer by saying their profession or occupation. However, nuclear families are more common now and so are families with single parents. The history and customs of the country are well reflected by the Jan Matejko inspired Historicist painting of Krakw school. Finally, the researchers examined affection given and received with regards to Hofstedes work. Mikoaj z Radomia was the first noted Polish composer who lived in the 15th century. yes it is a high context culture! The concept of face is especially problematic in emotionally vulnerable situations (such as embarrassment, request, or conflict situations) when the situation identities of the communicators are called into question. Women tend to stand and walk very close, and often hold hands when walking. Being on time is important. However, income is just one indicatory of power distance within a culture. Small enterprises have the flexibility to move more quickly. The traditional clothing of the Polish people varies greatly with their location in the country. Indirect But making decisions may take longer than in some fixed time cultures because of the emphasis on maintaining relationships and building consensus. A high context culture orientation is one in which information is shared consistently by all members of the same group. Imagine youre having an interaction with an individual from India. Feedback must be handled carefully, and many Poles may not feel comfortable evaluating those above them. Is Poland a high context culture? Legal. Several types of soups like ros, flaki, and zupa ogrkowa are also part of the Polish cuisine. High Context Obviously, these two incidents have gone down in the annals of presidential history as cultural faux pas. #expatcoaching #expatlife #livingabroad #expatcoach #workingabroad #lifeabroad #workabroad #careerabroad #internationallife #internationalcareer #globalcareer #globallife #globalleaders #culturalawareness #selfawareness #selfgrowth #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #culturalcompetence #movingabroad #zyciezagranica #zycienaemigracji #pracazagranica #rozwojosobisty #polacyzagranica, Book your CQ assessment and debrief session today! A high-context culture is a culture or society that communicates dominantly through the use of contextual elements, such as specific forms of body language, the status of an individual, and. High-context cultures are more likely to be intuitive, contemplative, and concerned with the collective. When we look at only the two however, it turns out that even though UK and Poland are so close to each other on the scale, you can still feel the difference in the communication style. A high-context culture has the opposite communication style to a low-context culture. Summarize the importance of Stella Ting-Toomeys face and facework in interpersonal relationships. This is most common for women, but some men also embrace and kiss. Households in the highest quintile had incomes of $104,097 or more. Traditionally, the Polish households have been large with three generations living under the same roof. From years of research examining both extraversion and neuroticism, we know that extraverted individuals have more successful interpersonal relationships than those who are highly neurotic. People in all cultures try to maintain and negotiate face in all communication situations. and more. In masculine cultures, women are the caretakers of the home, while men are to be healthy and wealthy. The next category identified by Hofstede involves the concept of uncertainty avoidance.30 Life is full of uncertainty. 33 The sixth cultural characteristic is called indulgence vs. restraint, which examines issues of happiness and wellbeing. During Christmas in Poland, the Poles hold grand Christmas feasts at their homes and share the food with family members. Relationship Focused Vodka became a popular alcoholic drink since then. Another popular alcoholic drink is the Polish mead which is a honey wine produced in the country since the Middle Ages. . Naturally, high-context communication can occur in a low-context culture, as the German biergarten illustrates. In my eyes however thats nothing in comparison to what the Polish are capable of. Other religions practiced in the country include Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. But respect for hierarchy of seniority and position is practiced. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions 2023 worldatlas.com. People say what they mean and mean what they say. What I do remember is that my environment was generally very supportive, I didn't feel like I was leaving with some bad emotions between any of the close family and friends. President Nixon did the same thing existing an airplane in Brazil flashing his famous OK sign with his thumb and forefinger forming a circle, but this is the middle finger in that culture. The society in Poland exhibited a high degree of stratification before 1939. A high-context culture relies on implicit communication and nonverbal cues. The Polish culture has greatly evolved over the years having been influenced by the geographic location of the country at the confluence of European regions with their distinct cultures. Figure 6.3.2 illustrates some of the patterns of context that exist in todays world.21. The ability to navigate successfully across cultures is not a luxury; it is a necessity. However, because there is still a great deal of bureaucracy, deadlines are often delayed. In relationship-based cultures, eg. DM me the word 'CULTURE' and I'll come back with the details of how to get started. With time I actually started to appreciate most of these minutes after meetings and sometimes I dont even take notes any more if I know the lead will send a summary afterwards! Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 46(2), 161-172. https://doi.org/10.1080/17475759.2017.1292944. The world's cultural diversity naturally leads to many types of communication differences from one region to the next. Poland was under the rule of communism from 1945- 1989. According to Hofstedes most recent data, the five countries with the highest power distances are: Malaysia, Slovakia, Guatemala, Panama, and the Philippines.26 The five countries with the lowest power distances are Austria, Israel, Denmark, New Zealand, and Switzerland (German-speaking part). As such, facework should be viewed as a necessary component for understanding any form of interpersonal interaction but is especially important when examining interpersonal interactions that occur between people from differing cultural backgrounds. High-context cultures have a lot of unwritten rules that govern communication and interaction. in with awareness or stay confused. Additionally, there is a strong emphasis on saving face, which we will discuss more in the next section, fulfilling ones obligations today, and enjoying ones leisure time. President George H. Bush once held up his hand in a V for Victory salute to an Australian audience only to find out later that this was the equivalent of the middle finger in the United States. 29. Japan is the most high-context society due to long shared history, followed by Korea, China and Indonesia. Dress, manner-isms, relationships, meeting setting and hierarchy all contrib-ute to the way a message may be delivered and interpreted. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Small/large power distance shapes members preferences for horizontal-based facework versus vertical-based facework. Affectionate communication is conceptualized as a persons use of intentional and overt communicative behaviors to convey feelings of closeness, care, and fondness in the form of verbal statements, nonverbal behaviors, and social support.35. Messages are both spoken and read between the lines. Poland is definitely a culture of a higher context than UK. The first of Geert Hofstedes original dimensions of national cultures was power distance, or the degree to which those people and organizations with less power within a culture accept and expect that power is unequally distributed within their culture. High-context communication style may be detrimental to the design of global Web sites, making them less readable, less effective in their use of colors and graphics, and less interactive for. Children are taught to be polite and the Polish society stresses a lot on polite behavior. Bg si rodzi, Bogurodzica are some of the oldest musical compositions originating in Poland. Fluid Time Poles are good listeners, and may listen thoroughly before responding. Heres a 4-minute speech from Erin Meyer on this topic as an extra source: click. In Table 6.3.1, we broke down issues of context into three general categories: communication, cultural orientation, and business. Approaches to problem-solving can be indirect, and often one-on-one meetings are more productive than large group discussions. Although Poland and England are not so far away from each other on the communication scale, I had moments when low-context behaviours were annoying for me. For example, in a high-context culture, you may rely more on subtlety, but it's incumbent upon you to be direct in a low-context culture. A luminary is an expert who sheds light on a subject and inspires and influences others work in that area. Easter is also celebrated with great fun in the country. If youre interested I would be happy to continue that topic and describe the possible challenges of moving both of these ways. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. The emphasis on endurance is vital because being persistent today will help you in the future. High-context cultures will use communication that focuses on underlying context, meaning, and tone in the message, and not just the words themselves. #expatcoaching #expatlife #livingabroad #expatcoach #workingabroad #lifeabroad #workabroad #careerabroad #internationallife #internationalcareer #globalcareer #globallife #globalleaders #culturalawareness #selfawareness #selfgrowth #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #culturalcompetence #movingabroad #zyciezagranica #zycienaemigracji #pracazagranica #rozwojosobisty #polacyzagranica, Yasser started out our conversation curious about coaching, but also a bit uncertain, anxious and hopeful about what it could bring.