Culture School is in session! In this series, we take an aspect of intercultural theory and apply to daily life. Basically, our goal is to expose those cultural moonwalking bears. And because this blog is about culture and education, we consider each topic in the context of the classroom.
photo by maryatexitzero
by :: Anamaria
We have spent a lot of time in the last few months discussing major differences between cultures around the world.
In our Go to Culture School series we talked about Individualism/Collectivism, Power Distance, and how these cultural dimensions influence education around the world.
Today we are focusing on time.
Why? Well, because understanding the way people treat time says a lot about the culture they come from.
In other words, understanding the different perceptions of time around the world helps us understand people’s behavior. Helps us understand people. And the better we understand people, the better we’ll be able to communicate with them.
Time, the way people use it, usually divides cultures in two categories:
1. monochronic/linear (or “clock time”)
2. polychronic/flexible
One thing we need to remember is that cultures are never exclusively one or the other: cultures will likely be one and the other, but with a clear tendency toward one of these two extremes.
photo by badboy69
Here are the general characteristics of the two extremes:
Monochronic/Linear Time:
-
Time is the given and people are the variable.
-
The needs of people are adjusted to suit the demands of time, hence the popularity of schedules, deadlines, etc.
-
Time is quantifiable, and a limited amount of it is available.
-
People do one thing at a time and finish it before starting something else, regardless of circumstances. Note: This concept is different from multitasking, though, which can be quite popular in monochronic cultures.
-
“Western” cultures tend to be monochronic.
Polychronic/Flexible Time:
-
Time is the servant and tool of people.
-
Time is adjusted to suit the needs of people.
-
More time is always available, and you are never too busy
-
People often have to do several things simultaneously, as required by circumstances.
-
It’s not necessary to finish one thing before starting another (even if deadlines are fast approaching), nor to finish your business with one person before starting in with another.
-
Relationships are more important than appointments/deadlines.
-
Mediterranean, Latin American, Asian, African, and Arab cultures tend to be polychronic
From: What’s Up with Culture
Want an exmaple? Here’s a story about a monochronic person (from the U.S.) learning to work in a polychronic culture (Guinea, West Africa):
It had been a challenge to accept the fact that meetings or scheduled events never start “on time” in West Africa. If a meeting is set for 8 o’clock, people begin arriving around 9 o’clock and the meeting actually starts at 10 o’clock. After this happened several times, I asked my friend if all Guineans were habitually late. Surprised, she told me, “We Guineans aren’t late. You Americans are just early!” I had been acting like a typical American by arriving 15 minutes before a scheduled appointment, whereas I should have been arriving an hour after the scheduled time, which is the Guinean way. Read more…
There is a lot more that we can — and will – talk about when it comes to time.
We’ll explore the cultural perspectives of time in more detail next week. Until then, here are a couple questions to ponder: Does your culture tend to be more monochronic or polychronic? How is this tendancy reflected in your behavior and interactions with other people (e.g., at school, with your students/colleagues, while shopping, on the weekend, in your expectations of other people, etc)?
We love connecting with our readers! Why not…
::: Share your ideas and experiences by leaving a comment.
::: Follow Anamaria on Twitter.
::: Stay updated by subscribing to our RSS feed or email updates.
{ 5 trackbacks }