Its important to understand that for an American for instance (America is located to the very left of the scale, by the low-context), both British and Polish cultures may seem very high-context and combining that with a tendency to use sarcastic humour cultural shock guaranteed! So I was talking about Asia tables (region-Asia), while my teammate was taking about Asia from the Polish team confirming their participants for a Poland table Men usually wait for women to offer their hand first. A high-context culture is a culture in which people rely heavily on nonverbal and implicit communication. Vodka became a popular alcoholic drink since then. At the long-term end of the spectrum are countries like China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan; whereas, countries like Pakistan, Czech Republic, Nigeria, Spain, and the Philippines are examples of short-term. International. There is a great blog of an American living in Poland that I would like to recommend to you as its a very interesting perspective to learn about. High-context cultures will use communication that focuses on underlying context, meaning, and tone in the message, and not just the words themselves. What am I going to do without you!'. What is important to remember when analysing these graphs is that we cant definitely say whether a culture IS a low or high context. Poland was under the rule of communism from 1945- 1989 Wojewdztwo pomorskie - wojewdztwo znajdujce si w pnocnej czci kraju. 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. Management in high-and low-context cultures - Poland and Korea in the light of empirical research. 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. (such as the United States, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Finland, Denmark the UK, or Poland) and need to communicate with people from a high-context culture (like Japan, Indonesia, Iran, China, Kenya, . Its opposite pole, restraint, reflects a conviction that such gratification needs to be curbed and regulated by strict social norms. 34 The top five on the Indulgence end are Venezuela, Mexico, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, and Nigeria, whereas those on the restraint end are Pakistan, Egypt, Latvia, Ukraine, and Albania. Join me in the webinar on Tuesday, 7 March and let's discuss how you can ensure not to fall into the trap of those myths! The final characteristic of cultures is a new one first reported on in the 2010 edition of Cultures and Organizations. Meetings are formal. If youre interested I would be happy to continue that topic and describe the possible challenges of moving both of these ways. Communication within a family or close-knit group is high context in almost any part of the world. Meetings generally start on time. Older, more traditional managers have technical skills but may lack management skills. The society in Poland exhibited a high degree of stratification before 1939. In the past, men and women who crossed their marriageable age (twenty for women and late 20s for men) were subjected to mockery. Asia, the Polish name, is spelled the same as the continent but pronounced very differently! You may be wondering, by this point, how low-context and high-context cultures differ across different countries. I have to admit, I can't remember exactly the moment I told my close ones about the move abroad, it all happened so quickly in my case Another form of respectful greeting is a brief, shallow bow. Being an American and moving from a lower context culture to a higher context culture, you will experience different emotions and challenges than moving from higher context culture to the lower one. The St. Stephan's Day is celebrated the next day. Moreover, in a collectivistic culture, there is a belief that you should do what benefits the group. Countries that fall into this categorization are Japan, China, France, Spain, Brazil, and more. The Polish also love playing volleyball and the country has a history of participation in several international competitions of this game. #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, Are you a global leader who has these topics on your mind recently, but not yet sure of the 'how'? Yes. We cannot escape it; however, some people are more prone to becoming fearful in situations that are ambiguous or unknown. In essence, "in LCC, meaning is expressed through explicit verbal messages, both written and oral. In the 1970's, anthropologist Edward T. Hall coined the phrases "high-context culture" and "low- context culture.". Households in the second quintile had incomes between $20,600 and $39,764, those in the third quintile had incomes between $39,765 and $64,582, and those in the fourth quintile had incomes between $64,583 and $104,096. Exchanging business cards is an important business ritual. Business is business. STRATEGY is the awareness of your own cultural preferences and how they impact your interactions with others, as well as the ability to plan for multicultural interactions and check whether your understanding was correct or not. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Poland is also known for its electronic dance music with Vader being the most famous band performing this genre of music. However, their significance has nearly been eliminated in the modern Polish society. A variety of other sports like basketball, hockey, swimming, weightlifting, boxing, etc., are played in the country. - Our Planet Today on April 20, 2022 Is Poland a high or low context culture? 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. Poland is definitely a culture of a higher context than UK. The LibreTexts libraries arePowered by NICE CXone Expertand are supported by the Department of Education Open Textbook Pilot Project, the UC Davis Office of the Provost, the UC Davis Library, the California State University Affordable Learning Solutions Program, and Merlot. In 1924, the novel Chopi won Wadysaw Reymont a Nobel Prize in Literature. The Catholic Church is core to everyday life. They required me to work on myself so that this narrative doesn't get stuck in my head, and that I still continue living my own life, while doing my best to care for the relationships that I wanted to keep in my life. Poles consider themselves independent and self-disciplined. 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. Geert Hofstedes research created a taxonomy for understanding and differentiating cultures. In fact, within the latest edition of the book examining these characteristics, Hofstede and his colleagues title the chapter on uncertainty avoidance as What is Different is Dangerous, calling out the threat factor people in high uncertainty avoidance cultures feel.31 Cultures at the high end of uncertainty avoidance include Greece, Portugal, Guatemala, Uruguay, and Belgium Flemish; whereas, cultures at the low end of uncertainty avoidance include Singapore, Jamaica, Denmark, Sweden, and Hong Kong. It is therefore of a higher context than the British one. Legal. It triggered a lot of thoughts and memories when I was reading it. and also 'Oh wow, noo, you're leaving? The terms low-context culture (LCC) and high-context culture (HCC) were created by Hall to describe how communication styles differ across cultures. The cultural variability dimensions of individualism-collectivism and small/large power distance shape the orientations, movements, contents, and styles of facework. The top 5 percent had incomes of $191,157 or more.25. When it comes to British humour however, I totally get it (if I understand the vocabulary of course, cause sometimes sadly I dont )! Messages may seem direct because Poles believe people should be free to express opinions. Can be very slow. 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. 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. Christianity is the dominant religion in Poland with about 92.2% of Poles being Roman Catholics. High-context cultures will use communication that focuses on underlying context, meaning, and tone in the message, and not just the words themselves. He ended up more comfortable and confident when it comes to talking about emotions, with a tool to help him actually name what he's feeling, and empowered to reach for his professional goals. The killing of a large section of the Polish intelligentsia by the Nazis and the Communists during and after World War II greatly reduced the rigid social stratification in the country. Most marriages were arranged and divorces were rare and looked down upon. The world's cultural diversity naturally leads to many types of communication differences from one region to the next. In an individualistic culture, there is a belief that you can do what you want and follow your passions. Particularism Most Asian countries are considered collectivistic cultures because these cultures tend to be group-focused. The concept of face is one that is not the easiest to define nor completely understand. A traditional Polish meal starts with soup (zupa), followed by a main course with meat (cutlets) served with cooked (boiled) potatoes or dumplings. Hiking, skiing, ski jumping, and mountain biking are popular activities enjoyed by both amateur and professional sportsperson visiting the mountains of Poland. We also acknowledge previous National Science Foundation support under grant numbers 1246120, 1525057, and 1413739. Recruiting is done through executive search firms and through the internet. Let us help you make your transition easy! Generally Polish employees are motivated by the recognition of good performance, a more visible position with a higher title, the opportunity to work in a company that is contributing to the modernization of Poland, a chance to develop good relationships with colleagues, and by incentives that allow them to spend more leisure time with family and friends. Its a real life example from my first job in London where I was a campus recruiter and was organising an international event for students studying in the UK but wanting to work for our office in other parts of the world. 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. Several types of soups like ros, flaki, and zupa ogrkowa are also part of the Polish cuisine. During this time, three poets, entitled the Three Bards (Zygmunt Krasiski, Adam Mickiewicz, and Juliusz Sowacki) acted as the spiritual leaders of the nation. However, over the years, the traditional views have changed and marriages are now based more on the consent of couples than the family and divorces have also become more common than before. In the most recent version of her theory, Stella Ting-Toomey outlines seven basic factors of face-negotiation theory: First and foremost, communication and face are highly intertwined concepts, so when coming to an intercultural encounter, it is important to remember the interrelationship between the two. Currently, the Polish society has 6 groupings. During this time, large-scale migration of the rural population to Polish cities was observed. Formula One Racing was first introduced to Poland by driver Robert Kubica. The other countries did not differ from each other with regard to trait affection given. 6: Cultural and Environmental Factors in Interpersonal Communication, Book: Interpersonal Communication - A Mindful Approach to Relationships (Wrench et al. Finally, the researchers examined affection given and received with regards to Hofstedes work. People in all cultures try to maintain and negotiate face in all communication situations. What is Poland culture? Jozef Chemoski was a famous Polish painter belonging to the realist school. Similarly, trait affection received was significantly associated with the individualism-collectivism and uncertainty avoidance dimensions of cultures. 36, Mansson, D. H., & Sigurardttir, A. G. (2017). This post is a part of the series where Id like to share some of my cross-cultural experiences and stories. People in cultures with high uncertainty avoidance can view this ambiguity and lack of knowledge as threatening, which is one reason why people in these cultures tend to have higher levels of anxiety and neuroticism as a whole. In public, women who need directions or have other questions are expected to ask policemen or other women; approaching men is seen as flirtation. I heard opinions that its weird, stupid, not-funny-at-all, thats also a widely heldstereotype about that culture. 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. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions 2023 worldatlas.com. Messages are both spoken and read between the lines. Want to get support in developing these skills and make your intercultural working more of a breeze? Ultimately, we can define these types of cultures in the following way: A society is called masculine when emotional gender roles are clearly distinct: men are supposed to be assertive, tough, and focused on material success, whereas women are supposed to be more modest, tender, and concerned with quality of life. 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. Don't hesitate to ask clarifying questions if the intent is not clear or the message sounds confusing. The United States is number one on individualism, according to Hofstedes data.27 Americans are considered individualistic. This did not come to me as a surprise although it triggered some thoughts on that topic. 45 Lien represents the confidence of society in the integrity of egos moral character, the loss of which makes it impossible for him to function properly within the community. Ultimately, research examining these differences have shown that people from indulgent countries are more open to other cultures, more satisfied with their lives, and are more likely to communicate with friends and family members via the Internet while interacting with more people from other cultures via the Internet as well. 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A number of poets and authors produced works that focussed on patriotism and the revival of the country. Close friends greet each other very affectionately with hugging and kisses on the cheeks. According to Hofstedes data, the U.S. is 16th from the bottom of power distance, so we are in the bottom third with regards to power distance. South Korea, Canada, England, Saudi Arabia, What statement best describes a high power distance culture?, T/F: Cultures with a strong uncertainty avoidance orientation sense that uncertainty in life is a continuous threat that must be fought. Still, they illustrate the importance of knowing and understanding gestures in differing cultures because we do not all interpret nonverbal behavior the same way. Building relationships is an important and required step to achieving social and business goals. Messages are expressed and understood at face value. Femininity, on the other hand, involves characteristics like having a good working relationship with ones manager and coworkers, cooperating with people at work, and security (both job and familial). 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. Its always great to get another perspective on cultural differences! Site Name: UK - London - Brentford, Warsaw Posted Date: Mar 2 2023 HR Business Partner Poland and Austria & HR Country Head Austria Job purpose: HR Business Partner Poland and Austria & HR Country Head Austria will partner with the commercial business to adapt and effectively execute the people plan, leveraging their local context and expertise, to ensure the effective deployment of the GSK HR . In this section, were going to examine three important luminaries that have helped shape our understanding of culture and intercultural communication: Edward T. Hall, Geert Hofsteded, and Stella Ting-Toomey. The Poles have always welcomed artists from abroad and adopted cultural trends of other countries to enrich their own lively cultural scene. It will be based on the book entitled The Culture Map by an INSEAD professor and cross-cultural specialist Erin Meyer. Let's chat! 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. Poles are also used to less personal space in public, and they offer help to one another on trams, busses and in other public locations. Poland, and the United States. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Poland boasts 17 Nobel prize winners, including four Peace Prizes and five in Literature. There was atime when I attended a meeting where a decision has been made on the task split and further steps of the project. DM me with the word 'AD HOC' and I'll reply with the details of how you can schedule yourself in for that! It is crucial that we compare the cultures in relation to each other on the graph. Shaking hands is the most common business greeting. Some everyday Polish foods include kiebasa (a type of sausage), pierogi (filled dumplings), pyzy (dough balls filled with meat), kopytka (potato dumpling), gobki (cabbage leaves wrapped around meat and rice), bigos (stewed meat and cabbage), etc. This is most common for women, but some men also embrace and kiss. It includes language (countries using Anglo-Saxon ones are usually closer to the low-context, Asian countries lean clearly more towards the high-context) and history (high-context cultures tend to have a longer shared history than low-context cultures). The order of affection received was (in order of the most trait affection received) United States, Denmark, Poland, and Iceland. there. You know, various comments of how things are going to be worse off, when will I come back from that little adventure of mine, why don't I visit more often, why can't I be there for that family occasion and clearly those are no longer important since moving abroad. A luminary is an expert who sheds light on a subject and inspires and influences others work in that area. Think through Geert Hofstedes six categories used to evaluate differing cultures and apply Hofstedes ideas to your co-culture. People say what they mean and mean what they say. Use of titles is expected until someone suggests first-name basis. The results also indicated that trait affection given was significantly associated with the individualism-collectivism, masculinity-femininity, and uncertainty avoidance dimensions of cultures.