% AMERICANS Edward T. Hall and Mildred Reed Hall I Anthropologists Edward T. Hall and Mildred Reed Hall have written a book based on extensive research and 180 interviews in Germany, France, and the United States that provides a new under¬ standing of the importance of the culture- based differences that exist between the peoples of these countries. The first section of the book outlines the Halls' basic ideas about the ways in which cultures differ. These differences fall into four principal categories: context (the availa¬ bility and transfer of information), time (how time is perceived differently in monochronic and polychronic cultures), space (how the use of space reflects, for instance, the degree to which privacy is valued), and message flow (how messages are constructed and communicated between individuals). This sets the stage for exploring how cultural factors affect the way business is conducted in each country, including how authority is exercised, how people communicate face- to-face, and how systems are devised and implemented. The Germans, seen as monochronic (low context), move at a slow, deliberate pace and require a great deal of detailed in¬ formation to be effective in their work. They tend to deal with things in a highly struc¬ tured, linear fashion. The French, more polychronic (high context), are able to extract information from the highly commu¬ nicative network of relationships that are part of the work environment and are capable of doing many things at once. Americans, who stand culturally somewhere between the Germans and the French, are more direct, linear, and work-ethic oriented than the French but less dependent on printed information and better able to deal Continued on back flap » flVu f % ► - - sjj- i ijw ■ " ' J" ' '• ■ ' Vi N't ■■■ ". > ■ * f -v- V V- * ■ *=!*' UNDERSTANDING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES Some of the material in this book appeared in different form in the following: Hidden Differences: Doing Business with the Japanese Copyright © 1987 by Edward T. Hall Associates Garden City, NY: Anchor Press/Doubleday Hidden Differences: Studies in International Communication Copyright© 1983, 1984, 1985 by Edward T. Hall Associates Hamburg: Gruner & Jahr The Dance of Life Copyright © 1983 by Edward T. Hall Associates Garden City, NY: Anchor Press/Doubleday Beyond Culture Copyright © 1977 by Edward T. Hail Garden City, NY: Anchor Press/Doubleday UNDERSTANDING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES Edward T. Hall and Mildred Reed Hall INTERCULTURAL PRESS, INC. Library of Congress Catalog No. 89-084388 ISBN 0-933662-84-X Copyright 1990 Edward T. Hall Associates Published by Intercultural Press, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written prior permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information, contact Intercultural Press P.O. Box 700 Yarmouth, Maine 04096 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hall, Edward Twitchell, 1914- Understanding cultural differences: keys to success in West Ger¬ many, France, and the United States/Edward T. Hall, Mildred Reed Hall, p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-933662-84-X 1. Industrial management—Cross-cultural studies. 2. Industrial management—United States. 3. Industrial management—France. 4. Industrial management—Germany (West) 5. Corporations, Ameri- can-France—Management. 6. Corporations, American—Management. 7. National characteristics, American. 8. National characteristics, French. 9. National characteristics. West German. I. Hall, Mildred Reed. II. Title. HD31.H229 1989 89-84388 306—dc20 This book is dedicated with gratitude and appreciation to all the people at Sfern/Gruner & Jahr who provided unfailing support and encouragement throughout our work together and to the many people we interviewed in West Germany, France, and the United States who freely shared their experiences with us and helped us understand the complex interactions between the peoples of these different cultures. ■ ‘ft . } ‘ -V .•'t -11 -»’'*4rtrf i • ■ o.l^ iK. 'ot •*< n:«»>^}q^& bc»6 t>l3«^»»i-ijj /I cL^T i'^v^ , f fim/l»i>*^w»nq oti»v tflM ^ ijt 9*0 -f n»o Yt^orilgiichfif if'f bf**. ^1 r»,OJ n./n^ftii'^i.O t«r4W n» Iwr/. j w»’>?,'») vTi<;in *u f^iW^i- If >1 .fb yls^n) ‘.-e»itnU orb A^'^'vs Wif ?iV>lt>ff» »lni J ♦ ntl'b^'i.jT'.'auoii ^u <^iUi*o •‘^tqooq I I i ii if ; rjii»f..biwf » -'vv .Mf .4 , ' VvI H T-r. " bigti^Mwtn ‘ - ■ ■ *iiMf|.'| V '•••- - -'V .H1«*41fl*, ■ ! • v^. (j *4 • ■ > • : ^ ^ ■ ' * - ^ tv^f' ■ ■ ■■ ' / ; ' •# -» ■ •)« '>• . • V ' f i ■ ' ■ -T' j - ‘ ' « f-*' > ^ t ^ 4 - - ;t ^ iT - - 1 •- Contents Preface xiii Acknowledgments xvii Introduction xix Part 1 Key Concepts: Underlying Structures of Culture 7 Culture Is Communication 3 Fast and Slow Messages: Finding the Appropriate Speed 4 High and Low Context: How Much Information Is Enough? 6 Space 10 Territoriality 10 Personal Space 11 The Multisensory Spatial Experience 11 Unconscious Reactions to Spatial Differences 12 Time 13 Monochronic and Polychronic Time 13 The Relation between Time and Space 15 Polychronic Time and Information 16 Past- and Future-Oriented Countries 77 VII Understanding Cultural Differences Time As Communication 18 Tempo, Rhythm, and Synchrony 18 Scheduling and Lead Time 19 The Importance of Proper Timing 20 Appointments 21 Information Flow: Is It Fast or Slow and Where Does It Go? 22 Action Chains: The Importance of Completion 24 Interfacing: Creating the Proper Fit 26 Releasing the Right Responses 27 The Importance of Context and Following the Rules 27 The Importance of the Right Interpreter 28 Summary 29 Part 2 The Germans German Culture 35 German Time: Precise Scheduling, Slow Pace 35 German Space: Inviolate 37 The Door As Symbol: A Solid Barrier 40 Power: The Name of the Game 41 Order in All Things 43 Compartmentalization: Airtight 44 Possessions: Having vs. Using 45 Formality: Politeness and Distance 48 Communication Style 49 German Psychology 52 German Business 55 The Negative Image of German Business 56 Problems in German Business 57 viii 33 Contents German Management; Authority and Control 60 Employee Expectations 62 Business Etiquette 64 Labor: Bottom-Up Power 65 Women in German Business 67 Negotiations: Power in Action 68 Getting Started 69 Advertising: Facts and More Facts 71 Americans from the German Perspective 75 Germans from the American Perspective 76 Advice to Americans Doing Business in Germany 77 Americans Working for Germans 83 Part 3 The French 85 French Culture 87 Historical Background: Context for Today 87 Regionalism: Geographic and Ethnic Diversity 88 French Time: Doing Many Things at Once 88 French Tempo: Vite, Vite 90 French Space: Centralization 91 Personal Space and Regional Differences 92 France As a Center of Art and Learning 95 Pride, Chauvinism, Elan and Panache 93 Class Structure; The Hidden Hierarchy 96 Education: Gateway to Success 99 French Communication Style: Indirection and Eloquence 102 French Books, Articles, and Presentations 103 Logic: The Key to Reaching the French 104 French Psychology 105 Understanding Cultural Differences French Business 1 7 7 Government and Business: Close Ties 7 7 7 Personal Contacts: The Vital Early-Warning Networks 112 Bureaucracies: Designed to Defeat 113 Management Centralization: Command and Control 7 14 Women in French Business 114 Autocratic Behavior: "The Boss Is the Boss" 7 75 Fear of Risk 7 76 Commitments: Get It in Writing 7 76 Formality: Comme il faut 117 Meetings: Eloquence in Action 118 The Business Lunch: Haute Cuisine and Savoir-Vivre 118 Negotiations: Sang-froid and Soft-Sell 121 Managers: Consummate Jugglers 122 Deliveries 122 Sales: Contact with the Customer 123 Employees: Individualists All 124 Sketch of a French Businessman 125 French Advertising: Eye-Catching Aesthetics 727 Americans from the French Perspective 128 The French from the American Perspective 729 Advice to Americans Doing Business in France 130 The Germans and the French 135 Part 4 The Americans 137 American Culture 139 Time: One Thing at a Time 140. Space: Keeping Your Distance 141 Education in a Changing Society 742 X Contents Mobility: A Nation on the Move 144 Work Ethic 145 Communication Style 146 American Psychology 146 American Business 154 The Role of Business: Generator of Wealth 154 Large Corporations, Mergers, and Takeovers 155 Current Challenges to American Business 756 How Business Works 759 Planning and Scheduling 767 Meetings: The Importance of Agendas 162 Successful Managers 164 Women in Business 765 Labor in Transition 766 Public Relations, Corporate Image, and Advertising 767 Characteristics of Successful American Business Executives 170 Corporate Culture and Local Culture 777 American Business Executives Abroad 772 Key Points for Foreigners to Keep in Mind 174 When Working with American Business 775 When Working with Individual Americans 776 Summary 179 Glossary 183 Reading List 187 Index 193 l^.-i ' r “ ■ ^“ 1 ' Cf^rTr^'T>*i« 'l^fi^ ■ ■ ‘i r#(: . * ‘ * i J t' ^ * ■ » j.y • '•* » ■ I - W '* ■♦ .*'J , ■ * I* ,^V\ v/dM "t^i-VJ* A ■ '• " <,\^^ ' -irtJ.^ iiO'A^ Vl‘ ' j't/ rtf.- ^:rteq»r>?>D <» ♦ •'. /»(*!-n. 7»iafrt/^ 1* I nf^h^^flA, • ' ’ '•* . , rtJ/* ,' •* ■ ' -VI**'- ’ •• ’ 4 # -iv' * i-< *. ’(-. *iToS? rtflT V ‘ Ij^r litinoi&M »<Q-7ifft/0QW, ' ’i- ■ 4-i — V V > ??• ■ ' ■ > t' • * ■ *• ••‘*‘ '> ^ ^vT . ' »<fc ihtMrtX n) ^ * ■ ^ * V; I fihcW WOlM ■■ *% ■ • J i « ' ■■ * !* ■ .' .. '• ' 7'iciwio<iff«l udi ;T^n»K?>K' It.' ?!>T( ^ r,) »t4ki Vf 4>iiKAiioX,lrto-rfc»7ij »i)U^ j(* Vt'«*OW1 ' i? • n'^ <j'. * A '<' ■ ' ■ k- •'• ' ■ Mt/o'^V’>;4 ■ .‘;'i , »; *,.- - , W* ■ • <?} ' 'l/^- ^ MMtf» '' ' i A' -‘V-’’ '* ;» J ' ■ -' *"-’ IV . Jl»« * ‘ - ■ * .•*^' ‘.' *>i^^ 1 ‘y ^ • - -> f-'V\ 1 ■ ' 1 / * If •'’ \ -,*^4 h* .‘f,*,-i r.f* 1 ' ’r n •' » :' , 1 .' . Preface This book is designed to help American businesspeople under¬ stand German and French psychology and behavior and to show how Americans perceive the Germans and the French. FHowever, to understand others, we must also understand our¬ selves; thus, the last section on the United States presents a brief analysis of the psychology and behavior of Americans. It is our hope that this section will in addition prove helpful to German and French readers who are just as baffled by American behav¬ ior as Americans are by theirs. Our main emphasis is not on economics, politics, or history, but on the subtle yet powerful impact of culturally conditioned behavior on the conduct of international business. Often Germans seem stiff and pompous to Americans while Americans seem sloppy and superficial to Germans. The French think Americans are enthusiastic but lacking in style; Americans feel the French take forever to get down to business. Germans think the French are not serious enough; the French think the Germans lack sophistication. In fact, each country simply has its own way of seeing and doing things, based on unstated rules, and these hidden differ¬ ences often make cooperation difficult. This book is an attempt to help break the logjam caused by culturally based misunder¬ standings. Even though culture is experienced personally, it is nonethe¬ less a shared system. A Frenchman enjoys the extravagance of rhetorical flourish, and other French people do not find this xiii Understanding Cultural Differences foolish—although a German probably would. Because culture is experienced personally, very few individuals see it for what it is—a program for behavior. Members of a common culture not only share information, they share methods of coding, storing and retrieving that information. These methods vary from cul¬ ture to culture. Knowing what kind of information people from other cultures require is one key to effective international communication. Viewed from the outside, each culture has "hidden codes" of behavior, which can rarely be understood without a "code breaker." Communications experts estimate that 90 percent or more of all communication is conveyed by means other than language, in a culture's nonverbal messages. These messages are taken for granted and transmitted more or less uncon¬ sciously. For example, American culture requires that people smile and greet one another when they arrive at work in the morning; such behavior is automatic. In Mexico and other Latin American countries people not only smile and greet coworkers but also shake hands and exchange a few words about family or other personal matters. If these gestures are omitted, everyone in the office will assume something is wronger will be offended. Nonverbal messages are highly situational in character; they apply to specific situations and are seldom explained in words. The meanings of such messages are unique to each culture and often charged with emotion. This book is divided into four parts. Part 1, "Key Concepts," describes conceptual frames or special lenses designed to bring into focus foreign patterns of thought and behavior—concep¬ tual hooks on which to hang ideas and observations. For ex¬ ample, in some cultures it is respectful to avoid direct eye contact while in other cultures that same behavior is considered evasive or even hostile. Why? Part 1 introduces the reader to the larger underlying systems of behavior that endow such simple actions with special significance, and it provides the foundation or the context for behavior. The next three sections, parts 2, 3, and 4, describe the basic patterns that characterize the Germans, the French and the XIV Preface Americans. The focus is op the specific differences among these three cultures in the way business is conducted. To take a brief example, if a subordinate performs poorly in the United States, a good American manager will find something to praise before criticizing the worker. A good German manager will address the problem directly; praise coupled with criticism only confuses German employees. In France a good manager will find a subtle way of conveying displeasure, perhaps by removal of part of a support system. Despite these different approaches, each mes¬ sage will come across loud and clear to each recipient, who is programmed to the particular culture. In these sections, we discuss a wide variety of topics, including dealing with hierar¬ chies, styles of decision making, rules for negotiating, and the handling of time and space. The life patterns of a complex civilization cannot be covered fully in a single book, yet it is possible to describe some of the principal contrasting patterns. The specific examples provided in parts 2, 3, and 4 must be considered as illustrative of larger basic patterns rather than as isolated fragments or mere gener¬ alizations. Resist the temptation to plunge immediately into part 2, that is, to skip the conceptual introduction and go directly to the sections on the specific cultures. The ultimate usefulness of this book will be greater if its contents are digested in sequence, using part 1 as a foundation for what follows. In writing this book we were especially mindful of the duties and responsibilities of chief executive officers and company directors. In today's business world, they, more than anyone else, are responsible for their companies' performance and economic health. Informed CEOs are a crucial element in the early, critical phases of a company's foreign operations. Unless top management pays attention to the messages of this book, no one else will; a gram of insight at the top is worth a kilo at the lower levels. To quote one experienced vice president for international operations of a large firm, commenting on the responsibilities of top management: "Foreign operations are my most difficult XV Understanding Cultural Differences assignment, day in and day out. However, they may hold even greater long-range potential for sales and profit than our domes¬ tic business." Although this book was written primarily for businesspeople, because it is oriented toward interpersonal relations with for¬ eigners it is useful for many other people whose lives involve contact with foreign nationals, either in their personal or profes¬ sional lives: officials in government or private foundations, teachers who have students from other cultures, educators working abroad or at home with various ethnic groups, and ordinary people whose lives and work bring them in contact with those whose national or ethnic backgrounds are different from their own (not to mention those who are married to foreigners). For the past thirty years we have conducted research in the field of intercultural communication: designing programs for the selection and training of people working in foreign cultures, consulting to international business, and writing books and articles on the intercultural process. We specialize in identifying the nonverbal components of intercultural communication— the unspoken signals and assumptions that flow from human psychology and national character, elements crucial to success in business. As part of our research for this book, we conducted 180 interviews in the United States, West Germany, and France. We were most fortunate to have had the assistance of a wide range of exceptionally talented and knowledgeable women and men with years of "hands-on" experience in business. Their knowl¬ edge and experience helped shape our work; we are indeed grateful for their cooperation, honesty, and generosity. XVI