Hall's Cultural Factors

The last theory I want to share with you is the Theory about Cultural Behavior of Edward Hall. 

Hall distinguished the different cultures following four features:

•      Context: it is characterized by the way in wich information is transmited. There are cultures of low context, where the majority of information is explicitly communicated in the verbal message; whereas, cultures of high context give so much importance to another features around the message, such as voice tone, body language, facial expressions and eye contact. So, in this case the message is more implicit and informal than in the first one, and  it assumes a prior relationship between the members.
•       Time: we can divide cultures in Monochronous Cultures, where people only do one thing after other, they make plans before actue, and work time is clearly separable from personal time. However, Polychronous Cultures are so different: people do things simultaneosly, plans are most flexible, it is usual that people are a bit unpuctual and work time is not clearly separable from personal time, because they understand that build up relations with family or friends is so important.
•      Space: it refers to the distance people need for the protection of their privacy. There are cultures that need more private space, a “big bubble” that anybody can disturbe because it is seen as a threat. On the other hand, there are cultures that need less private space, their “bubble” is smaller and contact and touching is something common.
•        Information: if we analyze the information, monochronus and low context cultures have slow flow of information. It means that information is planned carefully because the message is so important. However, polychronous and high context cultures have fast flow of information, because the message is less important than the body language or the context around it.

If we analyze the culture of Finland and Spain following these four features we could say that Finland is a low context and monochronous culture where the space is so important; whilst Spain is a high context and polychrnonous culture where space is not so important.

In that way, as a Spanish person, I give so much importance to the context around the message, i’m not so punctual and my plans before actue are flexible, I don’t have strict schedules and my “space bubble” is small. So, if I work with Finnish people I must adapt my behavior and respect their punctuality, their personal space and send verbal messages correctly.

Now I think I'm ready to work effectively in Finnish system!