Characteristics and Behaviors

UNIT 4 Practical Assignments

Lining up and not lining up are culturally determined behaviors

Lining up in a single line, or queuing, is what most US-Americans choose when deciding what would be most efficient (and fair) when they draw their ideal way to arrange themselves and others to obtain service. However, doing some common activities overseas like shopping or using public transportation can be a shock in some countries where there is, for the novice, no obvious and easily discernable order, and much pushing, shouting, and shoving is going on. Perhaps the closest analogy might be open "concert" seating, which usually means that all your ticket gets you is admission, but obtaining a good seat is up to you.Most US-Americans will feel quite at home in England and much of Europe, where queuing is seen as good breeding and where anyone trying to "cut" will be severely chastised. However, in much of the rest of the world, from buying stamps in a rural post office in Uganda to trying to use the local bus in New Delhi, such activities can be both an adventure and a trial. Many daily transactions in much of the world outside of Euro-American countries are governed more on the basis of social rules and personal interaction than upon ideals of commercial efficiency and its "time is money" ethos. Things are often slower, less regularized, time-consuming, and, yes, frustrating for US-Americans if they are unable to be flexible and congenial in the process. Again, knowing the local customs regarding "lining up" (especially if the locals are likely not to do so) is extremely useful information and can lessen "culture shock" if you are mentally prepared. Even more important might be understanding why this is the custom and trying to see how this trait is related to the way people conceive of time, space, and communication.

Vocabulary

patron — клієнт; відвідувач; постійний покупець; замовник

to check out — підрахувати вартість і вибити чек; сплатити за рахунком

(в готелі, крамниці)

novice — новачок, недосвідчена людина

discernable — помітний; чітко виражений

shove — штовхати; відштовхувати

chastise — карати; критикувати; засуджувати

ethos — характер; дух; ідеал; звичаї

conceive (of) — сприймати, розуміти; вважати

Try testing how well you understand the concepts of time.

In the underlined blank space before each of the behaviors or characteristics listed below, put “M” if you think it is more likely to apply to a culture where time is monochronic and “P” if it is polychronic. Be ready to explain your choice.

Characteristics and Behaviors

1.	Time is money.
2.	To be late is rude.
3.	Schedules are sacred.
4.	The focus is on the task, getting the job done.
5.	Being made to wait is normal.
6.	Interruptions are life.
7.	Plans are fixed, once agreed upon.
8.	This attitude is consistent with an individualist viewpoint.
9.	The focus is on the person, establishing a relationship.
10.	This attitude is consistent with a collectivist viewpoint.
11.	Deadlines are an approximation.
12.	To be late is to be late.
13.	Focus on the internal clock.
14.	Plans are always changing.
15.	Having to wait is an insult.
16.	People are never too busy.
17.	Interruptions are bad.
18.	People stand in line.

A person comes to a meeting half an hour after the stated starting time. How would this act be interpreted:

- by someone from a culture where people always arrive half an hour after the stated starting time?

- by someone from a culture where meetings never start until at least an hour after the stated time?

Time language tips: When is "late"? Are there cultural differences in what might be an appropriate reason to be late? If, in Latin America, you are kept waiting beyond your "late" time, what will your reaction be? When can a party or dinner scheduled for 8:00 pm reasonably (by local standards) be expected to begin?