Shao Guangqing Outline Time Attitudes to Sequential and Synchronic Sequential Synchronic Sequential cultures Vs Synchronic cultures Conclusion Time Time is one of the most precious commodities in todays modern world however the value we give to time and how we manage our day ID: 418307
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Slide1
Time Across Cultures
Shao
GuangqingSlide2
Outline
Time
Attitudes to: Sequential
and Synchronic
Sequential
Synchronic
Sequential cultures Vs Synchronic
cultures
ConclusionSlide3
Time
Time is one of the most precious commodities in today’s modern world, however the value we give to time and how we manage our day by it is not universal.
Many professionals working across cultures are surprised by how their international counterparts manage meetings, projects or other business activities.
Different
interpretations of being ‘on time’, the importance placed on deadlines and how people refer to the past, present or future are just some aspects of how time can be perceived differently across cultures. Slide4
Time
Working effectively across cultures requires an awareness of different perceptions of time which will help to reduce the complexity of international business and put you in a better position to manage and harness cultural differences.Slide5
Attitudes to: Sequential
and
Synchronic
There are so many components of time that need to be understood when working across cultures that it can become quite confusing.
Dutch
interculturalist
Fons
Trompenaars
suggests a simple model which puts attitudes to time into two general categories:
sequential
and
synchronic
.
With
these terms
Trompenaars
attempts to describe how people around the world generally manage their time and how time impacts on their
behaviour
and mindset.Slide6
Sequential
In sequential cultures
Trompenaars
argues that
time is dealt with in a specific logical order
.
For
example people from a sequential culture may prefer to have a detailed agenda for meetings and regular milestones throughout the life cycle of a project.
Time
tends to control and influence what people do in sequential cultures, and many will find value in the expression ‘time is money’.Slide7
Synchronic
In
synchronic cultures people will have a much broader and more flexible perception of time. As such time is adaptable and allows much more freedom for tasks to be achieved.
People
from synchronic cultures don’t tend to be slaves to time but rather they use time as a guidance for how they structure their day and life.
In
synchronic cultures people will approach tasks in a much more open way and not be as beholden to deadlines and timeframes. Rescheduling a meeting at the last minute, showing up a few minutes after the meeting start time or missing an agreed deadline are all things they accept readily.Slide8
Sequential cultures
Synchronic cultures
People tend to do one thing at a time
People tend to do multiple things at a time
Times are precise and punctuality is valued
Times and deadlines are guidelines that people may intend to meet but won’t always
Time is limited – time is a resource that needs to be efficiently used
Time is a tool, a subjective,
mouldable
concept
Logic, efficiency and speed are the focus of business
Relationships are the focus of business and will improve efficiency
Tasks are sometimes secondary to time
Sticking to time is secondary to building relationships
Meeting deadlines is commendedCompleting the task well is more important than meeting deadlinesThe future is a continuation of the presentThe future is interconnected with the past and present
Sequential
cultures Vs
Synchronic culturesSlide9
Sequential cultures
Synchronic cultures
Businesspeople give full attention to one agenda item after another.
The flow of time is viewed as a sort of circle, with the past, present, and future all interrelated.
This viewpoint influences how organizations in those cultures approach deadlines, strategic thinking, investments, developing talent from within, and the concept of "long-term" planning.
North American, English, German, Swedish, and Dutch
South America, southern Europe, Africa and Asia
Sequential
cultures Vs
Synchronic culturesSlide10
Conclusion
The importance that people give to time can vary dramatically. Working effectively across cultures requires the ability to not only identify different perceptions of time, but it also requires the skills to be able to manage business and relationships when attitudes to time are so drastically
different.
Whether you see time as money, something to be controlled or something that will guide you from one point to another, think about the above attitudes to time you may find and be aware of how you may be perceived by your international counterparts when working across cultures.