Exercise
Time has several associated value orientations and has a presence in every model. Although, not mentioned yet, the terms ‘monochronic’ and ‘polychronic’ will be used from this point to refer to this orientation.
Monochronic
- Time is a given commodity (it can be saved, lost, wasted, earned…).
- Needs of people are adjusted to suit the demands of time.
- Punctuality and planning are important.
- Time is quantifiable, and a limited amount of it is available.
- Things are done one item at a time.
- May be associated with groups having ‘future’, ‘short-term’, and ‘doing’ orientations.
Polychronic
- Time is a concept with no beginning or end.
- More time is always available.
- Flexibility with schedules is important.
- Several things are done simultaneously and depend on circumstances.
- It’s not necessary to finish one thing before moving on to something else.
- May be associated with groups having ‘present’, ‘long-term’, and ‘being’ orientations (and possibly ‘growing’).
Exercise
End of Module Assignment: written submission
- Think about a specific project you worked on with a team (academic, work, volunteer).
- Answer each of the following questions in 1-2 sentences.
- Describe the project:
- What type of project was it?
- How many team members did you have?
- Was it an important / critical project? Why or why not?
- What worked well?
- What didn’t go well (or perhaps even failed)?
- Now think about your value orientations:
- How might they have influenced the others on your team?
- How might they have influenced the project processes / outcomes?
- Were there certain team members that were easier to work with? How might you interpret this from a cultural value orientations perspective?
- Were there certain team members that were more difficult to work with? How might you interpret this from a cultural value orientations perspective?
End of Module Summary
- The view of self model connects to a person’s identity (I or We). The terms ‘individualism’ and ‘collectivism’ are used to refer to this orientation.
- The view of power model connects to how a person perceives, responds to, and accepts or resists power. The terms ’high-power distance’ and ‘low-power distance’ are used to refer to this orientation.
- The view of obligation model is harder to define as it relates to tasks, relationships, rules, and responsibility to in-group members. The terms ‘universalism’ and ‘particularism’ are used to refer to this orientation.
- The view of time model cuts across several value orientations that were covered in Module 3. The terms ‘monochronic’ and ‘polychronic’ are used to refer to this orientation.
References and further reading on concepts in this module:
Check out the following links and references.
scholarworks.gvsu.edu
changingminds.org
- Kluckhohn-Strodtbeck
www.mindtools.com
www.hofstede-insights.com
- Hofstede
Trompenaars F, and Hampden-Turner C., (1997). Riding the Waves of Culture, 2nd Edition, Boston: Nicholas Brealey.
www.mindtools.com
-Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner
Martin J and Nakayama T (2022). Intercultural Communication in Contexts, 8th Edition, New York: McGraw Hill