What is the difference between a low-context culture and a high-context culture? How do these differences affect communication in international business dealings?
Answer: Low-context cultures are environments in which most people consider relevant only firsthand information that bears directly on the decision they need to make. In business, they spend little time on "small talk." High-context cultures are environments in which people consider peripheral information valuable to decision making. When managers from the two types of cultures deal with each other, the low-context individuals may believe the high-context ones are inefficient and time-wasters. The high-context individuals may believe the low-context ones are too aggressive to be trusted.