This document discusses differences between monochronic and polychronic cultures and how they view time. [1] Monochronic cultures like to focus on one task at a time, value schedules and punctuality, and become frustrated by interruptions, while polychronic cultures can handle multiple tasks simultaneously and are more flexible with time. [2] These differing perspectives can lead to misunderstandings, like a British businessman in Saudi Arabia being frustrated by frequent interruptions and late starts during meetings. [3] The document examines how monochronic cultures see time as a resource to maximize, while polychronic cultures prioritize relationships and flexibility.

1. CIU
MASTER OF HEALTH MANAGEMENT
NEGOTIATION COURSE
TIME ORIENTATION
DR AHMED

3. Cultural Differences
Monochronic versus Polychronic
Continuing our series looking at cross-cultural communication
issues we now turn our attention to monochronic versus polychronic
cultures and the impact that can have on communication.
Monochronic cultures like to do just one thing at a time. They value
a certain orderliness and sense of there being an appropriate time
and place for everything. They do not value interruptions. They like
to concentrate on the job at hand and take time commitments very
seriously.

4. In addition ....
monochronic people tend to show a great deal of
respect for private property and are reluctant to
be either a lender or a borrower. This is part of a
general tendency to follow rules of privacy and
consideration as well as adhere religiously to
plans.

5. Polychronic cultures
like to do multiple things at the same time. A
manager's office in a polychronic culture
typically has an open door, a ringing phone and
a meeting all going on at the same time. Though
they can be easily distracted they also tend to
manage interruptions well with a willingness to
change plans often and easily.

6. People are their main concern (particularly those
closely related to them or their function) and they
have a tendency to build lifetime relationships.
Issues such as promptness are firmly based on
the relationship rather than the task and
objectives are more like desirable outcomes than
must do's.

7. If you live in the United States, Canada, or Northern
Europe, you live in a monochronic culture. If you live
in Latin America, the Arab part of the Middle East, or
sub-Sahara Africa, you live in a polychronic culture.
Interactions between the two types can be
problematic. Monochronic businessmen cannot
understand why the person they are meeting is always
interrupted by phone calls and people stopping by.

8. Is it meant to be insulting? When do they get down to
business?
Polychronic businessmen cannot understand why
tasks are isolated from the organisation as a whole
and measured by output in time instead of part of the
overall organisational goal. How can you separate
work time and personal time? Why would you let
something as silly as a schedule negatively impact on
the quality of your relationships?

9. You can quickly see the problems. Recognising
whether you are dealing with a polychronic or
monochronic culture and the attendant differences in
how time and relationships are valued is crucial to
being able to communicate effectively across cultures.

10. Polychronism Versus Monochronism
A British businessman in Saudi Arabia is keen to secure an
important deal. He has a tight schedule and cannot afford to
waste time. His frustration increases because he has to wait for
ages for an appointment with his Saudi partner. Meetings never
start on time, and when they do, there are frequent interruptions,
with people coming in to get papers signed. The Saudi partner
even takes phone calls when his visitor is in the room.
From these examples, we see that the notion of waiting, linked to
the perception of time, varies from one culture to the next and
this may cause cultural misunderstandings

11. . These examples show a clash between a polychronic and monochronic
culture.
What is worse, for polychronic individuals, keeping an appointment does not
have the same importance as it does for monochronic persons. Polychronic
individuals feel that appointments can be changed and that most projects can
undergo important changes until the last minute. On the contrary, in
monochronic cultures, everything is organized and dominated by a very rigid
conception of time: man’s social and professional life can be dominated by his
or her time perception. The conception of time is linear: it can be saved,
spent, wasted, or lost; it can hurry by or slow down, and so on. Not respecting
the right time for activity and being inconsiderate of someone else’s time
means that you are selfish, narcissistic, and ill-behaved. One advantage is
that you can be accurate in dealing with a problem; a disadvantage is that the
context is likely not to be taken into account

12. In North Europe and the United States, for example, it is extremely
important to meet project deadlines. Projects that fall behind schedule may
justify drastic action. These business cultures are known as monochronic in
the international business literature. Here are some of the major components
of monochronic thinking, described for Latin American business people
(polychronic) trying to understand monochronic business:
1. Time is money, so every decision, every activity, every commitment is controlled by the
clock
2. A project manager is under constant pressure to meet deadlines, and much of one’s
personal life is thereby sacrificed
3. Lack of punctuality is considered almost a disgrace, and excuses are seldom accepted
4. Life moves by the clock, and any disrespect for time has serious repercussions
5. In one’s everyday work-life, to succeed you must stay on time; if you step off, you are
los

14. Thank you