When it comes to communication, cultures can be high-context or low-context—and this is one of the key ways that cultures differ. In low-context cultures, people tend to be explicit and direct in their communications. In high-context...

When learning about culture, understanding individualism versus collectivism is essential. Individualism can be viewed as the emotional independence of an individual from groups or organizations. In contrast, in collectivist societies,...

One important nonverbal cultural cue is physical proximity to others. For instance, how close do you stand to others? What is your comfort zone? Standing distances shrink and expand across cultures. Learn how people might mark their...

Eye contact is an important form of nonverbal communication. For example, in some cultures, direct eye contact is appreciated, while in other cultures, this type of gaze is disrespectful. Explore how people in different cultures and...

In most cultures, nonverbal behavior can be as impactful as spoken words. How we gesture, twitch, and scrunch up our face represents a guide to our emotions. Being able to suitably read—and broadcast—body language can significantly up...

Power distance and how local cultures view hierarchy are very important. Curious about the meaning of power distance? Power distance refers to how openly a society or culture accepts or does not accept differences between people. Explore...

Where does a culture begin and end? The answer is not always clear-cut. Culture is a complex concept. Some cultures fall within geographic boundaries, while others overlap. In addition to national culture, there are cultures based on...

There are a number of factors that constitute a culture—manners, mind-set, rituals, laws, ideas, and language, to name a few. External factors that also comprise a culture include religious beliefs, arts, customs, beliefs, ceremonies,...

It’s true—we naturally view behavior through our own cultural shade. We share common values with members in our own culture, and our values often differ from those of our colleagues and counterparts around the world. Each of us is raised...

Culture certainly shapes our perspective. To accept cultural differences, we often employ generalizations to help us understand aspects of a culture. However, cultures and values are not static entities. Gain insight into how cultures...

Many people hear about culture and immediately think about protocol—a list of do’s and don’ts by country. But understanding culture is so much more than learning about proper gestures and acceptable etiquette. One must consider people’s...

Culture is, in essence, a shared set of attitudes, beliefs, values, mind-sets, and practices of a group of people. Culture includes behavior patterns and norms of that group—the rules, the assumptions, the perceptions, and the logic and...