CULTURE

To be successful in a particular culture, it is imperative to understand the

characteristics of culture. We will know about some major characteristics of
culture but first, we should know some basic things about culture.

The word ‘culture’ hails from the Latin word “cultura“ which is derived from
college that means, ‘to cultivate’. Our history has a major piece in cultivating
our minds. The current traits and beliefs that form the mindset of an
organization define their culture. Let us look at the basic aspects of culture and
it’s fundamental components.

Culture refers to the pattern of human movement and the symbols that give
importance to them. Culture displays itself in the forms of art, literature,
clothing, customs, language, and religion. The move people live and what they
believe creates their culture. Their teachings and moral values also form a
significant part of their culture. People from different regions of the world have
different cultural importance. Cultural differences present to the diversity in
people’s thinking and existence styles.

Culture is learned. It is accorded. It takes the time to grow, is transmitted

beyond generations, and is subject to change. It can not be separated. Culture
is essential for life.

CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURE
1. Culture is learned: Culture is a learned behavior that is transmitted from
one member of society to another. As an individual grows in a particular
environment he learns about different aspects of culture through his
interaction with other members of the society. Culture isn’t biologically
passed from older generations to the newer ones. It’s learned through
expertise. People share culture and ideas from their lives. The longer-
term generations learn to follow an equivalent culture. Culture
propagates through generations; that adopt their recent customs and
traditions as a neighborhood of their culture. This is one of the most
important characteristics of culture
2. Culture is interrelated: The elements of culture are interrelated. Because
culture is learned from the family, educational institutions and social
institutions that are interrelated.
 3. Culture is adaptive: Culture is adaptive because culture is a learned
behavior. As any businessman stays in a particular region/country he or
she absorbs himself in that culture.

ELEMENTS OF CULTURE
culture is the totality of learned and socially transmitted behaviors. It is shared
and practicing in all societies of the world. Basic Elements of culture includes
ideas, beliefs, values, customs which make it a whole configuration. Culture is
transmitted from one generation to another. Each culture has some basic
elements.
Language
Symbols
Norms
Values
Beliefs
Cognitive Elements

1. Language
A group of words or ideas having common meaning and is shared to a social
situation is called language. Language is the entrance to a culture. Language is
a set of socially sound pattern, words, and sentences having specific meaning
and terminology common to the same culture.
Language is a source of communication and to transmit message from one
person to another. It is the method to mold the behavior and experience of a
person. Language differs from culture to culture and is transmitted from one
generation to another.
Language is like a vehicle through which we can carry out our complex social
activities. Language is the foundation of a culture and ticket to the entrance of
a social life. Animal have not culture because they have no specific language to
transmit worlds to others. So, language is the key to open a social life of an
individual with some special characteristics.
2. Symbols
Culture is a system of symbols. Symbols are anything used to represent express
and stand for an event situation. Symbols direct to guide our behavior. It is
used to show an event of past, present or future. For example the heap of ash
show that the something has been burnt or the wet street shows that it has
rained. Bowing head, whistling, winkling of eyes situation, all are the symbols,
which express a specific object idea about other. Examples are flag, anthem,
picture, statues are symbols. Symbols are the short expression for the
identification of an object or situation.
3. Norms
Norms as elements of culture are the rules and the guidelines which specify the
behavior of an individual. Norms keep a person within the boundary of society
and its culture. It gives us restriction about something which to do and which
not to do. It molds our behavior and gives as knowledge about wrong and right.
Norms can be divided into:
a. Folkways. Folkways are the simple customary ways of the people. It is
the normal and habitual action of people within a culture. Folkways are
the recognized or accepted ways of behavior. These are the behavior
pattern which a person use generally in his daily life.
b. Mores. Mores is a Latin word and the plural of mos which means
customs or beliefs accordance with a group customary expectation. It is
the “must” behavior of a person. Mores refers to “what ought to be and
what ought not to be.” Mores are serious norms but are informed like
folkways. They have a serious binding on a group the violation of mores
threats to social order. Punishment may be both formal and informal for
the violation of mores.

4. Values
Anything getting importance in our daily life becomes our values. The origin of
values is not biological but it is social production while living in society the
values develop. Values depend upon the culture. Culture varies from society to
society and thus values are different in every social situation. Values are what
we like and what we say will in our society values are the good idea and
thinking of a person.
Some values are hereditary which we gain from our elders, books and parents.
The culture is full of values and can transmit from one generation to another.
When a natural object get a meaning it becomes a value.
5. Beliefs
Every sect within a culture having some beliefs for cultural refuge. These beliefs
are responsible for the spiritual fulfillment of needs and wants. Muslims
believe in God, Holly Prophet, The Day of Judgment, recitation of Holly Quran,
Hajj etc.
Sikh wear bangle in one hand, bear a long beard, keeping a dagger. Cross for
Christians and a necklace or a cotton thread around nick, the water of ganga
and are sacred for Hindus.
6. Cognitive Elements
Cognitive elements of culture are those though which an individual know how
to cope with an existing social situation. How to survive, how make shelter
from storms and other natural calamities, how to travel and transport etc. are
the practical knowledge which make a culture. Such knowledge is carefully
thought to every generation.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HIGH AND LOW CONTEXT

In an increasingly connected and interdependent world effective
communication not only becomes more important but also much more
difficult. Ironically, it is often not dissimilar languages that cause the greatest
problems but rather much more mundane and harder to detect cultural
differences. One such difference is that of a high context culture versus a low
context culture.

High-context Culture Low-context Culture

Most of the information is

The mass of information is
either in the physical
Concept vested in the explicit code
context or initialized in the
[message].
person.

Association ◆ Relationships are stable, ◆ Relationships are short-

build up slowly, and are lived.
based on mutual trust. ◆ Ambiguous boundaries
◆ Clear boundaries allow many people to be in a
distinguish between people certain social circle.
inside and outside a social ◆ Tasks are carried out by
group or circle. following predetermined
◆ Execution of a task protocols and procedures, and
depends on the attention is paid to the end
relationships between the goal.
people and the attention ◆ Individual's identity is
paid to the group process. established by himself/herself
◆ Identity of the individual and his/her achievements.
is established according to ◆ The social structure is not
the groups he/she belongs centralized, and the authority
to (family, culture, work, is distributed on various
friends, etc.). levels. Each level is in turn
◆ Specific hierarchy is seen responsible for something.
in social structure and
authority. The responsible
person at the top looks out
 for the benefit of the group.

◆ Extensive use of gestural

elements in carrying out a ◆ Conversation involves
conversation (e.g., voice extensive use of verbal
tone, facial expressions, eye elements instead of nonverbal
movement, body language, ones.
etc.). ◆ Information is conveyed
◆ Information is conveyed explicitly in a precise and easy
implicitly, and is heavily to understand form. It
dependent on context depends on the actual words
rather than actual words. rather than the context.
◆ Communication is ◆ Communication is direct,
indirect, lengthy, and succinct, and to the point.
Interaction around the point. ◆ Communication is regarded
◆ Communication is as a means to exchange
considered as an art, and as information, ideas, and facts.
a means to establish and ◆ Disagreement is not taken
nurture relationships. personally, but is chalked up
◆ Any disagreement or to a difference in
conflict is taken personally. opinion/outlook that does not
A differing opinion is seen affect the individuals personal
as being personally relationship. Instead, both
threatening, and hence individuals focus on
conflict must either be formulating a rational
avoided or resolved as soon solution.
as possible.

◆ There is no concept of ◆ Privacy is extremely

personal space, instead it is important; hence, every
Territorialit viewed as a communal individual has his own
y entity, where people stand personal space which is rigidly
close to each other and defined. As a result, people
share the same area. are isolated from one another.

Temporality ◆ Time is perceived as a ◆ Time is perceived as a

natural process that commodity, and hence can be
belongs to others and spent or saved. The concept
nature, not to individuals, of personal time exists.
i.e. no concept of personal ◆ Societal change can be
 time.
◆ Any sort of change in the rapidly induced, and any
society is slow to occur as affected change yields
the societal practices are immediate results.
rooted in history and have a ◆ Time is scheduled for
stable base. various tasks such that a
◆ No specific time schedule particular task gets done
is observed, and activities within a specific time frame in
are carried out when it is the most efficient way as
suitable, as long as the possible.
activity is completed.

◆ Deductive type of
thinking. ◆ Inductive type of thinking.
◆ Multiple sources or ◆ Only singular source of
information are utilized in information is utilized to
gaining knowledge. develop knowledge.
◆ Knowledge is gained from ◆ Gained knowledge is subject
situation-specific cues. to the individual's perception.
◆ Learning is achieved by ◆ Learning is achieved by
Learning
initial observation followed following directions and
by replication and practice. explanations of others.
◆ Learning and problem ◆ Learning and problem
solving are seen as group solving are considered
tasks. individual tasks.
◆ Quality and accuracy of ◆ Speed and efficiency of
the gained knowledge is gaining knowledge is valued.
valued.

◆ Chinese
◆ Australian
◆ Korean ◆ Dutch
Examples ◆ Russian ◆ Scandinavian
◆ Italian ◆ English
◆Japanese ◆ German