Cultural Dimensions

SCHEDULING

How Different Cultures Manage Time

clock, time management, time

This dimension explores how countries approach time and schedule, with some being more sequential or linear and others being more flexible.

All businesses follow agendas and timetables, but in some cultures, people strictly adhere to the schedule. In others, they treat it as a suggestion. 

Understanding how your international clients think about time — and adjusting your expectations accordingly — is critical to doing that successfully.  And while people in every culture want you to be both structured AND flexible, in some cultures — such as the German, Dutch, British, Danish, Australian, and my own American cultures — we tend to value structure over flexibility. But in many of the world’s fastest growing countries, such as Brazil, India, Indonesia, Russia and Nigeria, there is much more emphasis put on being flexible than on being structured.  In these cultures strongly emphasizing punctuality signals an inability to adapt and even a lack of priorities.

Key Characteristics

LINEAR-TIME FLEXIBLE-TIME
  •   Project steps are approached in a sequential fashion, completing one task before beginning the next.

  • One thing at a time. No interruptions.

  • The focus is on the deadline and sticking to the schedule.

  • Emphasis is on promptness and good organization over flexibility.

 
  • Project steps are approached in a fluid manner, changing tasks as opportunities arise.

  • Many things are dealt with at once and interruptions accepted.

  • The focus is on adaptability and flexibility is valued over organization.

COUNTRY COMPARISON

The chart shows examples of where certain countries fall on the scheduling dimension

EXAMPLE

 

Here’s an example that Erin Meyer shared: « I was to give a keynote speech in Denver, Colorado, to a group of approximately 500, mostly American, managers. The afternoon before the event, Danielle, the conference organizer, had shown me a stack of cards she would be holding in her lap during my 40-minute talk. “I’ll hold up a sign every ten minutes,” she explained, showing me cards that read “30 minutes,” “20 minutes,” and “10 minutes” in bold black characters. The sequence concluded with “5 minutes,” “2 minutes,” and “0 minutes.” It was evident that the big black zero on the final card meant in no uncertain terms that my time was up.

I understood Danielle perfectly. She is a typical member of my (American) tribe, and I was very comfortable with the idea of monitoring each minute. My speech went beautifully and my American audience was suitably appreciative. »

In the following video, you will see how cultures approach time and time management.

HISTORICAL ROOTS OF THIS DIMENSION

The perception of time in linear time cultures such as the U.S., Switzerland (think of the watch making industry) or Germany is rooted in the impact of the industrial revolution, where factory work required the workers to be in place at a precisely appointed moment.

worker, woman, mask

RELATIONSHIPS AND THE SCHEDULING DIMENSION

The importance of relationships is key in understanding the scheduling scale. If relationships are a priority, you put them before the clock. Cultures with a preference for relationship building fall on the flexible-time side of the scheduling scale. When people from a flexible-time culture collaborate, their priorities and processes might be quite different from those who take a more linear approach.

Linear Time Project Management: Project steps are approached in a sequential fashion, completing one task before beginning the next. One thing at a time. No interruptions. Focus on the deadline and stick to the schedule. There is an emphasis on promptness and good organization over flexibility.

Flexible Time Project Management: Projects steps are approached in a fluid manner, changing tasks as opportunities arise. Many things are dealt with at once and interruptions are accepted. The focus is on adaptability, and flexibility is valued over organization.

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