How we structure and use time varies in parts of the world. It communicates a lot about who we are and what our culture is like. And, at times, can frustrate us with people from other cultures whose behavior and how they interpret time is different from our own. When we interact with people from different cultures, their interpretation and ours on time orientation can cause misunderstandings.
How To Understand The Differning Concepts For Time In Other Cultures
People from Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia interpret time polychronically, or sometimes called P-time. That means they view time as ongoing and involving more than one activity at a time. For people living in a polychronic view of time, being late has no meaning. They will arrive at the next activity when they have completed the one that came before.
Someone visiting in these countries who is used to monochronic time, such as an American, can get pretty frustrated. In a polychronic setting in markets and stores there is no queuing up or numbers given out to determine who is next in line to be served. To the American who is used to monochronic time it seems confusing and as if no one knows what they are doing.
Appointments can be very frustrating to someone from a monochronic or M-time world now immersed in a P-time world. Being on time in a polychronic culture doesn't have the same meaning it does in the U.S. Matters seem to always be in a constant state of flux. Things can change up to the last minute. Plans for the future can change at any instant. P-timers interact with several people simultaneously and are continually involved with each other. Tight scheduling is nearly impossible in P-time cultures.
This can become important when it is a diplomatic or business situation for the individuals involved. A business appointment in a Middle Eastern country may be very frustrating for an American who is used to beginning meetings at a specific time. Whereas, the Middle Eastern business person can find the monochronic approach to time and the scheduling of meetings to be very rigid. That can be especially true when the U.S. business person cuts short an important meeting because they must leave for another appointment.
Polychronic cultures are inherently oriented to people and human relationships. They do not cut people short because of a schedule. They will take the time to hear what others have to say. Things get done but more in their own time than on any set schedule.
Understanding Differences Brings New Knowledge
It's only when we visit another culture with a time orientation that is different from our own do we realize how significant time is in our daily lives. And how we interpret time in our own culture and schedule our lives around it indicates how interwoven it is within our behavior and our existence. It affects every aspect of how we live our lives socially and professionally.
As with most things in life, there is not one way to do anything. Polychronic time systems have their own innate strengths and weaknesses, just as does a monochronic approach to time in cultures. Having the knowledge about how varying cultures view and use the concept of time can inform us and help us grow in understanding of other people and their culture.
Source:
Hall, E.T., The Dance Of Life: The Other Dimension Of Time, Doubleday, New York, NY, 1983
Sheila Rosenberg - Sheila has had a professional career and been an adjunct professor that spans over 40 years. She loves writing for our readers.
