Alternate Views on Time

The British share many of the views of the other European past oriented cultures. Because of this and because of the British 'inbuilt' diplomacy, the British are good at addressing issues from a formal and respectful stance that is unmatched by other present or future oriented cultures.

London has with its unofficial status as Europe's capital has been heavily influenced by both a European and American business culture. This has created modern business culture that sets British organisations apart from their Central and Southern European counterparts.

As a result the British business culture has been slowly developing into a much more future oriented focus, comparable to that of the Nordic and North American cultures.

The British & Present Oriented Cultures

The British share many values with cultures that have a similar focus on living in the present.

However, because the British by nature are not as socially oriented as, for example, the Latin, Middle Eastern, or Asian cultures, there are several differences.

The British like the social aspects involved in networking and appreciate the importance of knowing the right people in the right places. However, they still see networking and socialising as a means for personal individual gain rather than a collective responsibility.

The British have a monochronic perspective on time and prefer doing one thing at a time. If asked they will rather focus on getting a job done than on socialising and developing networks. The monochronic values and their task orientation also mean that the British are less likely to be having long business lunches that are typical of, for example, the Mediterranean cultures.