The British & High Context Cultures

Because high context cultures do not see the need for much contextual or background information, people from low context cultures such as the UK will at times have problems understanding each other.

A typical example of this is when international business partners discuss the general terms of an agreement without agreeing on the fine print.

In such a situation the high context cultures will assume that the deal is done and that the final details can be sorted out later. At the same time, the low context cultures would see this as a deal ‘in principle’ that will not go through unless you agree on the finer details.

Whilst this in itself is not a major problem, add to the situation that most high context cultures also have a tendency to avoid situations where they or their partners could lose face. In such situations, they will at times prefer to drop the deal rather than insinuate that the British have not understood the situation.

If high context communicators want to ensure they get their message across to the British, it is important to understand the British do not mind when you double check for information, and that agreements, discussions, and memos should always be put in writing.