Meet Richard Lewis. A globe-trotting traveler and linguist who speaks ten different languages, Richard has a wealth of experience interacting with people from many different cultures. In 1996, he first published a book called When Cultures Collide. Now, in that book, he presents a model of 3 different predominant cultural types into which people from various countries can be placed.
The first cultural type is called Linear-active. These are people who experience time as being something very real and linear. These people would agree with the idiom, ‘time is money,’ and therefore time is something that can be saved, spent, wasted, and invested. Linear-actives like to plan, schedule, organize, and do one thing at a time. These are punctual people who are cool, direct, and decisive. Their body language is often restrained. The Germans and the Swiss would be examples of Linear-actives.
The second cultural type is called Multi-active. Unlike Linear-actives, these are people who are comfortable doing many things at one time. They are very talkative, and they place importance on relationships. In fact, they often plan their priorities according to the happiness or importance that each appointment gives them rather than a time schedule. Multi-actives are much more flexible and not so punctual when it comes to keeping appointments. They are often emotional and warm people with unrestrained body language. Latin Americans, Arabs, and Southern Europeans fall into this category.
The third cultural type is called Reactive. Reactives are people who place a great priority on courtesy and respect. Reactives are very good listeners and are rarely confrontational. In this sense, they value social harmony and are often group-oriented. They react carefully to situations and see statements as promises. Face-to-face contact is important, while body language is subtle. The Chinese, Japanese, and Finns are examples of Reactive cultures.
Lewis has categorized certain countries as being a mixture of two types. For example, Canada falls in the middle of Reactive and Linear-active, implying that Canadians are better listeners and somewhat less confrontational than Americans, who are much more Linear-active. Likewise, India is a mixture of Multi-active and Reactive, implying that Indians are much more emotional and talkative than many of their Asian counterparts, such as the Chinese, Thai, Koreans, and Malaysians.
Richard Lewis’ model of cultural types provides a unique window into the differences between cultures. Although it might not be spot on all the time, understanding these types could go a long way in avoiding cultural misunderstandings. Of course, it’s important to keep in mind that every person is unique and may not fit the mold of a particular category.
Read More:
The Lewis Model – Dimensions of Behaviour
Meet Richard Lewis, a globe-trotting traveler who speaks ten different languages. Richard has a wealth of experience with different cultures. In 1996, he wrote a book about three different cultural types.
The first type is Linear and Active. These are people who experience time as very real and linear. These people would agree with the idiom ‘time is money.’ Time is something that can be saved, spent, wasted, and invested. Linear and Active people like to plan, organize, and do one thing at a time. These people are almost never late. They are cool, direct, and make decisions quickly. Their body language is limited. The Germans and the Swiss would be examples of Linear and Active countries.
The second cultural type is called Multi-Active. These people are comfortable doing many things at one time. They are very talkative. They place importance on relationships. They often plan according to the happiness or importance that each thing gives them. Multi-actives are much more flexible. They are often late. They are emotional and warm people. They use lots of body language. Latin Americans, Arabs, and Southern Europeans are good examples of this type.
The third cultural type is called Reactive. Reactive people place importance on courtesy and respect. They are very good listeners. They are rarely confrontational. They place importance on social harmony. They react carefully. They also see statements as promises. Face-to-face contact is important. They use little body language. The Chinese, Japanese, and Finns are examples of Reactive cultures.
Lewis says some countries are a mixture of two types. For example, Canada falls in the middle of Reactive and Linear-active. They are better listeners and less confrontational than Americans, who are much more Linear-active. India is both Multi-active and Reactive. Indians are much more emotional and talkative than many other Asian cultures.
This model provides a unique window into the differences between cultures. It’s not always spot on, but it could go a long way in avoiding cultural misunderstandings. Of course, it’s important to keep in mind that every person may not fit the mold of any category.
Read More:
The Lewis Model – Dimensions of Behaviour
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