The terms polychronic and monochronic are used to describe how we understand and use time as well as how time affects our attitudes, behaviours and communication. In The Silent Language (1959), Edward T. Hall used the term polychronic to describe the preference for doing several things at once. Conversely, monochronic refers to an individual’s preference to do their activities one by one.
People in monochronic cultures such as the U.S. or Germany prefer promptness, careful planning and rigid commitment to plans. They also tend to be task-oriented whereas people from polychronic cultures are people-oriented. Cultures such as Italy or Brazil are considered to be polychronic since they prefer to have multiple things happening at once. Polychronic cultures tend to prioritise relationships over tasks and do not consider time commitments to be binding.
The table below highlights some of the key differences between monochronic and polychronic preferences.
| Monochronic | Polychronic |
| One thing at a time | Multiple activities at once |
| Rigid approach to time | Flexible approach to time |
| Strict agenda | No strict agenda |
| Focus on task | Focus on relationship |
| Completion of job most important | Relationships more important than the job |
| Emphasise promptness | Promptness based on relationships |
Cross-cultural training will provide you with a more comprehensive understanding of different approaches to time, including your own, and the impact this can have on doing business internationally. Whether intercultural training focuses on one specific culture such as Doing Business in India, or how to be more effective in any global context such as Communicating across Cultures, the concepts monochronic and polychronic are key to improving your ability to build strong relationships with your international colleagues.
While doing business in other countries, you should consider the different perceptions of time people might have. Everyday global business activities such as scheduling meetings, participating in conference calls or planning a project can be affected by attitudes to time.
© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010
This is an interesting and surprisingly little known concept that is actually very important when travelling to other countries with different cultures.
I guess it’s also relevant on an individual level as well. For instance, you may work in an office in a monochronic country but have polychronic characteristics.
The question that always runs about in my mind is “why?” Why are notions of time so different from culture to culture? Roughly speaking, you could draw a line down from say Finland to North Africa and time seems to stretch out the further South you go, until it becomes almost symbolic. Thus, in Finland, tomorrow is tomorrow, strictly. In Great Britain and Northern France, tomorrow is tomorrow if all goes well. Then down through Spain and Italy, tomorrow is next week probably…and once you’ve crossed the Mediterranean, tomorrow is a sort of polite way of saying never. It’d be interesting to keep going South and see how the notion keeps developing. What is the link to climate? What is the link to historical experience? What is the link to the type of civilisation (Neolithic, Agricultural, Industrial, Post-Industrial…).