Categorizing Cultures

I did not know this, but according to the book, "When Cultures Collide, Leading across Cultures", there are three different cultures based on the time management employed. The first two are the Linear Active and Multi-active cultures.

The Linear active do one task at a time, and plan accordingly. In a very linear methodology of working. Examples of such cultures are the germans and Dutch. They do one thing a time, concentrate hard on that thing, and do it within a scheduled time period.

Multi-active are not very interested in schedules or punctuality. They are more interested in reality of the situation and they think they get more done this way, than focus on one task. They are more task -concentric, i.e., they would jump around the tasks regardless of the time implications. Examples of such cultures are latin americans, Arabs, and Aficans.

The third type of culture is the Reactive culture. Japanese belong to such division. They change their habit depending on the other person's culture. They prefer to listening to and establish the other's position first, then react to it. These guys are more fexible than the other two cultures.

Ofcourse, needless to say, every individual falls somewhere inbetween the spectrum and these are not rules set on stone. It depends on which position is more comfortable to the individual person.