Author Question: Of the three cultural levels: technical, formal, and informal, which level is most prominent in ... (Read 123 times)

Wadzanai · **on:** Jun 23, 2018

Of the three cultural levels: technical, formal, and informal, which level is most prominent in business?

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Compare the relationship between culture and nonverbal communication in terms of technical, formal, and informal culture. What are the major differences of each, how is each level learned or taught in the culture, and how flexible are the rules?

What will be an ideal response?

Bigfoot1984 · **Reply #1 on:** Jun 23, 2018

Answer to Question 1

The majority of business-related nonverbal behaviors are at the informal level. The United States has relatively few formal rules and allows a fairly wide variation before a violation occurs. An informal U.S. rule might be a formal or technical rule in another nation. Different cultures and subcultures in the United States make assumptions about nonverbal meanings dangerous. Informal distance and personal space rules (proxemics) vary from culture to culture, family to family, and person to person. Reactions to time (chronemics) occur at all three culture levels, but business life is regulated at the informal level.

Answer to Question 2

At the informal level, neither rules for behavior nor reasons for the rules are taught. Rules are unconsciously learned by imitation (modeling) and taken for granted. People are not always aware that these behaviors are dictated by rules, but violations can lead to discomfort or withdrawal.