ABSTRACT
This book focuses on the knowledge transfer between different cultures. To illustrate the challenges of cultural differences in knowledge management, I will outline the difference in managing knowledge in two different cultures. The book’s main focus lies on knowledge transfer between organizational units in Germany and Japan. These two countries were chosen because they show a similar level of economic development but strong cultural differences according to the framework of Edward T. Hall. Edward T. Hall (1990b) distinguishes cultures according to their way of
communicating and bases his analysis of culture on communication processes (Hall and Hall 1990b). Members of a culture do not only share information, but also the way they codify information, store and reuse knowledge. Communication includes all aspects of communication, like language and words, material artefacts representing status and power, as well as behaviour (Salzberger 1999). When talking about communication Hall focuses on formal aspects. It is more important how people communicate than what they communicate. Table 3.1 shows the most relevant cultural dimensions according to Hall
and Hall (1990b). The speed of a message refers to the relationship between the content of
information and the size of the message. Information can therefore be communicated at slow or high speed. Media like books transport slow messages, TV and cartoons are fast media (Salzberger 1999). Another aspect where cultures differ is the structure of personal space. This
space surrounds people. The way other people enter this space depends on the culture of the person. People from northern European countries keep a greater
Hall also refers to differences in structuring and understanding time within
cultures. Time can be measured in polychronic and monochronic time. This relates to the number of activities that can be performed at the same time. Monochronic cultures concentrate on one activity that is pursued consequently. In contrast, polychronic cultures allow more activities at the same time. The focus is on interpersonal relations, which are considered more important than time schedules. The last dimension discussed here is the dimension most relevant for this
book. Hall distinguishes cultures via the concept of high-context cultures and low-context cultures.
