When in Italy, Leave your Schedule in your Pocket

One of the most important facets of nonverbal communication is the different understandings and uses of time across cultures. As communications professor B. Aubrey Fisher (1978) puts it, “time is, without a doubt, one of the most crucial, yet most neglected variables of communication” (p. 79). The importance that Fisher is referring to is derived from the role that cultural perceptions of time play in determining not only the organization, but also the content and meaning of our communication. The field of study concerning time and the different roles time plays in communication is called “chronemics,” which Stella Ting-Toomey (1999) explains as the study of “how people in different cultures structure, interpret, and understand the time dimension” (p. 134).

Chronemics typically divides cultures into two different temporal orientations; monochronic and polychronic (Hall & Hall 1990). The monochronic time-orientation views time as discrete and linear. In such a culture, one’s schedule is maintained as strictly as possible, with one event following another and tasks separated temporally such that one is able to focus on one thing at a time. Polychronic cultures, on the other hand, encourage multi-tasking, and view relationships and interactional harmony as more important than adherence to a strict schedule (Hall & Hall 1990).

            Since the goal of this blog is to help future visitors to Italy avoid the discomfort that accompanies unintended communicative divergence (see above post regarding communication accommodation theory), it is important for me to note that Italy is typically classified as a polychronic culture (Fink & Meierewert 2004). This insight helps explain quite a bit of Italian communication and the culture that frames and structures it. For instance, the emphasis on fully completing a task or a story before moving on to the next item of business, regardless of what one’s schedule says, is manifested in the fact that Italian television programs “continue until they are finished” (Buller, Burgoon, & Woodall, 1989, p. 145) instead of finishing at a consistent time each day.

            If one of your goals while in Italy is to have a harmonious relationship with the locals, it’s crucial that you stay mindful of their polychronic style of communication. Italians have a strong tendency to be immediatist, and live their daily lives based on last minute arrangements and spur of the moment changes of existing plans (Adams & Van Eerde, 2010). Do not be offended if an acquaintance shows up twenty minutes late for a luncheon, since such is the cultural norm in the immediatist, polychronic cultures of Latin Europe. Do not dismay if you happen to arrive late for an informal meeting with your Italian travel agent; what is important is not when the meeting happens, but that the meeting is enjoyable and agreeable to all those involved (Fink & Meierewert, 2004).

            In conclusion, the take away message is this: when in Italy, try to remain mindful of the laid-back pace of local culture. Seeming too anxious or hurried is likely to offend the local residents by giving them the impression that you are uninterested in the conversation or that you are trying to rush through the interaction, both of which could be considered disrespectful (Hall, 1973). Since polychronic cultures tend to schedule multiple events and tasks at the same time (reflecting the lack of a discrete compartmentalization of temporal segments), plan on multi-tasking and be prepared for those around you to multi-task as well, even when engaged in a conversation with you. This behavior should not be interpreted as a personal slight, or a sign of disinterest, but rather as a communicative manifestation of their polychronic orientation towards time.

            Until next time!

                        - Collin Poirot

Fisher, B. Aubrey (1978). Perspectives on Human Communication. New York, NY: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc.

Ting-Toomey, Stella (1999). Communicating Across Cultures. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.

Hall, Edward T. (1973). The Silent Language. Garden City, NY: Anchor Press.

Hall, Edward T., & Hall, Mildred Reed (1990). Understanding Cultural Differences: Keys to Success in West Germany, France, and the United States. Yarmouth, Maine: Intercultural Press, Inc.

Fink, Gerhard, & Meierewert, Sylvia (2004). Issues of Time in International, Intercultural Management: East and Central Europe from the Perspective of Austrian Managers. Journal for East European Management Studies, 9(1), 61-85.

Buller, David B., Burgoon, Judee K., & Woodall, W. Gill (1989). Nonverbal Communication: The Unspoken Dialogue. New York, NY: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc.

Adams, Simon J. M. & Van Eerde, Wendelien (2010). Time Use in Spain: is Polychronicity a Cultural Phenomenon? Journal of Managerial Psychology, 25(7), 764-776.