FR 1165S  FRENCH FILMS / AMERICAN MASKS

Fall 2007 Jean-Jacques Thomas

Lecture n^o 11

©Edward T. Hall & Mildred Reed Hall

Understanding Cultural Differences

Yarmouth : Intercultural Press,  Inc. 2003,

French Time: Doing many Things at once [pp. 88-90]

The most important thing to know about the French is that they are high on the polychronic scale. This means they do many things at once; they can tolerate constant interruptions and are totally involved with people; they maintain direct eye contact and use all their senses: visual, auditory, and olfactory. They love to talk and communicate with their whole body as well as with the spoken language. Their faces are very expressive as are their gestures, all of which reflect the intensity of their involve¬ment with each other.
As a result of this involvement, French perception and han¬dling of time is very different from the German or American system. Because they are highly polychronic, the French don't always adhere to schedules or appointments, delivery dates, or deadlines. It's wise to reconfirm appointments one or two days in advance, and don't be alarmed if you have to wait; crest normal. In a polychronic system there are apt to be many interruptions and emergencies. If the telephone rings as a Frenchman is going out the door to an appointment, he must stop and speak to the caller. Like all polychronic people, the French have elaborate information networks which include clients, friends, and family, and these networks must be main¬tained scrupulously if they are to function effectively. For this reason promptness is not always to be expected.
The polychronic French also think nothing of changing plans atthe last minute. This is very unsettling to most Americans and Germans, who consider such behavior irresponsible. But re-member that in a polychronic culture, particularly one as high-context as the French, the vast information networks provide individuals with a constant update on the changing economic or political conditions that vitally affect their business. New information may require a change in plans to accommodate to changing conditions. What may appear to be a capricious change of mind is often in reality a sensible adjustment.
Long-term planning is especially difficult for the French. They are all too aware of the many things that may prevent their keeping a commitment. Conditions may change, people may change. How can one predict the future? Many French people have difficulty planning even a month in advance; planning for a year ahead is often impossible. This is because the French expect interruptions and changes in their schedules. One Frenchman who was invited to give a speech the following year panicked; "How can I possibly know what I will be doing then?" he asked. Given this approach to planning, it is easy to see why the French often have enormous difficulty with the Germans, who routinely plan for the future in great detail.
Another factor that affects French handling of time is the importance of savoir-vivre. The French insist on enjoying life now, making the most of each day. This includes living with a certain style and elegance, which is far more important than being a slave to some abstract idea of deadlines or schedules. As a result, French deadlines have an elastic quality to allow for life's uncertainties.

French Tempo: Vite, Vite

In their body movements, the French are quick and flexible, moving with a rapid, staccato beat. They don't do things in a slow or measured way, as Germans do. They rush. Their faces communicate their reactions; they raise their eyebrows, they smile, gesture, and shrug their shoulders. Even if you cannot understand the language, you can almost decipher their message just by watching them. They smile more than Germans and their handshake is not as rigid.
In decision making, the French are able to move more rapidly than the Germans because they have a highly centralized authority structure. French executives can and do make independent decisions and don't have to go through the long, timeconsuming process of lateral clearances or wade through several levels in the hierarchy for decisions, as is common in Germany.
The tempo of the business day is also different in the two countries. As one German executive described it, "The French start slowly and build; they peak at late afternoon and continue going strong far into the evening. The Germans start right out in the early morning and maintain a steady work pace with a slowdown at the end of the day. They are much more apt to have a short lunch hour and leave at 5:00 P.M."