Dimension 10 of 11
D10: Time Use
Is a 2:00 meeting a promise, or a starting point? Understand it, and lateness, interruptions, and juggling start to make sense.
What is Time Use?
Time Use describes whether a culture handles one task or person at a time, in sequence, or handles many at once, letting schedules flex around people. Neither end is better. It is about how time is used, not how far ahead people plan.
Two ends of one spectrum
Linear
Doing one thing at a time is preferred. Schedules, sequence, and appointments are fixed commitments, and interruption is disruptive.
Nonlinear
Multitasking is preferred. Several activities, conversations, or people are engaged at once, and schedules bend around relationships and circumstances.
Three ways to spend an hour
Linear and Nonlinear show up in meetings, queues, and conversations. Here are three examples.
Germanic and Nordic Europe: sequence
Both sit at the Linear end. Agendas, start times, and one topic at a time are the norm.
Latin America and the Arab world: people first
Both sit at the Nonlinear end. A conversation in progress usually outranks the clock.
Sub-Saharan Africa: time as event
Strongly Nonlinear. Here, time often follows the event and the people present, not the clock.
Three things to keep in mind
1. A start time is a signal
A Linear colleague hears 2:00 as a promise. A Nonlinear colleague hears it as roughly when things begin. Say which one you mean.
2. Interruptions mean different things
In Nonlinear cultures an interruption is a sign the relationship is alive. Don’t read it as rudeness.
3. Late isn’t lazy
“African time” is a stereotype. The idea of event-based time goes back to Mbiti (1969), and Levine (1997) compared time pace across countries. Learn the local rhythm before you judge it.
Time Use, from the pages and the screen
Linear feels like
Hermione Granger (Harry Potter), with a timetable for everything.
Nonlinear feels like
Ron Weasley (Harry Potter), who runs on the people and the moment.
Nonlinear feels like
Huck Finn (Huckleberry Finn), who lets the river set the pace.
Take the one-page D10 guide with you
A free, printable Culture-Ready Guide to Time Use: the two ends of the spectrum, a world map, three key principles, character cameos, and quick Do’s and Don’ts. Grab it free, along with all 11 Dimension guides.
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Centered • Curious • Considerate • Confident
Dimension 10 of the 11 Dimensions of Culture