Abstract
A cultural framework to time is investigated in this empirical study of two meetings conducted in the United Arab Emirates. Eleven participants, from at least five nationalities, attended meetings conducted in one organization. Qualitative data are collected from these two meetings through a process of nonparticipant observation. Vignettes, constructed from the data collection, are illustrative of how time was considered in these intercultural meetings. Findings about time reveal meeting norms of: delayed starts; extensions to meeting duration; interruptions by people and technology. Interpretation of the observed meeting behavior is found to fit within a polychronic dimension of time. The scholarly contribution of this study adds to the body of knowledge on intercultural communication in meetings. A contribution for those involved in intercultural meetings is to recognize a polychronic approach to time in the Arab world, and adapt meeting practice accordingly. The study is limited by findings within one organization in the United Arab Emirates, leading towards a research direction to replicate such studies in other Arab organizations.
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Conclusion
Western meeting behavior has been the predominant research context (Rogelberg et al. 2007) . In this research, it was noted that there were some similarities to Western meeting behavior but also dissimilarities. In particular, it was discovered that meeting time in an Arab context, with intercultural participants, fits more within a polychronic than monochronic dimension to time. The findings expand current knowledge of meeting time which, “in an era of globalization” is “very important” in terms of organizational understanding (Soin and Scheytt 2006, p. 2).
The findings raise awareness for those conducting and attending intercultural meetings. Time is a social construct, and the meaning attached to the construct cannot be overlooked as values ascribed to time do, and will, affect meeting communication (Giddens 1996) . The study emphasizes the importance of intercultural studies for their impact on training for meetings in a multicultural context . The call for similar studies to be conducted in the Arab region is particularly pertinent as the region lacks such research. A recommendation is for individuals engaged in multinational businesses to recognize there are differing perspectives to time. In order to achieve effective meetings, participants, and those who lead meetings, require flexibility in their approach to meeting time. It is recognized that this is one story of meetings, and is not necessarily the same story for other intercultural meetings (Boje 1999) . By interpretation through a cultural framework to time, some sensemaking about intercultural meetings has emerged (Soin and Scheytt 2006; Weick 1995) .
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Kemp, L. (2015). Culturally Different Perspectives of Time: Effect on Communication in Meetings. In: Raddawi, R. (eds) Intercultural Communication with Arabs. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-254-8_10
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