The Pfeiffer Book of Successful Communication Skill-Building Tools

Chapter 36. Cross-Cultural Interactive Preference Profile

Morris Graham and Dwight Miller

Many people encounter problems interacting in environments that are culturally different from their own. Everyone has preferences regarding interpersonal interactions, and these may vary from culture to culture as well as from individual to individual.

One important dimension of culture is context, which ranges from high context (collectivism) to low context (individualism). The Cross-Cultural Interactive Preference (CCIP) Profile measures an individual's preferences for level of context as well as his or her ability to interact effectively across contexts. This profile comprises the following factors: socialization of information, socialization of people, spatial orientation, and time orientation. As a result of understanding his or her own preferences, a person can become more aware of the role that context plays in individual and group interactions.

Most people do not do really well when interacting in an environment that is foreign to their own or with people of cultural preferences different from their own. This is particularly true within cross-cultural or cross-functional groups. Preferences regarding interpersonal interactions, group interactions, and information may vary from one culture to another, just as they also vary from one individual to another, regardless of cultural origin. People's interactive preferences need to be understood in order to facilitate productive group work. Such ...