Chronemics is a term that describes what’ time’ has to do (or what role time plays) in ‘communication.’
In fact, time can be considered a communication tool according to various methods. For instance, it can vary from punctuality to response time as well as to the basics of time management.
As per the sources we see, Chronemics is an area of study, particularly for professionals like anthropologists. Anthropologists are professionals who study the cultural norms around the use of time.
Also, they study the way the different cultures vary and meet the different norms. At present, Chronemics has become a widespread subject that has different types of other disciplines as well.
Some of the subsectors of Chronemics are focused on business operations and their organizational behaviors.
What does Chronemics have to do in the field of technology?
In most cases, technology and efficiency are firmly bound to each other. In other words, the invention of tech-related stuff and strategies help increase the efficiency of our lives.
Technology allows users to handle larger workloads within a given period of time. As you might see, it is all about time. So, there is no surprise that Chronemics can be an aspect that can affect technology in various ways.
No matter whether it is a massive, well-established firm or a startup, time plays an exceptionally important role.
Those inventions that come in the form of technology solutions will help users in many ways. These technology solutions can make users more time-oriented and focused on what they do. That substantially increases the productivity of the business in general.
Also, it gives an advantage for the respective business or the organization to succeed and withstand the competition successfully.
What does Chronemics have to do with communication?
It is true that time is considered to be a very important non-verbal cue. It creates a massive impact on communication in general. Well, when it comes to the world of business, Chronemics can create a substantial impact.
There is no shortage of studies done about the subject of Chronemics of technology communication in relation to business. For instance, some studies considered email data (from big companies) as their subject matter. Then, they analyzed the response time, as well as the level of response, was.
All those studies have emphasized that the organizational structure of the respective business can be predicted precisely. That is particularly by creating a specific hierarchy of responsiveness. The most responsive entities (individuals) are placed at the bottom of the organization. On the other hand, the entities that have the least response rate are placed at the top.
As you might realize, these Chronemic models have the power to predict. This predictive power can then be used for future purposes as well. For instance, they can be used to build future communication technology. Such technology would matter in predicting the responsiveness of individuals of different hierarchies. These predictions will be made to determine the position of these entities in the respective organization.
What does Chronemics have to do with Time Management
When it comes to the field of time management, Chronemics can (and will) affect substantially. Many technology solutions have been developed to track time management, and more solutions will emerge in the future. Nevertheless, Chronemics show that there is a massive variation when it comes to different cultures.
Most North American countries have the reputation of being monochronic. The same reputation is associated with Western cultures as well. That means they expect that the tasks should be completed in a sequential manner. Also, they are well-structured, and they are extremely conscious about time.
Nevertheless, other cultures maintain an approach called polychronic. Mainly Asian and Latin American countries are renowned for such an approach. As per this culture, they don’t have a very strong focus on accounting for the individual measures of time.
Instead, they are exceptionally conscious of aspects such as tradition, freedom as well as relationships.
Here are the characteristics of both Monochronic individuals and polychronic individuals.
Monochronic People
- They always prefer to do one thing at a time rather than do many things at once.
- They always concentrate on the tasks that are set before each of them.
- These people consider time commitments in very serious way. For instance, they consider deadlines and schedules seriously.
- They are usually low-context in nature, and they need information.
- They are committed to the job they do and even the final outcome of the job.
- And they always dedicate themselves to the plans that were implemented, focusing on them.
- And they always have a concern about privacy as well as individual ownership.
- These individuals generally emphasize aspects like prompt time recognition. That is, regardless of the type of relationship and the circumstances.
- They always have a powerful tendency to build relationships that are temporary but practical.
Polychronic People
- As opposed to the previous category, these individuals can handle various tasks at a time.
- They have a tendency to concentrate on events that are taking place around them.
- They always have a tendency to consider their objectives, such as goals and results pretty seriously.
- Polychronic individuals always have information with them, and they are high-context every time.
- They are substantially committed to individuals as well as for the relationships.
- They always change plans, and they don’t take much trouble doing so.
- And they have a strong concentration on the community as well as the shared connections.
- They tend to emphasize response depending on the type of relationship and other circumstances.
- They always tend to build strong relationships that last for a lifetime and devoted to familial relationships.
The above lists will be able to provide you a strong idea about the characteristics of these individuals. Those who develop solutions should be able to take all those aspects into consideration. Otherwise, the output will not be that human-friendly or useful.
As you might see, their behaviors are pretty complicated. And, it requires a lot of studies to realize these characteristics and merge them with the individuals. A good designer or a developer will come up with the best possible solution as a result of studying.
The comparison between Multitasking and Single Focus when it comes to tech design
As mentioned before, cultural influences can definitely play a very important role in technological inventions. When the solutions are designed for a specific user base, this aspect should be considered very seriously.
In fact, cultures that maintain a monochronic approach can value a specific set of tools. That means they consider aspects like reduced distractions, increased focus, and adhering to a well-defined, structured process.
When it comes to polychronic cultures, things are different than we expect, according to the details. This culture value tools that support the multitasking view. In fact, tools that offer aspects like dashboards or aspects like relationship status offer more freedom.
Because of this freedom, the workers are capable of switching between assigned tasks with ease. When such switching happens on a daily basis, the workers will have more freedom and peace of mind to adhere to it.
When it comes to the design of technology solutions, it is actually becoming extremely complex. There are plenty of hardware and software solutions (and a combination of both) to cater to basic needs.
However, innovative technology is emerging, and it is growing at an incredible speed. Technology evolves with the intention of providing wonders for all of us in the near future. When it comes to innovative technology, we will be able to experience exceptional designs and features.
These tools will be having the smartness to understand the human behaviors of various cultures. These solutions will definitely have the ability to merge into the lives of individual users in various ways.
Professional and experienced tech designers are doing their best to explore broader areas of human psychology. They do their studies very hard. They intend to find all the possible ways to ensure that technology is smarter than ever.
As long as these tools get smarter, they become more useful to the future workforce. One of those areas is the anthropological study of Chronemics.
Chronemics in the context of design advantage
We have mentioned a few concepts in this article. These concepts are actually only some of the options selected from various other options. As we already know, Chronemics intersect perfectly with the world of technology.
So, any designer or developer who intends to work with tech will have various ways of communication. Therefore, a thorough understanding of Chronemics will set a clear advantage for these developers.
Well, if truth is to be told, Chronemics is a complex subject. To master it and get a clear idea about it, you should do a considerable amount of studies on it. The future tech solutions we will experience will be based on all those aspects.