But from the marketing perspective, engineers often seem insensitive and rigidly boorish. All cultures have unique concepts of time and ways of managing it. In most countries, time is more flexible. Being late to an appointment, or taking a long time to get down to business, is the accepted norm in most Mediterranean and Arab countries. Our cultural orientation has a profound effect on our daily lives and business functions.
Monochronic people tend to sequence communications as well as tasks.
They would not be inclined, for instance, to interrupt a phone conversation in order to greet a third person. Polychronic people can carry on multiple conversations simultaneously - indeed, they would consider it rude not to do so. Past, present, and Future Orientations. Different cultures function according to different orientations towards the past, present, and future. That is, activities in the present are either designed to influence future events or likely to be influenced by past events.