Perception of "time" by different cultures

The design of the survey model comprising 15 cultural aspects was based on the well-known taxonomies of culture by F.R. Kluckhohn and F. Strodtbeck, E. and M. Halls, G. Hofstede, the authors of GLOBE project and R. Lewis. All the cultural patterns offer the category of time as a tool to reveal ones necessary ability to manage ternporal constraints in the cultural environment. The article presents the IP participants' findings on the interpretation of the concept of time in the Lithuanian society. The participants' reflection on time places them into two groups: those who positively accept social conventions of our society (Polish, Hungariants, Austrians) and those who find it difficult to be in line with them (Cypriots, Italians, Danish). The participants from France showed their willingness to perceive the common norms of our society, and later on to accept them, thus, the French have demonstrated the best example of the development of their Intercultural Communicative Competencies in a foreign environment. Generally, we, Lithuanians, were described as the nation emphasizing our past, considering time as a valuable commodity. Our pace of life happens to be rather hectic since we have the ability to swich from monochronic time system to polychronic and vice versa. The latter statement is confirmed by R. Lewis Cross Cultural Communication survey indicating us, Lithuanians, to be on the same line with Polish, Hungarian and French. However, if we refer to the discussed Lewis Model of Cultural types, the IP survey data introduces some possible corrections, i.e. the position of the French in the Model could be replaced by the Austrians