German Approach
When resolving a conflict the German mediator focuses on reconstructing the causes and circumstances. Objective evidence is sought to answer the question: “Why did this have to happen?” Patterns
American Approach
When resolving a conflict American managers see themselves more as judge than mediator. They consider both objective facts and subjective witness testimony. Patterns
American View
Many conflicts are the result of non-quantifiable, nuanced, context-oriented factors. Often there is a fine line between objective and subjective information. The German approach takes into consideration only the factual evidence.
German View
The American approach is too susceptible to manipulation. Colleagues often choose sides in a conflict. Their testimony is inherently subjective.
Advice to Germans
Go beyond the literal, quantifiable facts. Talk to the folks near and/or impacted by the internal conflict. An American party to the conflict will ask and expect you to get the opinion of colleagues who see the situation they do.
To ignore that input as subjective, is to not gather all of the facts. If your team lead is an American, anticipate him/her talking to all sorts of folks in the organization in order to get as complete a picture as possible. Line up your references.
Advice to Americans
If you lead Germans, go ahead and interview folks near and impacted by the conflict. But be sure to start with the facts. Otherwise, your approach could be misperceived as relying too much or exclusively on hearsay.
If your German boss is involved, avoid suggesting that he/she talk to folks who support your point of view. That could be perceived as attempting undue influence on the process.