Friedrich Schiller – Maria Stuart (Mary Stuart, 1800). This historical drama reconstructs the final days of Mary, Queen of Scots, focusing on the legal and moral evidence that leads to her execution. Schiller’s play is a profound meditation on justice, evidence, and the interplay of personal motives and political necessity—central concerns in German approaches to conflict and resolution.
Baader Meinhof
Der Baader Meinhof Komplex. (The Baader Meinhof Complex, 2008). This film examines the rise of the Red Army Faction (RAF), a left-wing terrorist group in 1970s Germany. Through investigative sequences, archival materials, and a focus on the motivations and societal conditions that led to radicalization, the film reconstructs the circumstances behind the violence. It provides a multi-faceted, evidence-driven exploration of why such a movement emerged.
Tischtuch zerschnitten
Der Tischtuch ist zerschnitten. The tablecloth has been ripped in two.
In the German context, to escalate a conflict within the team to the next management level is considered to be a sign of failure. Failure of the conflict parties to resolve their problem. Failure to at least come up with a proposed resolution which they can take to their team lead for her input, and perhaps her decision.
Escalation is the equivalent of going to court, of one party suing the other. For Germans, the severity of such a step just about rules out any chance that the two parties will be able to work together again. And regardless of how their German manager assists in the resolution, regardless of the outcome, she will view her two team members as having failed themselves, the team and her.
“Patience is the strongest of weapons”
Max Weber described politics as “slowly drilling through the thickest boards”, meaning it demands patience and perseverance to reach one’s goals.
Konrad Adenauer – West German chancellor form 1949 until 1963 – had the same thought in mind when in 1946 he said:
“Patience is the strongest of weapons, of a defeated people laid so low.” Germany after the Second World War lay in ruins. And due to the crimes committed by its Nazi-regime was an occupied pariah state.
Because Adenauer knew it would be many years before Germany would be reunited, he stressed patience and perseverance not only to the West Germans, but also to the Western Allies – the occupying forces.
Adenauer referred time and again to German history, to the two world wars and the centuries further back. His approach, his long-term perspective, his stamina, proved to be right. Twenty years after his Adenauer’s death the two Germanies were reunited and has become one of the great forces for stability in and for Europe.
procedural not adversarial
In German crime and legal dramas, such as Tatort and the various SOKO franchises, investigations are typically methodical, with suspects and witnesses interviewed separately by police. The process is procedural and avoids dramatic, adversarial courtroom showdowns, focusing instead on careful fact-finding and structured dialogue.
These series collectively demonstrate the German cultural and procedural logic of minimizing direct confrontation in conflict resolution, aligning with the business practice of interviewing conflicting parties separately to reduce tension and facilitate resolution.
Peinlich
Konflikt. Conflict. Latin conflictus. Collision, hitting, crashing together; a difficult situation caused by opposing opinions; to go against something, to argue, battle, fight with another.
Streit. Argument. Old High German strīt. To go against, uproar, to argue against each other vociferously; to bicker, to argue loudly, emotionally, intensely, including physical attacks. A term used in the past for battle, military confrontation. To arm yourself for a Streit.
Auseinandersetzung. To address an issue at length; discuss, debate, argue; sharp, bitter verbal confrontation; conflict between peoples fought militarily.
Peinlich. Embarrassing. From Middle High German pīnlich. Painful, from pein, pain; Latin poena, punishment; feeling of discomfort, unease, shame.
Überspielen. To hide something negative, cover up; to distract from an embarrassment; to refer to a negative situation with humour so as to mask it.
Petzen. To „rat on“ another person. Germans team members are very reluctant to go to their team lead in order to inform about a problem or another team member‘s poor work.
Denunzieren. To denounce. To go to an authority in order to provide negative or incriminating information about another person. To be an informant.
“rubble film”
Die Mörder sind unter uns (The Murderers Are Among Us, 1946). This is one of the first German films made after WWII and a classic of the “rubble film” (Trümmerfilm) genre. Set in the ruins of Berlin, it follows a traumatized doctor who discovers that a former Nazi officer responsible for atrocities is living unpunished among the survivors. The film centers on the protagonist’s moral and psychological investigation into the past, piecing together evidence and memories to confront personal and collective guilt. It dramatizes the process of uncovering the truth about wartime crimes and seeking accountability, embodying the German approach of reconstructing causes and circumstances
Deutschland 83 86 89
Deutschland 83 / Deutschland 86 / Deutschland 89: This acclaimed spy thriller trilogy follows a young East German border guard who is sent to West Germany as an undercover spy during the Cold War. The series meticulously reconstructs the political, social, and personal factors driving East-West tensions. Characters constantly seek evidence—through espionage, surveillance, and analysis—to understand motivations and prevent escalation. The narrative emphasizes cause-and-effect and the critical role of information in resolving or escalating conflict.
Schlichten
vermitteln. To reach agreement among enemies; intervene in a conflict, argument; enable communication between opposing parties; to bring about, to make happen; to bring those in disagreement together; to facilitate; to make a match, marriage, friendship; to help someone achieve a goal.
Diktat. Latin dictatum, from dictare. Dictation; to dictate, determine; a written command, order; to force something on another person, from the outside; dictator.
schlichten. Old High German slihten, to even out, smoothen; as a neutral party help resolve a problem, end a fight; to make a wooden or metal surface smooth, shiny; to make leather soft, pliable.
Holzhammermethode. Literally wooden hammer method; to try to accomplish something with force. Using a wooden hammer is a metaphor in Germany for taking an unsophisticated, rough, impatient approach to a sensitive matter.