Germans give praise in direct connection with factually demonstrated performance. Praise in front of the team is seldom. Official awards are rare, for they could lead to envy and undermine team cohesion. Examples
Informationsverwaltung
Information + verwaltung = information management
Wikipedia – In (German) operational information management, the term Bringschuld (obligation to bring) was adopted from the law and means that a person is obliged within the scope of their information behavior to pass on the relevant information that has become known to them in a timely and comprehensive manner and in a suitable form horizontally (same level employees) and/or vertically (supervisors), so that they can make the right decisions.
These debts exist at all hierarchical levels. In this context, there is also talk of reporting levels, where a responsible person has a reporting obligation to a higher-level responsible person. Conversely, supervisors are also obliged to pass on information that has become known to them to employees, provided it is not secret.
Discretion
Sensitive feedback discussions in Germany are done one-to-one. Germans will, however, openly criticize another colleague in the presence of the team. This is not seen as unfair, but instead a necessary in order to “get the issues on the table.” Examples
Scores
Germans believe that feedback scores are most effective when they are accurate and realistic. When in doubt, Germans are deflationary.
The school grading system is: 1 is sehr gut (very good); 2 is gut (good); 3 is befriedigend (satisfactory); 4 is ausreichend (sufficient); 5 is mangelhaft (insufficient); 6 is ungenügend (failed). Examples
Expectations
The German customer expects the supplier to complete the requested task correctly and expertly, within schedule and budget. The boundary conditions are negotiated and held to as precisely as possible. Germans, however, will sacrifice schedule and budget in order to receive what they ordered. Examples
Direct vs. Indirect
The Germans are direct in their communication. They believe that people should say what they mean and mean what they say. Germans avoid using euphemisms. Instead they prefer unambiguous language. For Germans direct communication is efficient, effective, transparent, and most importantly, honest. Examples
Collaboration
In Germany two parties enter into a dialogue about matching a customer’s problem with a supplier’s solution. Once the what has been agreed upon, there is limited customer input about the how. Examples
Consult vs. Serve
The Germans prefer consulting over serving. To consult the customer is to work auf Augenhöhe, at eye-level. The German people instinctively reject any form of master-slave business relationship.
The German customer prefers a supplier, consultant, vendor who insists on a business relationship auf Augenhöhe. Germans don’t want to be served, they want to be consulted, by an expert, at eye-level. Examples
Small Talk
In the German business context small talk is short in duration. Germans transition quickly from small talk topics to topics of substance. They see little value in talking about the weather, sports or their most recent vacation. Germans don’t like to waste time. They like to get to the point. Examples