Germany – Page 5 – understand-culture

Time

Germans believe that the time allotted to a decision should be determined by the nature of the decision. And not dictated by internal or external pressures. Germans believe that patience leads to good decisions. Examples

Speed

Germans are skeptical of rash action of any kind. Resolving a conflict requires patience. Hasty resolutions are seldom effective. The conflict most likely will resurface. German mediators take their time. Examples

Quality

In Germany quality is more than just one of several product characteristics. The term Qualität is all-encompassing. It is a striving to go beyond the expectations and standards of the market. Examples

Inform vs. Sell

In the German business world to persuade means to inform persuasively. The line of argumentation guides an audience to its logical conclusion. Selling the conclusion should not be necessary. Germans don’t ask the so-called closing question in a direct and frontal way. Germans don’t sell. Examples

Process as Power

If processes govern the inner workings of a company, whoever has the say about those processes determines how the work is done. Germans strive to have the say about processes. Examples

Risk

Their history as a people, their experiences as an economy, the lessons they have learned, have taught the German people to be highly sensitive to risk, to what can go wrong, to how thin their margins of error can be. Germans are careful. Examples

Acceptance

In Germany a conflict resolution is successful when accepted by all parties involved. There is little tolerance for solutions that create winners and losers. Germans aim for mutually beneficial outcomes. Examples