Scope
Germany
Germans think systematically. They view a decision in its broader, interconnected context. The scope of the decision is, therefore, wide. German decision-making means making several decisions at the same time. Patterns
United States
Americans consciously break down complexity into its component parts in order to focus on what is essential. Because of that the scope of their decisions is narrow. Americans avoid interconnecting too many decisions. Patterns
Analysis
Germany
Germans regard an individual step in a decision-making process as completed only when all relevant information has been gathered and analyzed with rigorous tools. Germans are scientific. They are skeptical of intuition. Patterns
United States
Americans gather limited, but highly relevant, information. In-depth analysis is done only when necessary. Americans apply rigorous tools of analysis. However, they balance them with pragmatism. Americans trust their intuition. Patterns
Resources
Germany
Germany never was abundant in resources. Germans are economical. In what they make, in how they make it, and in how they use it. Suboptimal decisions require modification, which in turn, draws on resources. Germans do their best to get a decision right the first time. Patterns
United States
The United States has always been a country abundant in resources. Americans are less economical. In what they make, in how they make it, and in how they use it. Instead, they value rapid resource aggregation and deployment in order to take advantage of opportunities. Patterns
Time
Germany
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. Patterns
United States
In the U.S. an imperfect but quick decision is often preferred over a perfect but slow decision. Imperfect decisions can be corrected. For Americans speed is always of the essence. Patterns
Risk
Germany
Their history as a people, their experiences as an economy, 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. Patterns
United States
Historically America has always had generous margins or error: resource-rich, protected by two oceans, two neighbors posing no threat. Mistakes were seldom costly. Risk-taking often paid off. Americans take risks. Patterns
