Sachlichkeit—sticking to the subject matter—is a core German value in problem-solving. It means focusing on the substance of the issue rather than on personalities, emotions, politics, or tangential matters. Criticism should address the matter at hand rather than the person. Discussions should engage with actual issues rather than sliding into social positioning.
This discipline keeps attention on what actually matters for solving the problem. When working with Germans, keep discussions factual and substantive. If they criticize your work directly, don’t take it as a personal attack—they’re addressing the Sache, the subject matter. Similarly, you can raise problems directly without extensive social softening.
This directness serves problem-solving by ensuring issues are named clearly so they can be addressed. It’s not rudeness; it’s efficiency and clarity.
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