Communication
Directness
Germans are direct. They say what they mean. And they mean what they say. Germans don’t use euphemisms to soften a message. They use unambiguous language and get to the point. Germans consider directness to be honest, transparent, efficient. Patterns
Work vs. Person
Germans separate the professional from the personal. Work colleagues can disagree, even argue, about the substance of an issue. This, however, does not have a negative effect on their working relationship. Patterns
Small Talk
In the German business context small talk is short in duration. Germans transition quickly to issues of substance. They see little value in talking about the weather, sports or their most recent vacation. Patterns
Controversial Topics
Germans are intelligent and well-informed. They seek out topics which lead to lively debate. And since this means a difference of opinions, Germans often choose controversial topics. Patterns
Unsolicited Advice
Germans give unsolicited advice. Usually it is criticism. In most cases the criticism is accurate and helpful. Some Germans simply want to show that they know better. Most Germans just want to be helpful. Patterns
Agreements
Yes
A yes in the German context is more exception than the rule. Germans are reluctant to enter into an agreement without being sure that they can deliver on it. When you get the German yes, however, it is firm. Patterns
No
The German no is more the rule than the exception. However, its level of hardness is based on context. The no can range from hard to flexible. Identifying the barriers to the yes reveals that range. Patterns
Context
The German yes means a high degree of commitment. Before granting it Germans want to be sure that they can deliver. In order to decide they request a lot of context information up-front. Patterns
Follow-up
In Germany follow-up is infrequent. Once an agreement has been made neither party feels the need to contact the other in order to check the status or priority of that agreement. Agreed is agreed. Patterns
Deliverables
The Germans prefer a complete deliverable, even if late, over an incomplete deliverable, on time or even early. Lateness is tolerated as long as expectations are met. Completeness is preferred to speed. Patterns
Persuasion
Message vs. Messenger
Germans separate message from messenger. The presenter consciously and purposely moves into the background. In the German business context the message takes center stage. Germans believe that arguments should speak for themselves. Patterns
Problem vs. Opportunity
For Germans a core competence is the ability to identify, analyze and solve complex problems. For them the key to success is problem-solving. In the German business context to be persuasive is to focus primarily on problems. Patterns
System vs. Particular
Germans are systematic in their thinking. Complexity is understood only by grasping how its component parts interrelate and interact. For a component part can only be understood via its role within the whole. Germans use theories and models to persuade. Patterns
Past vs. Future
Germans define realistic as understanding the situation as it is. And to understand the situation is to understand how it became so. Germans expect a clear explanation of the path from the past to the present. Persuasive is explaining the history of a given situation. Patterns
Inform vs. Sell
In the German business world to persuade means to inform persuasively. The argumentation guides an audience to its logical conclusion. Selling the conclusion is not necessary. Germans don’t ask the so-called closing question in a direct and frontal way. They don’t sell. Patterns
Decision-Making
Scope
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
Analysis
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
Resources
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
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. Patterns
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. Patterns
Leadership
Strategy and Tactics
Germans, those leading as well as those being led, prefer generally formulated, mission oriented tasks. The mission addresses more the what and less the how. Responsibilitiy for the how lies with the implementer on the tactical level. Patterns
Strategy Formulation
Germans believe that important decisions should be reached via consensus. Ideally within the entire team, but at least among its key members. Once made, those decisions are best implemented when communicated, understood and accepted by the broader organization. Patterns
Strategy Modification
Germans expect room to interpret decisions when implementing them. In certain situations Germans will deviate considerably from a decision which they, as subject matter experts, judge to be unwise, counterproductive, or harmful to the business. Patterns
Lines of Communication
Because Germans, those leading as well as those being led, prefer generally formulated, mission oriented tasks (more what, less how), they maintain longer lines of communication: less interaction, less frequent status meetings, fewer iterations on tactical issues. Patterns
Feedback
Performance
Germans separate the personal from the professional. Feedback, both formal and informal, addresses performance only. It is given in a neutral and unemotional way. Feedback, whether positive or negative, is not meant personally. Patterns
Praise
Germans give praise in direct connection with factually demonstrated performance. Praise in front of the team is seldom, however. Official awards are rare, for they could lead to envy and thus undermine team cohesion. Patterns
Criticism
Germans focus on reducing errors. When providing feedback they concentrate on weaknesses, on what is not working. Germans address weaknesses directly, openly and in a neutral, matter-of-fact way. Patterns
Discretion
Sensitive feedback discussions in Germany are often done in one-to-one talks. There are situations, however, when Germans openly criticize a colleague in the presence of the team. This is not necessarily seen as unfair to that individual, instead as imperative in order to “get issues on the table.” Patterns
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); F is ungenügend (failed). Patterns
Conflict
Escalation
Germans view conflict as negative and unpleasant. Escalation is considered as a last resort. Because effective leadership means anticipating conflict, an escalated conflict exposes poor leadership. Patterns
Hearing
Germans avoid hearings. Allowing the conflict parties to go head-to-head increases tension, making it more difficult to resolve the conflict. The conflicting parties are interviewed separately. Patterns
Evidence
When resolving a conflict the German mediator focuses on reconstructing the causes and circumstances of the conflict. Objective evidence is sought to answer to the question: “Why did this have to happen?” Patterns
Speed
Germans are skeptical of rash action. Resolving a conflict requires patience. Hasty resolutions are seldom effective. The conflict most likely will resurface. German mediators take their time. Patterns
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. Patterns
Product
Efficiency
Germans have experienced times of acute shortage. These have left their stamp on the German product philosophy. Efficiency is a key product characteristic. Efficient in its development, manufacturing, and use. Patterns
Intelligence
For Germans an intelligent product goes beyond its purpose as a tool or instrument. An intelligent product thinks with, anticipates how it is put to work, is more than just the extension of its user. Patterns
Reliability
Germans expect a product to never break down. Not only the German engineer thinks this, but also the German consumer. A reliable product, like a reliable person, always delivers on its promise. Patterns
Quality
In Germany quality is more than 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. Patterns
Process
Success Factor
If surveyed Germans would rank internal processes﹣how the work is done﹣just after people as the most critical success factor. However, often it seems that people serve processes more than processes serve people. Patterns
Deductive vs. Inductive
Deductive thinking is by inference. The conclusion about particulars follows necessarily from general or universal premises. German processes and procedures are arrived at more deductively, based on standards and norms, which provide guidance on how to do the work. Patterns
Guaranty vs. Tool
For Germans the product, and the processes which lead to that product, are two sides of the same coin. A work result – a product or service﹣is only as good as the processes which led to it. Good processes guaranty good results. Patterns
Discipline vs. Deviation
Processes are most effective when they maintain a balance between conformity and flexibility. Germans prefer generally formulated processes allowing for interpretation based on the parameters of a specific situation. Judgement calls are driven by training and experience. Patterns
Process as Power
If processes make up the manual governing the inner workings of a company, whoever writes that manual determines how the work is done. This is especially the case in complex industrial sectors where processes are essential. Germans strive to have the say about processes. Patterns
Customer
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.
And 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. Patterns
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. Patterns
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. Patterns
