context – Page 3 – understand-culture

Information Overload

Much more than Germans, Americans suffer from a condition they call information overload. If Americans receive all of the information about a project right from the beginning, they’ll try to reduce the information by ignoring anything that doesn’t seem immediately important. Ultimately they will typically only remember the pieces that seem most pertinent to them.

When information is important, Americans tend to give it away in small pieces, stressing each item individually. This way, no matter how much the other person suffers from information overload he/she is certain to remember the material.

Information overload: an excess of incoming information, as might confront a pedestrian on a crowded city street, that forces one to be selective in the information received and retained; an overwhelming feeling upon the receipt or collection of an indigestible or incomprehensible amount of information, the feeling of being faced with an amount of data that one has no hope of completely processing.

This phrase was popularized by Alvin Toffler in 1970.

“Check in regularly”

On her blog The Fast Track, Alison Green posted the topic “How to Succeed When Deadlines and Priorities Constantly Change.” Green writes:

“Additionally, check in with your manager regularly about your priorities. It’s frustrating to focus on Project A all week, only to find out on Thursday that your manager knew on Tuesday that Project B was going to take priority.

So if you’re finding that you’re not getting updates about changes as quickly as you should, put the onus on yourself to touch base frequently to share what you’re working on and how you’re prioritizing and find out if anything should change.”

hidden mental processes

German film scholarship, as noted by critics like Siegfried Kracauer and Walter Benjamin, often emphasizes how cinema can reveal the “hidden mental processes” and the importance of context in shaping individual and collective outcomes. Films that neglect or underestimate context frequently use this as a narrative device to explore the consequences—sometimes tragic—of such oversights.

Yasemin

Yasemin (1988). Director: Hark Bohm. Plot: A romance between a Turkish-German woman and a German man in Hamburg, set against the backdrop of cultural expectations and integration. The film explores how cultural context—tradition, family expectations, and integration—shapes both personal and professional relationships. Business and workplace interactions are influenced by cultural misunderstandings and the need for sensitivity to different backgrounds.

serious ramifications

German dramas, especially those set in finance or corporate worlds, often emphasize the risks of acting on incomplete information. They reflect a cultural lesson: in German business culture, overlooking context is not just a minor error—it can have serious professional and personal ramifications.

Series like Bad Banks and select episodes of Tatort and Bad Cop: Kriminell gut illustrate that underestimating context in business can result in failed ventures, loss of reputation, or even legal trouble. These dramas reinforce the German business value of thorough preparation and contextual awareness before making commitments or decisions.

The Crime Scene Cleaner

Der Tatortreiniger (The Crime Scene Cleaner). Overview: This dark comedy follows Heiko “Schotty” Schotte, a crime scene cleaner who encounters a wide variety of people and situations. Each episode centers on Schotty’s interactions with clients and bystanders, exploring how personal backgrounds, social norms, and unspoken expectations affect communication and problem-solving in professional encounters. The show cleverly uses these encounters to highlight the importance of understanding context in any professional service role .

Lindenstraße

Lindenstraße. Overview: One of Germany’s longest-running soap operas, set on a fictional street in Munich. While not strictly a business show, Lindenstraße frequently explores workplace issues, social integration, and professional relationships. The show’s storylines demonstrate how social context—such as cultural background, community ties, and current events—directly impacts professional and personal interactions .

The Wave

Die Welle (The Wave, 2008). Plot: Based on a real-life experiment, a high school teacher demonstrates to his students how easily society can slip into autocracy. The project spirals out of control as students commit to the movement without fully understanding its implications. The film serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of commitment without adequate context. It contrasts the German value of careful deliberation with the risks of impulsive agreement.

First check, then commit.

Erst prüfen, dann zusagen. Literal translation: First check, then commit. Meaning: Emphasizes the importance of thoroughly reviewing all information before making a commitment.

let him who binds himself

Drum prüfe, wer sich ewig bindet. Literal translation: Therefore, let him who binds himself forever, first see whom he is binding himself to. Meaning: Originally from Friedrich Schiller, this phrase is often used to stress the importance of careful consideration and gathering context before making long-term commitments.