German culture

PPT for interculture management course

1. German
Culture

2. Facts About Germany
Germany is in central Europe, bordering
Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France,
Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland,
Denmark.It consists of 16 parts and the capital is
Berlin (right), and it’s official name is
Bundesrepublik Deutschland.
The Flag of Germany is Black, Red, gold
horizontal stripes.
The population is 81,757,600 (around 81 million) in
2011, and the land mass is 357,021.7 square
kilometers.
The Major religions are Protestant(34%), Roman
Catholic(34%), Muslim(3.7%), unaffiliated or
others (28.3%)
The national currency is the euro, and the main
exports are: Automobiles, Chemicals, Electronics,
Foodstuffs, Machinery and Equipment, metals,
textiles.

3. REGIONS & THEIR FLAGS
Even though Germany has one United flag, each region also has a flag to represent
it’s self.
Baden-Wurttemberg Bavaria
Berlin Brandenburg
Bremen
Hamburg Hessen
Mecklenburg VorpommernLower Saxony
Nordrhein Westfalen
Rheinland Pflaz Saarland Saxony Saxony-Anhalt Schleswig-Holstein
Thuringia

4. Geert Hofstede Analysis for Germany

5. Power Distancde Index

A decentralized society, with relatively flatter organization
structures and a comparatively smaller proportion of
supervisors
 Co-determination rights are comparatively extensive and
have to be taken into account by the management.
A direct and participative communication and meeting
style is common.
Control is disliked and leadership is challenged to show
expertise .
They have a large gap between the wealthy and the poor
and a strong belief in equality for each citizen.

6. Individualism
Strong belief in self-actualization, self-determination and
independence.
People stress on personal achievements and individual rights.
Loyalty is based on personal preferences for people as well as a
sense of duty and responsibility.
Communication is among the most direct in the world following
the ideal to be “honest, even if it hurts”

7. Masculinity
A masculine society where few married women work outside the home
and men are the traditional “bread-winner”.
Greater importance are placed on earnings, recognition, advancement
and challenge.
Success, money and material possessions form the dominant values in
society.
Managers are expected to be decisive and assertive.
Social status is often shown, especially by cars, watches and technical
devices.
The European Union’s largest economy; world’s top exporter; world’s
leader in mechanical engineering; (according to CIA World Fact Book)

8. Uncertainty Avoidance Index
A planning culture that prizes forward thinking and knowing
what they will be doing at a specific time on a specific day.
Details are equally important to create certainty that a
certain topic or project is well-thought-out.
Germans dislike taking risks. By planning everything
carefully they try to avoid the uncertainty and reduce its
risks to the minimum.
German society relies much on rules, laws and regulations
which allow people to know what is expected and to plan
their life accordingly.
They seems to have a rule for everything. ( Example in
Baden-Wurttemberg )

9. Long Term Orientation
 Typical of westernised cultures
with regards to having short-term
orientation.
People from cultures where
managers are expected to
develop a closer, more intimate
ambience can see the German
manager-subordinate relationship
as distant and cold.
Germans put truth and directness
before diplomacy. This directness
can be interpreted by certain
cultures such as China, as rude.

10. Low Context Culture
•
Truth and directness are two important
aspects in business, therefore criticism
and other strong comments are not
considered as personal disapproval.
•
Their communications are very
explicit, they believe that they solve
their problem by explicitly speaking
up their thoughts.
•
They tend to think before speaking and
do not like to beat around the bush.
•
As a result of their openness,
confrontations among workers often
happen for the sake of a better result.

11. Linear Time Culture
•Germans have a linear way of
perceiving time. They usually
prefer predictability over
spontaneity.
•Being late, even if it is only by a
few minutes, is very insulting to a
German.
•Germany is renowned for its
appreciation of efficiency. They
have almost never been late for
anything in their lives.
•Public Transport is almost always
on time in German.

12. Guidelines for Interacting With Germans
A quick, firm handshake is
the traditional greeting.
Eye contact during the
introduction is serious,
direct, and should be
maintained as long as the
person is addressing you.
Too much smiling and public
gestures of affection are
frowned upon, especially in
the business culture.
Make sure you address your
German counterparts in the
correct manner.

13. Guidelines for Interacting With Germans
-Continued
“Small talk” or “Idle chit-chat” is
not part of the German culture.
Giving compliments is not part of
German business protocol and usually
causes only embarrassment or
discomfort.
Germans can be very sensitive to
criticism of themselves
Germans keep a larger personal space
around them, approximately 6 inches
more space than North Americans do.
Avoid silence while interacting with
Germans.