German Culture According to the Hofstede Model
Bio-Med has chosen to use the Hofstede model as one of the ways to understand the German culture. The model divides German culture into six categories; power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, pragmatism and indulgence (Hofstede, 2014). The model then applies a numerical score to each category German Work Ethic Overview
“It is said that the British and American business people first envision their goal, then plan backward on how to achieve it. The German process is different: everything is planned from the beginning. From this starting point, each step is meticulously envisioned, until the best possible result is achieved. [… this] helps to explain why everything
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Germans do not highly value humane orientation, institutional or in-group collectivism (Northouse, 2012). Germans are very assertive, value performance orientation, future orientation, and uncertainty avoidance (Northouse, 2012). This attitude can appear standoffish, short or rude to an outsider. This is merely a manifestation on their focus on work efficiency, leaves little time for the ‘pleasantries” that North Americans are accustomed to.
Keys to Being Successful Manager within Germany
German place less value on the individual than North Americas’ (Northouse, 2012), and feel “emotional involvement is unacceptable in negotiations” (Conaway & Wayne, 2007).
Germans do not work on Sunday. Communicate any necessary information to local co-workers by Friday AM, latest. Germany has many national holidays, so all mangers will be provided with this list to allow for successful scheduling.
Combining Cultures
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“Germanic European countries think that effective leadership is based on participation, charisma and autonomy but not on face saving and other self-centered attributes” (Northouse, 2012, p. 402). Americans’ also value charisma, participation and less self-centered attributes (Northouse, 2012). Unfortunately, working together may highlight the differences between American and German cultures. Studies done by Andre Laurent, show that managers imbedded in multicultural companies actually tend to display their culture preferences and identities more highly than managers working without their own company (cited via Adler,