Business Culture

Bring plenty of business cards. Unless you are exclusively dealing with Germans, it is unnecessary to have the reverse side translated into German.

Germans, like other Europeans, write their first names before their last names and should be addressed by the academic title given on their card (e.g. “Dr.”). Include your full title or position, and any university degrees you hold or optionally professional organizations with which you are affiliated. When designing your card keep in mind that German businesspeople will want to learn as much about your background and qualifications as possible.

Germans are very straightforward and direct, especially in the business environment. It is part of their normal communication behaviour for someone to openly ask for clarification. This is to prevent complications later when it is revealed by accident that someone had not understood instructions or expectations.

The German side will arrive at the meeting well-informed, and will expect the same from you. Even at initial meetings where, in your culture, you may spend most of the time getting acquainted and building a personal relationship between you and a potential business partner, expect the Germans to address issues, problems and facts through very technical communicative behaviour. If this is not your intention in the initial meetings, make a point of clarifying your intentions and expectations beforehand so that both sides are aware of the other side's expectations and likely communicative behaviour.

Because Germans are schedule-oriented for a most efficient management of business time, expect their business communicative behaviour to be very agenda-based. Germans tend to be intensely analytical thinkers requiring lots of facts and examples from the other side to back up their position. Objective facts are the basis for truth in German business culture, and legalistic, rational reasoning is the cornerstone of business negotiations and communication. Ultimately, personal feelings and relationships cannot be relevant to business negotiations, as this can compromise the fairness or integrity of the deal.

Contracts, therefore, are certainly final after signing. Manoeuvring for further concessions is not possible if both sides have agreed on it. Failure to honour the terms and conditions of a signed contract can lead to legal action taken against the partner. Businesspeople from cultures that traditionally regard contracts as mere "statements of intent" which later respond to the realities and nature of the partners' relationship should not expect German enterprises to be able to adapt too much to this way of thinking. Attempts to continue negotiations or revise fixed terms will create distrust and suspicion and may be grounds to terminate the agreement.

German businesspeople tend to be traditionally cautious of new ideas and concepts. Institutional change comes very slowly and often quite reluctantly. Provide lots of logical argumentation and concrete examples to back up your proposal based on facts and data. Similarly, flexibility and spontaneity are not prominent traits in German business culture. The bigger and older the institution, the more slow-moving internal management will tend to be. Risk-taking or challenging rules and traditional authority are not considered desirable.

Detailed planning has enormous value in German culture and is a principal characteristic of German business cooperation. It is rather a question of how much details at what point. Therefore, as with all points where priorities and technical expectations differ significantly between parties, it is essential that both sides do their homework beforehand and perhaps schedule a few informal initial mini-meetings to address these issues and set some basic ground rules that everyone can agree on.

Having said all that, ensure you have plenty of data and other empirical evidence to support your proposals and arguments. If you are conducting the meeting in German, keep the language simple and direct. Even when you think, you sound much more direct than you would ever be in your own native language, keep in mind that this will not likely be the case for German ears. In fact, too much diplomatic indirectness will be confusing and irritating for Germans and can give the impression of insincerity. Exaggerated and overly-dramatic communication styles can also inspire distrust and caution.

When you are preparing promotional or presentation material, be aware that German businesspeople are traditionally less impressed by advertising, illustrations, and memorable slogans. Brochures aimed at the German market are often more serious in tone, provide substantially more technical data, and make claims that can be proven by hard facts and examples. Don't worry about producing a brochure that seems lengthy or tedious; if the information is pertinent especially for a technical product, your German counterparts will be inclined to read the whole thing. Moreover, they will expect your product to conform exactly to the description you have given.

Germans will sometimes look for deficiencies in your products or services and will quite openly draw your attention to them if they in any way do not correspond to their claims. This is one of the toughest aspects of German communicative behaviour you will encounter in personal or professional contact with Germans. This form of direct disagreement and criticism is possible in social interactions not because people don't feel uncomfortable when they hear it, but because such a statement is based on objective, impersonal truths. Ultimately, the value lies in pointing out a mistake to someone so that it can be corrected. This is a characteristic “low context” communicative behaviour that works because it is based on isolating and clarifying objective facts.

Ex. 1. Find the synonyms to the words from list A in list B:

Ex. 2. Complete each sentence with a phrase.

1. Arriving even five to ten minutes later than the appointed time is perceived as... .

2. You should be prepared to make an appointment for... .

3. Germans don't usually feel comfortable discussing especially serious things... .

4. When you are preparing promotional or presentation material … .

5. If you must be late for any reason, it's important that... .

6. The preferred times for business appointments are... .

7. You should allow at least 24 hours to... .

Ex. 3. Choose the adjectives you would use to describe the Germans.

punctual, intelligent, blunt, unreasonable, cunning, direct, concealed, straightforward, flexible, hesitant, reserved, tough, well-informed, schedule-oriented, hypocritical, frank, open, outspoken, trusting, dignified, cautious, rational, serious, polite, tactful, uncivil, light-minded.

Ex. 4. Questions for discussion.

1. What data should business cards include?

2. How are meetings organized?

3. Is manoeuvring for further concessions possible if both sides have agreed on a contract?

4. What is German business culture characterized by?

5. What type language should you use if you are conducting the meeting in German?

6. What brochures are German businesspeople impressed by?

7. What communicative behaviour is quite common in German business culture?

8. Compare the characteristics of the Germans and the Americans.

Date: 2015-01-12; view: 1130