Effective Business Communication Project

- - - Doing Business in Germany - - -

Student: Andrei Cucuveic

Master: AISI An: II

Iai, 2012

German culture - key concepts and values

Order: Germany is heavily regulated and extremely bureaucratic so people must follow strict roles and regulations.
Focus on Facts: Objective facts are considered essential in decision-making and problem-solving. Focus on Tasks: In their approach to work, Germans tend to focus on achieving the task at hand. Communicating: A vital component to understanding business negotiations is the direct and straightforward german communication style. Individualist: As most Western European cultures, Germany is marked by a strong sense of individualism.

Business protocol

Business meetings & Appointments

In order to have a business meeting with germans you need to ask for the meeting 2 weeks before the day of the meeting.

Business protocol

Punctuality
The most important factor in Germany is punctuality, they value time more than anything, the german time is on the dot time. If you arrive late you'll be more likely not accepted to go in.

Business protocol
Dress etiquette
Business dress is understated, formal and conservative. Men should wear dark coloured, conservative business suits.

Women should wear either business suits or conservative dresses and pay attention to jewellery or accessories

Business protocol

Greeting
Greetings are formal. A quick, firm handshake is the traditional greeting.

Germans shake hands at the start and end of a meeting and whenever someone joins and leaves a meeting that is in progress.

Business protocol Communication

German communication is direct and straightforward. They go directly to the point. Do not talk about personal topics or ask personal questions! Germans do not need personal relationships for doing business.

Business protocol
Work
In a typical workplace germans are very serious with their work, they are workaholics, they treat work as something holy and they are very focused. They spend little time socialising or not at all. The germans use the closed door police because privacy is very important to them. When entering a room the oldest or the one with hierarchy enters first, if they have the same status, men enter before women.

There are few women in senior management in Germany because germans tend to believe that women act in behalf of men.

Business protocol
Decision Making
Business in germany is based on hierarchy with decision making often made at the top of the company, and once a decision is made it cant be changed. Germans are detail oriented and they want to understand everything before they come to a agreement. At the end of the meeting some germans sign out there approved by rubbing their knuckles on the table.

Business protocol

Negotiations & Contracts

Once a decision is made, it will not be changed. Contracts are strictly followed. Germans mean what they say and stick to it. A yes is a yes!

Business protocol

Presents in business
Germans do not give presents during doing business! They could take it as a form of corruption!

Education
Education is highly respected in Germany. It is recommended that any degree of above the bachelor's level should be listed on the business card.

Superstitions
-The number 13 is considered unlucky for religious reasons. - The number 11 is considered a lucky number.

-If you drop a spoon while drying them in the kitchen, it means somebody will be coming to visit you soon.
-Cats born in the winter should be drowned, because they apparently are uncapable of catching mice. -It used to be traditional to bury your dead dog under the door step so that his dead ghost would keep thieves away from the house

Hofstedes cultural dimensions for Germany