Table of contents

1. Introduction 2

2. Theoretical background 2

3. Empirical research 3

4. Discussion 4

5. Conclusion 5

References 6

Appendices 8
Appendix I: Interview guide 8
Appendix II: Table with quotes 9

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 1. Introduction
In the current literature, differences and similarities can be found within the Dutch and
German culture. The Netherlands and Germany are neighboring countries and corporate
closely in the European Union. Besides, they have a very close relationship on political,
cultural and educational levels (Rooks & Matzat, 2010). Therefore, European regional
development wants to ‘delete’ the borders for a smooth passage of people or goods
(Spierings & Van der Velde, 2013). Many similarities can be found within the Dutch and
German culture. However, according to Hofstede’s cultural dimensions (2010), there are also
some differences. The main differences can be found in the masculine German culture and
the more feminene culture in the Netherlands. Dutchmen have a more “work hard, play hard”
attitude, while Germans are more focused on achieving successes and performing. Since
more than 16.000 Dutch employees are working in Germany1, and the number is still
growing, it is important to know what Dutchmen could expect, how to adjust and how to
collaborate and communicate efficiently with Germans.
The reason to explore these findings is that I came in contact with several Dutchmen
who want to expand their company abroad and therefore want to work in (or for) a German
company. They have had a few contact moments with Germans, but don't know how to best
handle the cultural differences. The goal of this essay is to build on previous research and to
add a comprehensive understanding of working as a Dutchman in a German company,
through interviews. Therefore, the following research question has been formulated: “How to
adapt the typical Dutch behavior when working in (or for) a German company?”. In order to
give an answer to this research question, I interviewed two Dutchmen who have been
working in Germany for at least 5 years and who have experienced some cultural
differences. In the first part of this essay, differences in the Dutch and German culture found
in the existing literature will be described. Secondly, a description of the results found
through empirical research will be given. Subsequently, similarities and differences in the
results of the interviews will be described. Finally, a conclusion is written with an answer to
the research question.

2. Theoretical background
Culture is a broad and fuzzy topic. According to Spencer-Oatey (2008), culture can be
described as the following: “‘Culture is a fuzzy set of basic assumptions and values,
orientations to life, beliefs, policies, procedures and behavioural conventions that are shared
by a group of people, and that influence (but do not determine) each member’s behaviour
and his/her interpretations of the ‘meaning’ of other people’s behaviour”. Also, according to
Schein (1984), there are different levels of culture. First, the artifacts and behaviors that are
visible. Second, the attitudes and conventions which are less visible and finally, values and
assumptions that are not visible and almost impossible to change (Hall, 1976).
The Dutch and Germans have many similarities. For example, they both have an
individualistic culture, which means individuals are expected to take care of themselves and
their close relatives (Moriano, Gorgievski, Laguna, Stephan, Zarafshani, 2011). Besides,
both cultures score high on the long-term orientation index of Hofstede et al. (2010), which

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AD. (2019).
https://www.ad.nl/werk/meer-nederlanders-werken-in-duitsland-ik-maakte-zon-512-kilometer-per-dag~
a75c36dd/?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

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means they emphasise on persistence, and not just quick-wins. However, the Dutch and
German culture also have a couple of differences. In order to get meaningful insights in
these differences, a few quantitative as well as qualitative models have been used for the
analysis. When looking at the culture map of Erin Meyer (2014), there is a big difference in
leading and persuading. Also, the Netherlands have a more egalitarian culture, whereas the
Germans are more leading towards a hierarchical culture. This means, Germans do what
they are told to do by their boss and every person knows its place, while in the Netherlands
the distance between employees and their bosses is relatively low and people are almost
even expected to look critically at the tasks their boss assigns them. Also, reasoning is
different in Germany and the Netherlands. In Germany, they begin to reason with facts or
statements and later add theories for back up, while Dutchmen firstly develop a theory
before presenting a fact or statement. Another big difference in the German and Dutch
culture, is according to Hofstede et al. (2010), the masculine vs. feminine culture, as
mentioned before.
According to Enklaar (2007), Dutchmen see Germans as authoritarian. Germans are
very relaxed in rank differences, while Dutchmen would not like it, since they attach much
value to equality. Also, during a job application, Germans are being assessed first on the
basis of their qualities and thereafter on their personality, while in the Netherlands it is the
other way around (Enklaar, 2007). Another difference between both cultures is negotiation.
Germans are more result-oriented while Dutchmen are more process-oriented. Besides,
Germans want to discuss every detail and trust is built up when everything is well prepared
(Enklaar, 2007).
The mobile application ‘KPMG Culture Collaboration App’ (KPMG, 2017) shows that
Dutchmen want to ‘take control’ while Germans more easily ‘go with the flow’. This is in
contrast with the statement from Hofstede et al. (2010) saying that Dutchmen are living and
working through following the mindset “work hard, play hard” and the Germans who want to
succeed and perform great. On the other hand, the mobile application app (KPMG, 2017)
explains that the Netherlands tend to have a high orientation in taking control, while the
Germans tend to go more with the flow than taking control. KPMG (2017) also states,
likewise to Enklaar (2017), Germans go into meetings very well prepared and they expect
every participant to do extensive preparations.
More generally, when someone moves to a foreign country, there are three stages of
adjustment: work adjustment, interaction adjustment and general adjustment (Selmer, 1999).
Besides, having professional experiences abroad enlargers your creativity which could help
Dutchmen in their future career path (Godart, Maddux, Shipilov, & Galinsky, 2015). Also, the
adaptation of your cultural identity is often related to the choices of the individual, choices of
the organization and the host-country (Mao & Shen, 2015). So, Dutchmen could adapt their
cultural identity through the organization they are working in and work eventually in a more
creative way due to their experiences abroad.

3. Empirical research
In order to create a more comprehensive understanding of working in Germany as a
Dutchman, two interviews were held among Dutch women working and living for at least 5
years in Germany. This was done through semi-structured interviews. The interview guide
that was used can be found in appendix I. Afterwards, the interviews were transcribed and
quotes used in this report were translated.

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 According to the interviewees, German employees are more ‘serious’. The Dutch are
at work much more loose and have lower standards. Citing interviewee 1: “My German
colleagues are much more serious than I was used to. They are very strict and follow the
rules. When I was still working in the Netherlands, we also followed the rules, but it was no
such big deal when you added your own touch to a rule when you thought that would work
better”. Interviewee 2 agrees to that by stating that “In the Netherlands it is more about
having fun at your work and in Germany work comes first, and you have fun in your own
spare time”. Both interviewees state that they adjust their communication and behavior when
working with German colleagues. They mention that they work more precisely and double
check everything. Another very important point with regards to being precise according to
interviewee 1 is: “Just be on time. If you are late for work, your boss would not appreciate it. I
worked at the same company for over 4 years and just once I was too late, I almost got
fired”. Also, when a German colleague has critique, (s)he will just say it, just like in the
Netherlands. They also talk less about their private lives at work than they would do in the
Netherlands. They both mention that in Germany there is a great separation between work
life and private life. As interviewee 2 says: “My German colleagues would not be my friends,
not that I don’t like them, but it is just not usual. When I was still working in the Netherlands, I
also spent my spare time sometimes with my colleagues. In Germany I would not do that so
quickly”. When looking at hierarchy, both interviewees mentioned that they felt this was very
different in Germany than in the Netherlands. As interviewee 2 mentions: “My boss in
Germany has definitely a higher position than me. You are expected to follow their orders. In
Germany it is more like on the one hand the boss and on the other hand the employees, and
I feel in the Netherlands it is more ‘together’”. Also, during their job interviews, both
interviewees had felt the employer wanted to know them personally better and they had to
do a trial-workday, in order to see whether they were capable of doing their job. In appendix
II a table is shown with some extra interesting quotes.

4. Discussion
In the existing literature a contradiction was found. Hofstede et al. (2010) stated that
Dutchmen “work hard, play hard” and Germans were more strict in following the rules and
aiming at being successful. On the other hand, KPMG (2017) stated that Germans are more
easily going with the flow and that the Dutchmen want to take control. However, the
empirical research shows that Germans are, likewise to the statement of Hofstede et al.
(2010), more ‘serious’ and are much more stricter in following rules. Another point of
difference found between the literature and empirical research is with regards to a job
application. According to Enklaar (2007), in Germany applicants are first being assets based
on their qualities and thereafter on their personality. However, the interviewees both
mentioned that they have noticed that applicants in Germany certainly were first assessed
on their personality and appearance. A reason for this contradiction might be that both
interviewees worked in the catering industry, where appearance might play a bigger role
than in other industries. Besides those differences found in the literature and empirical
research, also similarities are found. For example, both literature as well as the empirical
research state that Germany has a higher hierarchy at work than in the Netherlands and that
Germans want to be well-prepared and work precisely.

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 5. Conclusion
To answer the research question: “How to adapt the typical Dutch behavior when working in
(or for) a German company?”, the theoretical background and empirical research were
compared. A couple of recommendations could be made for Dutchmen who want to work in
(or for) a German company.
First of all, it is important to be aware of the differences. Even if they are small and
think they would not have impact, keep the differences in mind to prevent unpleasant
situations. For example, be aware that in Germany the work-private relationship is different
than in the Netherlands. Germans do not expect to spend their spare time with each other,
they rather focus on their jobs and keep their private lives for themselves.
Secondly, it is important to work precisely. Know what is expected from you and try to
execute these tasks with precision. Related to this, meet deadlines and be on time for
appointments. Also, be well prepared, since trust from Germans is built up through this.
Thirdly, be aware of the hierarchy. In Germany, employees are expected to do what is
told by their boss and this should be unquestioned. Of course, clarification could be asked
when a certain task is not clear, but when the boss says so, the task should be executed.

Ofcourse, this advisory report has limitations. Only two Dutchmen were interviewed during
this advisory report due to the short period of time. In the future, more empirical research
could be done to check whether new or other results could be found. Besides, future
empirical research could be done through an experiment where Dutchmen who are planning
to work in Germany implement the recommendations to see which effect this has.

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References

Enklaar, A. (2007). Nederland, tussen nut en naastenliefde. (1st edition). Schiedam,

Netherlands: Scriptum

Godart, F. C., Maddux, W. W., Shipilov, A. V., & Galinsky, A. D. (2015). Fashion with a
foreign flair: Professional experiences abroad facilitate the creative innovations of
organizations. Academy of Management Journal, 58(1), 195-220.
http://dx.doi.org/10.5465/amj.2012.0575

Hall, E. T. (1976). Beyond Culture. New York: Anchor Books/A Division of Random House,
Inc.

Hofstede, G., Hofstede, G. J., & Minkov, M. (2010). Cultures and Organizations: Software of
the Mind (Rev. 3rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

KPMG. (2017). KPMG Culture Collaboration App (Version 1.2.) [Mobile application software].
Retrieved from
https://apps.apple.com/nl/app/kpmg-culture-collaboration-app/id1321828535

Mao, J., & Shen, Y. (2015). Cultural identity change in expatriates: A social network
perspective. Human Relations, 68(10), 1533-1556. DOI: 10.1177/0018726714561699

Meyer, E. (2014a). The Culture Map. USA: PublicAffairs.

Moriano, J. A., Gorgievski, M., Laguna, M., Stephan, U., & Zarafshani, K. (2011). A cross
cultural approach to understanding entrepreneurial intention. Journal of Career
Development, 39(2), 162-185. DOI: 10.1177/0894845310384481

Rooks, G., & Matzat, U. (2010). Cross-national differences in effects of social

embeddedness on trust: A comparative study of German and Dutch business
transactions. The Social Science Journal, 47(1), 45-68.
doi:10.1016/j.soscij.2009.07.001

Selmer, J. (1999). Culture shock in China? Adjustment pattern of western expatriate

business managers. International Business Review, 8(1), 515-534.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0969-5931(99)00018-9

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Schein, E. H. (1984). Coming to a new awareness of organizational culture. Sloan
Management Review, 25(2). 3-16.

Spencer-Oatey, H. (2008) Culturally Speaking. Culture, Communication and Politeness

Theory. (2nd edition). London, England: Continuum.

Spierings, B., & Van der Velde, M. (2013). Cross-Border differences and unfamiliarity:
shopping mobility in the Dutch-German Rhine-Waal Euroregion. European Planning
Studies, 21(1), 5-23. DOI: 10.1080/09654313.2012.716236

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Appendices

Appendix I: Interview guide

- Name
- Age
- How many years are you working in Germany?
- What is the most noticable difference between the Dutch and German culture
according to you?
- Do you change your way of communication when working in Germany?
- If yes: In what way?
- If no: Why not?
- How would you describe the German working environment?
- How would you describe your job interview?
- What would you recommend a Dutchman who wants to start working in (or for) a
German company?

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Appendix II: Table with quotes

Interviewee 1: “Working with German colleagues is not very “gezellig””

Interviewee 1: “Germans are more decent and set higher expectations”

Interviewee 1: “Once I made a small mistake, and even after a week my German
colleague was checking on me if I was doing it right this time”

Interviewee 2: “My German boss is not very sympathetic”

Interviewee 2: “I think Germans feel like they know-it-all”

Interviewee 2: “I never saw my German colleagues outside work. In the Netherlands I

often saw my colleagues in the pub drinking a beer”