Intercultural Competences in Vocational

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CULTURAL PROFILE

Germany
Figures, facts and a cultural pattern approach

Serena Junker, Sindy Würffel

ICVET: 30.12.2015 – 31.12.2017

PROJECT NUMBER: 2015-1-DE02-KA202-002520

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Participating countries

Germany: WEQUA GmbH (Co-ordinator), Verein der Freunde und Förderer des
Oberstufenzentrums Lausitz e.V., IHK-Projektgesellschaft Frankfurt/Oder

Greece: General Lyceum Lavrio

Portuga:l Escuela Profissional, Aveiro

Romania: Colegiul Technik Energetic, Cluj Napoca

Italy: Formaorienta, Marsico Nuovo/Potenza

Turkey: Iskilip Mesleki ve Teknik Anadolu Lisesi (IMTAL), Iskilip/Çorum

Austria: BFI Oberösterreich, Linz

Czech Republic Soukromá podřipská střední odborná škola a střední odborné učiliště
o.p.s. (SPSOS), Roudnice

Published by: ICVET http://icvet.epa.edu.pt/

Cover illustration by Katerina Tsampari

Open license: This document is for free use under the Creative Commons: Attribution-Non-
Commercial 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/. Logos are excluded from free licensing.

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects
the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may
be made of the information contained therein.
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Germany

EU Profile1

EU member country since: 1

January 1958

Capital: Berlin

Geographical size: 357.376 km2

Population: 81.197.537 (2015)

Population as % of total EU: 16

% (2015)

Gross domestic product (GDP): €

3.026 trillion (2015)

Political system: Federal

Parliamentary Republic

Currency: euro. Member of the eurozone since 1 January 1999

Schengen: Schengen area member since 26 March 1995

Presidency of the Council: Germany has held the revolving presidency of the Council
of the EU 11 times between 1958 and 2007. The next time will be in 2020.

Cultural Profile

Culture Name: German

Alternative Names: Germania (Latin), Deutschland (German), l'Allemagne (French)
Language: German (Deutsch)
Socio-economic Identity: West European

1 https://europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/countries/member-countries/germany_en, 12.3.2017

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1. CULTURAL PROFILE
1.1 THE CULTURAL DIMENSION THEORY OF HOFSTEDE

Changing lives. Opening minds

Culture
Culture is composed by visible and invisible elements – Hofstedes
cultural onion

In the past the term culture and its’ depending on the national context. From
meaning were explored from different his observations he developed his concept
points of view. A well-known, widely of 4, later 6, different cultural dimensions
taught approach origins from Geert representing “preferences for one state of
Hofstede, a Dutch social psychologist. In affairs over another that distinguish
the 1970 s little research about cultural countries (rather than individuals) from
differences had been done. At the same each other”. In this sense he defines
time there was a strong need to “national culture as the collective
understand and cope with those programming of the human mind that
differences due to the worldwide distinguishes one group or category of
expansion of companies and people from another”. According to his
organizations. In this time Hofstede theory national culture is represented in
conducted large scale studies on IBM values, rituals, heroes and symbols of a
employees and subsidies to understand nation while values are deemed to be the
differences on “work related values” deepest level, thus changing only slowly.
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Cultural differences in organizations are

visible as practices. See further down
Now go and discover the specifics of your
below to check, how Hofstede’s 6 cultural
own country and compare to your
dimensions can be characterized.
country of destination:
According to Hofstede each nation scores
with a certain number on a scale from 1 to
120 (or recalculate on Hofstede’s website
from 1 to 100). Hofstede puts a strong
emphasize on the fact that cultural Now that you know where you stand, the
differences only become visible when following tips3 might be useful once you
comparing different national cultures immerse in the culture of your
(“culture can be only used meaningfully by destination country:
comparison”). His systematic framework
for assessing and differentiating national
cultures kept being tested and elaborated
until nowadays. Although sometimes
being perceived critically and old-
fashioned Hofstede`s cultural dimensions
can be a useful instrument in the VET
framework to understand cultural
differences. In practice when applying it to
work related contexts they can be used to
explain relations among colleagues,
hierarchies in organizations, how rules are
set and followed or how organizations are
led strategically. Especially for young
people entering the world of work in
another country those insights can be of
great value to understand and adapt to
“new” working habits.

The information you will find in the

following paragraphs are taken of
publications of Geert Hofstede2. You will
find all relevant sources at the end. 3Quoted from:
https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/new
LDR_66.htm
2 https://geert-hofstede.com/
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PDI = Power distance

index: to what extend do
people accept that power
is distributed unequally
among them.

IDV = Individualism vs.

collectivism: to what
extend social bonds are
characterized by the
focus on collectives
(“we”) or individuals (“I”)

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MAS = Masculinity vs. femininity:

represents the preferences in
society for “toughness”
(achievement, heroism etc.) or
“tenderness” (caring,
cooperation etc.)

UAI = Uncertainty avoidance

index: to what extend are
people able to cope with
uncertainty and ambiguity

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LTO = Long term

orientation versus short
term orientation: to what
extend societies give
priority to preserving what
has been established in
the past (traditions,
norms) or facing the
challenges of the future
and prepare for those

IND = Indulgence vs.

restraint: to what
extend a society
allows for or restricts
opportunities for
people to enjoy life.

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1.2 Germany in the Hofstede world

Highly decentralised and supported by a Germany's high score of 83 for longterm-

strong middle class, Germany is among orientation indicates that it is a pragmatic
the lower power distant countries. Co- country. In societies with a pragmatic
determination rights are comparatively orientation, people believe that truth
extensive and have to be taken into depends very much on situation, context
account by the management. A direct and and time. They show an ability to adapt
participative communication and meeting traditions easily to changed conditions, a
style is common, control is disliked and strong propensity to save and invest,
leadership is challenged to show expertise thriftiness, and perseverance in achieving
and best accepted when it’s based on it. results.

Individualism, masculinity and uncertainty

avoidance rank slightly above midline with
a tendency to the higher end.

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1.3 Understand Germany from examples

In this chapter you will find some examples, how the cultural dimensions of Hofstede can
find there practical expression. Those examples also provide possible explanations about
why people behave in a certain way, in particular at work. They are of course not generally
true or claim any form of universality. However, they can help to think about own values and
those of others, thus easing the immersion into another culture in a reflective, sensitized
way.

Example 1 - PDI combination with their low Power

Distance, where the certainty for own
France has a PDI of 68, which is high in
decisions is not covered by the larger
comparison with Germany (35/100). Let’s
responsibility of the boss, Germans prefer
say that they want to record a movie. In
to compensate for their higher uncertainty
France, the actors will do anything what
by strongly relying on expertise. One way
the director tells them to because they
how uncertainty avoidance shows is
understand ‘their place’ and they don’t
through rules. This is the case in Germany
need a further justification. In Germany,
– to avoid uncertainty, Germans like to
the power is widely spread-out. The actors
make rules (it doesn’t necessarily mean
in Germany will suggest their own ideas
that they follow them themselves, but
and could even ask to change some things
given their position in the EU they are able
in the story.
to enforce them on others). So being
obsessed with rules for their own sake is
reflected by the relatively high Uncertainty
Example 2 – UAI Avoidance of the German culture, while
the tendency to save, connected with
Germany is among the uncertainty
austerity measures, is a reflection of Long
avoidant countries. There is a strong
Term Orientation.
preference for deductive rather than
inductive approaches, be it in thinking,
presenting or planning: the systematic
overview has to be given in order to
proceed. This is also reflected by the law
system. Details are equally important to
create certainty that a certain topic or
project is well-thought-out. In
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2. German Society & Culture

Cultural Orientation

Germany is a country in the central West of Europe and after the unification and
political change in 1989 it is the most populous country of the European Union with about
82 million inhabitants. Germany is densely populated especially in the economic and
industrial centres, nevertheless the majority of Germany is covered by agricultural land
(47,4% of which 13,4% are permanent pastures), forest and woodland (30,1%). 11,8% are
covered by settlements and streets.

Germany has a geographical orientation from north to south, extending from the
coasts of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea in the North and North East to the high mountains
of the Alps in the South. The metropolitan areas are - from north to south -Hamburg, Berlin,
the Rhine-Ruhr area (Ruhr/Düsseldorf/Cologne), Frankfurt/Rhine-Main and Munich.
Stuttgart, Leipzig, Nürnberg and Dresden are second grade urban centres which are
developing fast releasing the settlement pressure of the economic centres.

Germany has a strong, historically transmitted cultural identification (“Land der

Dichter und Denker”). It defined itself as a “Kulturnation” before it became a nation state
going back to its national poets Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Friedrich Schiller and Ephraim
Lessing. Nowadays this is superimposed by a technical economic identification based on
some key industries like the automotive industry, electrical engineering, machinery,
chemical industry and microelectronics. Companies and brands like the Volkswagen AG,
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Mercedes (Daimler AG), BMW AG or Audi AG, Robert Bosch GmbH, Siemens AG or Bayer AG
and BASF are spots of this economic and technical identification. Other identification
features come from the fields of sports, especially football, having won the World
Championship four times and the European Championship 3 times. German football players
are one group of “heroes” in the German cultural identification. Another group of cultural
heroes in Germany are artists, mainly musicians and composers (Johann Sebastian Bach,
Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Richard Wagner, Robert Schumann, Richard
Strauss, Carl Maria von Weber, Felix Mendelsohn-Bartholdy), but also actors, film directors,
painters and to a lesser extent for example photographers.

Germany has a rich cultural life which is joined and attended by many persons, elder
and younger ones. There are 130 professional orchestras, 150 public theatres and another
150 free theatres which are mainly financed by the public. Federalism in Germany brings it
along that financing of those institutions is shared between the central state, the federal
states and the (bigger) municipalities. There are numerous orchestras, choirs musical groups,
amateur theatres and other cultural initiatives which are borne by the citizens and which
perform on a regular base in the public.

Economic orientation

The traditional base of the Germany Economy is twofold. On the one hand there is
the big industry with world-famous companies as mentioned above. On the other hand there
is a big sector of SMEs and family based craft enterprises, the so called “Mittelstand” which
is often the the engine of economic development and innovation.

61% of the workforce in Germany is employed by SME. SME generate 33 % of sales and
47% of gross value added in the Germany economy4.

The main sectors of industry are the automotive industry, electrical engineering,
machinery, chemical industry and microelectronics. In the course of the tertiarisation of the
economy since the 1980s service and trade caught up especially in the banking and
insurance sector, in telecommunication, in the energy sector and in trade. E.ON SE, Allianz
AG, Metro AG, Deutsche Telekom AG, REWE Group and Lidl Stiftung & CO KG are the “big
players”in the German service and trade sector which are more and more active also on the
international markets.

44 Statistisches Bundesamt (Hrsg.) 2016: Zahlen & Fakten. Wiesbaden

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In 1991 around 36% of the

workforce in Germany was employed
in industry. This share dropped to
28,5% in the year 2000 and further
down to 24,2 % in 2016. In the same
time the service sector grew from
61,3% in 1991 to rather 70% in 2000
up to around 75% in 20165. It should
be noted that a big part of the
German service sector is strongly
related to the industry: engineering, Picture by distel2610 (Pixabay): Containers
research and development, IT services, financial services, legal advice, marketing and
advertising and more. Within the service sector tourism plays an increasing role, the coast
regions in the North, the Alps in the South, the mountainous regions in the center of
Germany offering a summer and winter season are destinations not only for German holiday
makers. City tourism in Germany attracts meanwhile young people from all over the world,
especially Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Frankfurt/M, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dresden and Leipzig.
2,9 Mio persons find an occupation in tourism in Germany, which is about 6,8 % of the total
of employees6.

The professional favourites in Germany follow the economic structure in the country.
Due to the Dual System of vocational education a vocational training is often completed in
the industry or in industry related sectors. SMEs and craft enterprises play a big role in
professional training as well, not always are they able to keep the graduates as a workforce
as payment and social benefits are better in the big industries. A well trained skilled worker
in industry can make very good money in Germany, sometimes more than a university
graduate! So occupation in the industry and in higher quality services is still very attractive to
young people. Nevertheless there is a tendency to academisation and there is an increasing
number of university students and graduates. Not all of them have good chances on the
labour market. Graduates in engineering and other technical or science studies or in
economics have good career opportunities. Graduates from social, cultural or artistic studies
can have difficulties to find an adequate employment.

Youth unemployment in the last 10 years decreased for more than 50%, Germany
might be a big exception in Europe compared to the 1990s where youth unemployment
showed up to 15 to 20% in some regions, The demographic change turned the labour market
5 Statistisches Bundesamt (Hrsg.) 2017: Statistisches Jahrbuch 2017. Wiesbaden
6 Deutscher Tourismusverband e.V. (Hrsg.) 2017: Zahlen –Daten –Fakten 2016. Berlin
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chances for young people around 180°. There is a big demand for apprentices and young
persons starting a professional career.

Migrant workers

Germany has a long history of

integrating migrants into its economic
system and into the labour market. This
started already in the period of
industrialization between 1890 until 1918
(the beginning of the I. World War) when
workers from Poland were recruited for
the coal mines and steel industry in the
Ruhr area7. After World War II and the
economic
Picture by Vertax (Pixabay): Migrant worker

reconstruction and recovery the need for manpower especially in the industry was large. The
German government made recruitment deals with Italy (1955), Spain (1960), Greece (1960),
Turkey (1961), Morocco (1963), Portugal (1964), Tunisia (1965) and Yugoslavia (1968). About
14 Million workers, so called “Gastarbeiter” came to Germany at that time, 11 Million of
them went back to their home countries after the recruitment deals were stopped in the
1970s. Also in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) the need for labor could not
be met in the early 1960s. Recruitment contracts were made with Vietnam and
Mozambique, which had also socialist political systems 8. Migrant workers now in Germany
are still working in the industry, in the health sector, in simple services and in the
gastronomy. The qualification level is often low, but there is an increasing number of
academic specialists and high qualified staff from abroad working in Germany, especially
doctors and medical staff.

The work life in Germany in general is hierarchic, but especially skilled workers and
employees have a scope for decisions and are expected to work independently and take
responsibility. The communications style in Germany is generally considered to be direct;
also on the workplace, emotions rarely play a role in conversations. So it can happen that
colleagues rapidly express their concerns or opinions in conversation without much prior
small talk. In most cases this is not a personal attack but quite normal business
communications. In German companies, personal relationships are not a necessity to work
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together. As German work colleagues will probably communicate directly, they appreciate it
if the counterpart also communicates expresses clearly. Even if you cannot speak German
very well as yet, you should take care to formulate your opinion clearly or express
constructive criticism.

Germans in work life are fond of titles and a certain politeness in everyday
communication at the workplace. It is usual to start by giving the last name when answering
the phone. One uses the polite “Sie” form of address when phoning someone who is not
known.. Even if it is unusual in other countries, in German the counterpart of a talk is
addressed by his or her name and the polite “Sie” form: Mrs. Meier, could you please hand
me the sales results from 2016”.

Social orientation

The core values of the German society are going back to the Prussian regime in the
th
18 century under King Frederick William I of Prussia, the so called "soldier–king". They are
characterised by the protestantic-calvinistic moral and the ideas of the enlightenment in one
and the same time. Frederick William I of Prussia had taken over an over-indebted public
state budget. Order, diligence, modesty and godliness were his leitmotifs for the subsequent
reform and restoration of the state. His son Frederick the Great (Frederick II.) was an
aesthete and sensible to the fine arts and music. Nevertheless, as the leader of the Prussian
army in numerous wars, he became a symbol of bravery, justice, and people connectedness.
His father Frederick William I defined himself as a moral model for all his people, his son
Frederick the Great took on reason and tolerance as personal maxims of conduct in order to
be able to direct this large state of Prussia composed by several ethnics, religions and facing
problems like a poor fertility of the agricultural lands and devastation caused by several
wars9.

The reforms of both Kings were successful, Prussia established a progressive legal
system and administration, an officer corps loyal to the crown and reason based patriotism
which promoted the transition from the baroque state of the 17th century to a modern great
power. The Prussian state model extended to all over Germany symbolized by the German
state official (“Beamter”) whose main characteristics and –not only- work ethics were to be
punctual, loyal, incorruptible, diligent and frugal.

9 https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preu%C3%9Fische_Tugenden, 12.3.2017
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Pictures by rawpixel: punctuality and congerdesign: jars (both Pixabay)

The German core virtues punctuality, order and diligence derived from the prussian
virtues. Originally, the Prussian virtues were only for the army and were later taken over by
the Prussian society, which increasingly oriented itself to the military. Characteristic of the
Prussian social system was a strict hierarchy. So were faithfulness, self-denial in favor of the
state and king, braveness without self-pity ("Learn to suffer without complaining"),
submission, courage and obedience (but not without sincerity) desirable characteristics.
(Self) discipline, an indispensable military virtue, also included hardship against itself even
more than against others. For all their military background the prussian derived German
virtues, go back to the Christian cardinal virtues -with the exception of obedience.

“Üb immer Treu und Redlichkeit” (always loyal and honest) is the headline of a poem
of Ludwig Hölty and it represents the core values of the Prussian virtues.

They pursue other virtues like sincerity, modesty, honesty, diligence,

straightforwardness, sense of justice, conscientiousness, sense of order, scrupulousness,
punctuality, honesty, cleanliness, frugality, tolerance, incorruptibility, restraint ("Be more
than shine!"), determination and reliability10. Education in German families followed these
virtues until the early 1960s. Militarism and the political and social catastrophe of National
Socialism in the 1930s showed up as a perversion and abuse of this values and virtues.

From the economic side the industrialization and the quick economic recovery of at
least West Germany from the late 1950s led to an immense wealth in Germany which
extended to the working class due to the long period of social democratic governments in
Germany in the 1960s and 70s. A certain materalism with effects of mass consumption,
spending also in leisure and pleasure, holiday and more luxury goods was added became
something like another core value in Germany.

10 https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preu%C3%9Fische_Tugenden, 03.03.2017
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The so called “student revolt” of 1968 put into question the Prussian influenced “old”
values which were put in a direct connection to National Socialism and the societal “silence”
about it after the war as well as the materialism and a considered mainstream on material
goods, money pursuit and consumption. Later on in the early 1980s environmentalism was
added to the criticism as a logical consequence of the prevailing economic system. The
student revolt was not a German phenomen alone. In all western societies social change of
values could be observed. The main issue of the change of values is the individualization and
the pluralisation social milieus and lifestyles. (Young) People no longer establish their lives
according to the traditional collective ways of life, which they have mostly taken over from
their parents. Now it is a question of individual choice or creation of one's own lifestyle,
which educational path you take, which career choices you make, if and when you enter into
a relationship, whether you get married or not, if you have children or not, if you are socially
and politically engaged or not11.

Lifestyles are the typical, more or less

freely chosen routines and patterns of
people's everyday behavior. Lifestyles are
influenced, among other things, by the
values and thus by the milieu of the people.
A "conservative" will usually have different
habits and preferences than a "hedonist".
But also the available resources and thus the
class and stratification as well as the
household and family form shape the lifestyle. Picture by Klagergren: Enjoying freetime (Pixabay)

If you have little money or education, certain lifestyles will be unattainable. If you
start a family, you will experience how quickly and drastically your lifestyle changes. To a
certain extent, lifestyles are not only shaped from the outside, but are designed by people
themselves. Lifestyles play a bigger role in affluent and liberal societies, which offer people
many options for shaping their lives, than in poor and authoritarian societies. In this sense,
the values of the young people are getting more similar all over the world, but the
opportunities for the young generation in Germany to create their own lifestyle are high due
to the good economic situation in general.

11Hans-Peter Müller, Werte, Milieus und Lebensstile. Zum Kulturwandel unserer Gesellschaft, in: Stefan
Hradil (Hrsg.), Deutsche Verhältnisse. Eine Sozialkunde, Bonn 2012, S. 189–211,

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Everyday life

Germans tend to get up early! Working hours between 7.00 - 16.00 are quite
common, some people start their work already at 6 o’clock or 6.30 and tend to leave the
work place at 15.30. Friday is traditionally a short day, the start to the weekend is at about
14.00 or 15.00. The work regime in the industry can be different when shift work comes to
fruition.

Germans often eat at the workplace if a canteen is offered, in some families the main
meal is at night, when all family members are back from work or school. At the weekends
the main meal is lunch and the family takes time for an extended breakfast. At the weekend
Germans like to go out for sporting or other outdoor activities like cycling, walking,
swimming, sports or to follow other hobbies. Also family meetings or meeting friends are
normally scheduled for the weekend.

Germans take great pride in their homes.

They are kept neat and tidy, with
everything in its appointed place. Do it
yourself is a big issue in Germany. German
men are very proud of self-built things, be
it outside in the garden or inside the home.
Homes are normally rented without any
furnishings, people tend to compose and
design their facilities by themselves,
starting from wall paper and painting up to
the kitchen or the furniture.
Picture by BreaLeaDesigns: living room (Pixabay)

Another important issue in Germany is holiday. Holiday regulations in Germany are

quite generous. The legal holiday is 24 days per year. In many companies and industries,
more holidays are granted, depending on the relevant tariff agreements. 30 days per year
are not unusual, plus about 10 public holidays like Easter, Christmas, Pentecost which usually
cover several days. Creating long weekends or so called bridge days is very popular. Germans
like to take several holidays a year, normally an extended summer holiday of about 2 or 3
weeks and one or more winter or mid-season holidays of about 1 week.

Like in other Western countries there is a tendency in Germany to live in single

households, especially in the bigger cities. This is mainly the case for the young generation,
especially for university students but also for the elder generation. In some big cities like

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Frankfurt/M, Hamburg or Munich the share of single households has reached already about
40%. This tendency causes also a housing shortage in the bigger agglomerations, which also
affects work and study migrants and immigrants.

Languages in Germany

The official language of Germany is German, with over 95% of the population
speaking German as their first language. Minority languages include Sorbian, spoken by
0.09% in the east of Germany; North and West Frisian, spoken around the Rhine estuary by
around 10,000 people, or 0.01%, who also speak German. Danish is spoken by 0.06%, mainly
in the area along the Danish border. Romani, an indigenous language is spoken by around
0.08%. Immigrant languages include Turkish, which is spoken by around 1.8%, and Kurdish,
by 0.3%.

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3. Read more about German Culture, History and

Work and Business Life

3.1 German Political System, Culture and History

German political country profile by the BBC (regularly updated):

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17299607

Germany in the EU
https://europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/countries/member-countries/germany_en

A comprehensive and deep cultural analysis and description of Germany is offered here:
http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Germany.html

3.2 Guide to Germany– Etiquette, Customs, Culture & Business

Etiquette and Business Culture in Germany

• http://businessculture.org/western-europe/business-culture-in-germany/business-
etiquette-in-germany/
• http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/guides/guide-to-germany-etiquette-
customs-culture-business/
• https://www.commisceo-global.com/country-guides/germany-guide

3.3 Going for work and vocational training to Germany –a comprehensive overview by
the Germen Labour Agency

http://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/for-qualified-professionals/training-
learning/training/vocational-training-in-germany-how-does-it-work

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Sources:

1) https://geert-hofstede.com/

2) Geert Hofstede, Culture’s Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions,

and Organizations Across Nations. Second Edition, Thousand Oaks CA: Sage
Publications, 2001

3) Geert Hofstede, Gert Jan Hofstede, Michael Minkov, Cultures and Organizations:
Software of the Mind. Revised and Expanded 3rd Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill
USA, 2010)

4) https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_66.htm

5) http://itim.org/2016/02/23/germanys-fondness-austerity-reflected-culture/

6) Map of Germany: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21320

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Annex: German Society & Culture – Practical hints

around German homes, etiquette and negotiation
A Planning Culture

• In many respects, Germans can be considered the masters of planning.

• This is a culture that prizes forward thinking and knowing what they will be doing at a
specific time on a specific day.

• Careful planning, in one's business and personal life, provides a sense of security.

• Rules and regulations allow people to know what is expected and plan their life
accordingly.

• Once the proper way to perform a task is discovered, there is no need to think of
doing it any other way.

• Germans believe that maintaining clear lines of demarcation between people, places,
and things is the surest way to lead a structured and ordered life.

• Work and personal lives are rigidly divided.

• There is a proper time for every activity. When the business day ends, you are
expected to leave the office. If you must remain after normal closing, it indicates that
you did not plan your day properly.

The German Home

• Germans take great pride in their homes.

• They are kept neat and tidy at all times, with everything in its appointed place.

• In a culture where most communication is rather formal, the home is the place
where one can relax and allow your individualism to shine.

• Only close friends and relatives are invited into the sanctity of the house, so it is the
one place where more informal communication may occur.

• There are many unwritten rules surrounding the outward maintenance of one's
home.

• It is imperative that common areas such as sidewalks, pavements, corridors (in

apartments), and steps be kept clean at all times.

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German Etiquette & Customs

Meeting Etiquette

• Greetings are formal.

• A quick, firm handshake is the traditional greeting.

• Titles are very important and denote respect. Use a person's title and their surname
until invited to use their first name. You should say Herr or Frau and the person's title
and their surname.

• In general, wait for your host or hostess to introduce you to a group.

• When entering a room, shake hands with everyone individually, including children.

Gift Giving Etiquette

• If you are invited to a German's house, bring a gift such as chocolates or flowers.

• Yellow roses or tea roses are always well received.

• Do not give red roses as they symbolize romantic intentions.

• Do not give carnations as they symbolize mourning.

• Do not give lilies or chrysanthemums as they are used at funerals.

• If you bring wine, it should be imported, French or Italian. Giving German wines is
viewed as meaning you do not think the host will serve a good quality wine.

• Gifts are usually opened when received.

Dining Etiquette

If you are invited to a German's house:

• Arrive on time as punctuality indicates proper planning. Never arrive early.

• Never arrive more than 15 minutes later than invited without telephoning to explain
you have been detained.

• Send a handwritten thank you note the following day to thank your hostess for her
hospitality.

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Table manners

• Remain standing until invited to sit down. You may be shown to a particular seat.

• Table manners are Continental -- the fork is held in the left hand and the knife in the
right while eating.

• Do not begin eating until the hostess starts or someone says 'guten appetit' (good
appetite).

• At a large dinner party, wait for the hostess to place her napkin in her lap before
doing so yourself.

• Do not rest your elbows on the table.

• Do not cut lettuce in a salad. Fold it using your knife and fork.

• Cut as much of your food with your fork as possible, since this compliments the cook
by indicating the food is tender.

• Finish everything on your plate.

• Rolls should be broken apart by hand.

• Indicate you have finished eating by laying your knife and fork parallel across the
right side of your plate, with the fork over the knife.

• The host gives the first toast.

• An honoured guest should return the toast later in the meal.

• The most common toast with wine is 'Zum Wohl!' ('good health').

• The most common toast with beer is 'Prost!' ('good health').

Business Etiquette and Protocol in Germany

Relationships & Communications

• Germans do not need a personal relationship in order to do business.

• They will be interested in your academic credentials and the amount of time your
company has been in business.

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• Germans display great deference to people in authority, so it is imperative that they

understand your level relative to their own.

• Germans do not have an open-door policy. People often work with their office door
closed. Knock and wait to be invited in before entering.

• German communication is formal.

• Following the established protocol is critical to building and maintaining business

relationships.

• As a group, Germans are suspicious of hyperbole, promises that sound too good to
be true, or displays of emotion.

• Germans will be direct to the point of bluntness.

• Expect a great deal of written communication, both to back up decisions and to

maintain a record of decisions and discussions.

Business Meeting Etiquette

• Appointments are mandatory and should be made 1 to 2 weeks in advance.

• Letters should be addressed to the top person in the functional area, including the
person's name as well as their proper business title.

• If you write to schedule an appointment, the letter should be written in German.

• Punctuality is taken extremely seriously. If you expect to be delayed, telephone

immediately and offer an explanation. It is extremely rude to cancel a meeting at the
last minute and

• it could jeopardize your business relationship.

• Meetings are generally formal.

• Initial meetings are used to get to know each other. They allow your German
colleagues to determine if you are trustworthy.

• Meetings adhere to strict agendas, including starting and ending times.

• Maintain direct eye contact while speaking.

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• Although English may be spoken, it is a good idea to hire an interpreter so as to avoid

any misunderstandings.

• At the end of a meeting, some Germans signal their approval by rapping their
knuckles on the tabletop.

• There is a strict protocol to follow when entering a room:

• The eldest or highest ranking person enters the room first.

• Men enter before women, if their age and status are roughly equivalent.

Business Negotiation

• Do not sit until invited and told where to sit. There is a rigid protocol to be followed.

• Meetings adhere to strict agendas, including starting and ending times.

• Treat the process with the formality that it deserves.

• Germany is heavily regulated and extremely bureaucratic.

• Germans prefer to get down to business and only engage in the briefest of small talk.
They will be interested in your credentials.

• Make sure your printed material is available in both English and German.

• Contracts are strictly followed.

• You must be patient and not appear ruffled by the strict adherence to protocol.
Germans are detail- oriented and want to understand every innuendo before coming
to an agreement.

• Business is hierarchical. Decision-making is held at the top of the company.

• Final decisions are translated into rigorous, comprehensive action steps that you can
expect will be carried out to the letter.

• Avoid confrontational behaviour or high- pressure tactics. It can be

counterproductive.

• Once a decision is made, it will not be changed.

Dress Etiquette

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• Business dress is understated, formal and conservative.

• Men should wear dark coloured, conservative business suits.

• Women should wear either business suits or conservative dresses.

• Do not wear ostentatious jewellery or accessories.

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