Working with Germans

Latins and some Anglo-Saxons frequently experience some difficulty in working or dealing with Germans on account of the relatively rigid frame­work of procedures within which many German companies operate.

Cooperating successfully with Germans means respecting their primary values. First, status must be established according to their standards.

Efficiency and results will win the day in due course, but a foreign national must have adequate formal qualifications to make an initial impression. The German manager with a university degree is promoted on an average every four years and those possessing doctorates have a career path to top management. Punctuality and orderliness are basic. Get there first, avoid sloppiness or untidiness in appearance, behaviour and thought. Procedures should always be written down, for Germans read them, and so should you. While familiarising yourself thoroughly with the rales and processes of the organisation, any instructions you yourself issue should be firm and unam­biguous. If you want something written in black ink, not blue, then you should make this clear. Germans want content, detail and clarity - they hate misunderstandings.

It is advisable to strive for consensus at all times, although no one is going to chop and change. Consensus is obtained by clarification and jus­tification, not by persuasion or truly open discussion. Consensus taking creates solidarity, which makes everyone feel comfortable. Each participant in the discussion makes a contribution, but does not query a superior too energetically and certainly does not question their judgement.

Hierarchical constraints necessitate your knowing the exact pecking order in the chain of command; you should also know your rung. Superiors generally address subordinates in a low voice, contrary to what many non-Germans believe. German directness enables you to point out when something is being done in an incorrect manner or when mistakes are being made. If the criticism is clearly constructive or designed to help, it will usually be accepted readily. If you are too subtle in your criticism, it may not register at all.

Subordinates in difficulties should be supervised, helped, advised, instructed, monitored. If no help is asked for, or probably not required, then tasks should not be interrupted. Quiet single-mindedness is admired in Germany, so don't try to do six things at once. Don't leave anything unfinished. If you are working hard, show it; a casual approach will be misunderstood.

Finally, communication is vertical, not horizontal. Don't go across the company to chat with people at your level in other departments. Most of your business ideas should be communicated to either your immediate superior or immediate subordinate. You do not have the ear of the chair­man, however benignly he may smile at you - unless you are vice-chairman.

FRANCE

French management style is more autocratic than German, although this is not always evident at first glance. German companies are highly struc­tured with clearly visible hierarchies, but these are normally readily accepted and welcomed by the staff. In France the boss often seems to have a more roving role, using 'ш' to subordinates and often patting them on the back. Such behaviour is, however, quite deceptive, as is the frequent don­ning of overalls by Japanese company presidents when they visit the factory floor.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-30