A look at the German culture from a broader perspective, zeroing in on the business aspect, considering the mindset that breeds stereotypes and simplified opinions. We will speak about the German love for punctuality but discuss it in more detail, finding out what are the implications for the German lifestyle.

1. Culture vs. Stereotype
A talk for
with Mo Moubarak
About Germany

2. Stats
Germany is a key player in international
economic relations:
• Germany is a second largest exporter of goods
and the fourth biggest economy worldwide
• The per capita income in Germany is 51,760
PPP dollars
• Women earn on average 23.1% less than men
• The urge to simplify the world around us leads
to statements like: “Americans are superficial”,
“the British are arrogant”, “Germans are
pedantic and boring”
• Recommended reading:
http://www.asprea.org/imagenes/GIZ-
_How_to_do_business_with_Germans_Kavalchu
k-angles-1359942678515.pdf

3. Meet & Greet
When meeting a German:
• Germans shake hands in greeting — firm and brief, conveying
confidence and reliability
• Germans answer the phone with their surname instead of "Hello!"
• Business cards
• Gifts are usually opened when received
• Never put your hands in your pockets while speaking
Etiquette:
• Dress like an MP
• Business, not personal
• Knock first
• Keep your distance
• Say what you mean
• Plan ahead
• Guten Appetit

4. Adapt your message
Make sure your tone matches your audience:
• Adjusting is necessary, can’t think and speak the same
way as back home (common mistake)
• Addressing people formally in Germany is a norm
• Pay attention to age and profession, young hipster is
going to respond differently than an older school
teacher
Got the joke?
• Dutch humor is ”in-your-face”,
• British humor is more sarcastic,
• Americans have more wisecracks,
• German humor is based on wordplay or context,
easily misunderstood
— What is the name of this German who always hides my glasses?
— Alzheimer, grandpa!

5. Be aware of regional differences
Historical differences make for different behaviors:
• It hasn't even been 30 years that the eastern part of Germany was a
communist country
• This is an important reason why Germans care so much
about privacy and data collecting
• Southerners value traditions and take a lot of pride in their
prospering industry with companies such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW,
Siemens and Bosch
• Northern Germany has the reputation of being very down-to-earth,
direct-communicators
“I take pride in the words Ich bin ein Berliner.”
— US President John F. Kennedy, June 26th 1963, West Berlin

6. Act like a German
Depending on your industry, it could be better to act German
• There are multiple examples of Dutch companies who have
emphasized their Dutch-ness towards their German audience — and
haven’t been very successful with it
• Germans value their western neighbors for their creativity and
openness, but have a tendency to stick to home-grown products for
other qualities
• If you’re a manufacturer trying to sell machinery, it might be a better
idea to have a Germans to carry out business
German Language: First you need only respect it, later you can learn to like it.

7. These "Made-in-Germany" products are not only synonymous with advanced
technical standards, superior workmanship and benchmarking – quality, but
are also symbols of the German nation.’
— Zhou Jianxiong, Beijing Review, 28.09.2007
Emphasize relevant aspects
Traditional means more than just old:
• Being a family owned company that was founded 100 years ago
might not be something you would emphasize, as people might
associate this with slow movement with less innovation
• In Germany, however, having a rich tradition is proof of
trustworthiness and industry knowledge that is invaluable
• Watch German television commercials to get an idea of which
product features or company values are being emphasized across
industries.

8. Avoid Uncertainty
Germans hate uncertainty.
• German contracts cover just about every tiny detail that could
ever possibly cause a discussion later on
• Quality and reliability are valued so highly
• Germans are always on time (and expect you to be so as well)
• Also, reason why they prefer their own language
• Sales cycles in Germany can be lengthier than in other markets
”Punctuality is the politeness of kings."

9. SWOT Analysis
Strengths
Increasing consumer consumption
Efficient and educated work force
Largest European economy
Weaknesses
High tax rates
Slow negotiations
Demanding employees
Opportunities
Location
Tax incentives
Introduction into European market
Threats
Mature market
Competition

10. Culture as an Iceberg

11. Exercise: Five Definitions of Culture
Below are five alternative definitions of cultures. Which definition(s) of
culture do you prefer? You can choose as many as they wish.
1. Objective visible artefacts such as rituals, superstitions, heroes, myths,
symbols and taboos
2. Basic truths about identity and relationships, time and space, ways of
thinking and learning, ways of working and organizing, and ways of
communicating
3. Ideals shared by group members to which strong emotions are attached
4. The 'right' and 'wrong' ways of doing things. The rules people live by in
practice
5. Subjective behavioral orientations to do things in one way, rather than
another. They are most noticeable in relationship styles, thinking and
learning styles, organization and work styles and communication styles

12. ABOUT US
Geoffrey Hinton
making neural networks learn
more naturally by a system of
reinforcements, learning from
experience
feeding neural networks reams
and reams of data and telling
them what to do
HR data sets
GENERALIZED APPROACH REINFORCEMENT LEARNING
more accurate results = bigger reward
Richard Sutton

13. Machine learning allows us to fulfil this promise
If you want to work, we will find you a job in which you can progress.
Building the neural network allows us to provide
a sports agent approach to the whole market place
+
THE PROMISE

14. Q+A