German culture - The Cross Border Blog

All About German Culture

FFor more than 20 years I’ve worked internationally, and I’ve noticed that cultural differences don’t fade away. In fact, even after you put language difficulties aside, intercultural misunderstandings can play havoc with your business relationships.

But I don’t want to warn you off from doing business with Germans. The opportunities are there. A bit of insight is all you need to avoid the worst pitfalls on the way to success.

Working with Germans poses a challenge for the French and the Americans. Even though today’s managers are aware of their cultural differences, they struggle to effectively deal with them on a daily basis.

Time management, decision-making, and communication style are all parts of German culture that cause issues for the French. To a lesser extent, Americans are faced with similar problems.

Even though time management in the German culture is similar to that in the United States, the Germans’ attention to detail is negatively perceived in both French-German and American-German relationships.

In the “German Culture” pages of the blog you will find informative insights into the special ways in which Germans think, feel and act about all sorts of things. I deal with lighthearted topics like German humor, organizational subjects like maternity leave in Germany, as well as current news when it arises.

Even though I was born in France and grew up in France, I am deeply steeped in German culture, since I lived and worked there for more than 20 years. My French roots, my experience in Germany, and my everyday life in the United States have given me an objective perspective of the German culture.

I get much of my inspiration on international marketing conferences, where my business often takes me. I otherwise work as a consultant and I am available to discuss your projects with you here.

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More German Culture

All about culture

American Culture

In American Culture, you will find insights into the American way of doing business. I deal with lighthearted topics like why [expand title=”Read More” swaptitle=”Read Less” trigpos=”below” targpos=”inline” targtag=”span” trigclass=”box-culture highlight arrowright” tabindex=”0″]Americans can’t drive, or more political subjects like the role of guns in everyday US life. Sometimes I’ll write about current news, and explain differences or why a given topic is so important for Americans.[/expand]

French Culture

In the “French Culture” pages, you will find other insights into the French approach to business. I address accessible subjects [expand title=”Read More” swaptitle=”Read Less” trigpos=”below” targpos=”inline” targtag=”span” trigclass=”box-culture highlight arrowright” tabindex=”0″]and reveal key elements of French culture. Understanding cultural differences can help your company success in your business with the French.[/expand]

Day-To-Day Differences

Here I’ll explain differences between France or Germany and the US, or write about current news. Sometimes it’ll be about [expand title=”Read More” swaptitle=”Read Less” trigpos=”below” targpos=”inline” targtag=”span” trigclass=”box-culture highlight arrowright” tabindex=”0″]about why a given topic is so important for Americans, Germans or French people.[/expand]