German culture rewards forward thinking and planning - knowing what one will be doing at a specific time of the day.
- Careful planning, in one’s personal and business life, provides a sense of security.
- Rules and regulations allow people to know what is expected and can plan their lives accordingly.
- Once a proper way of performing a task was 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 carefully separated.
- 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 time, it indicates that you did not plan your day properly.
Business Etiquette and Protocol in Germany
Relationships & Communications
- Germans do not need personal relationships in order to do business.
- They will be interested in your academic credentials and the length of time your company has been in business.
- Germans display great deference to people in authority, so it is imperative that they understand your level of authority 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 blunt and will go directly to the point of business.
- Expect a great deal of written communication, both to back up decisions and to maintain a record of decisions and discussions.
Business Meeting Etiquette
- 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.
- Appointments are mandatory and should be made 1 to 2 weeks in advance. 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.
- Although English may be spoken, it is a good idea to hire an interpreter so as to avoid any misunderstandings.
- 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 behavior or high- pressure tactics. It can be counterproductive.
- Once a decision is made, it will not be changed.