Culture of German ManagementWord格式.docx

Culture of German ManagementWord格式.docx

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swishes.ThewatchwordsformostGermanmanagersandcompaniesarequality,responsiveness,dedication,andfollow-up. 

Productorientationusuallyalsomeansproductionorientation.MostGermanmanagers,evenatseniorlevels,knowtheirproductionlines.Theyfollowproductionmethodscloselyandknowtheirshopfloorsintimately.TheycannotunderstandmanagersintheUnitedStateswhowantonlytoseefinancialstatementsand"

thebottomline"

ratherthaninspectaplant'

sproductionprocesses.AGermanmanagerbelievesdeeplythatagood-qualityproductionlineandagood-qualityproductwilldomoreforthebottomlinethananythingelse.RelationsbetweenGermanmanagersandworkersareoftenclose,becausetheybelievethattheyareworkingtogethertocreateagoodproduct. 

Ifthereisathirdobjectivebeyondqualityandservice,itiscooperation--oratleastcoordination--withgovernment.Germanindustryworkscloselywithgovernment.Germanmanagementissensitivetogovernmentstandards,governmentpolicies,andgovernmentregulations.VirtuallyallGermanproductsaresubjecttonorms--theGermanIndustrialNorms（DeutscheIndustrieNormen--DIN）--establishedthroughconsultationbetweenindustryandgovernmentbutwithstronginputsfromthemanagementassociations,chambersofcommerce,andtradeunions.Asaresultofthesepractices,theconceptofprivateinitiativeoperatingwithinapublicframeworkliesfirmlyimbeddedintheconsciousnessofGermanmanagers. 

TheGermanmanagementstyleisnotlitigious.Neitherthegovernment,thetradeunions,northebusinesscommunityencourageslitigationifthereisnoclearsignofgenuineanddeliberateinjury.Firmsdonotmaintainlargelegalstaffs.Disagreementsareoftentalkedout,sometimesoveraconferencetable,sometimesoverabeer,andsometimesinagatheringcalledbyachamberofcommerceoranindustrialassociation.Differencesareusuallysettledquietly,oftenprivately.Frequentlitigationisregardedasreflectingmoreontheaccuserthanontheaccused.Becauseoftheseattitudes,Germanyhascomparativelyfewlawyers.Withone-thirdthepopulationandone-thirdtheGDPoftheUnitedStates,Germanyhasaboutone-twentieththenumberoflawyers. 

Germanmanagersaredrawnlargelyfromtheranksofengineersandtechnicians,fromthosewhomanufacture,design,orservice,althoughmorenon-engineershaverisentothetopinrecentyears.TheyarebetterpaidthanotherEuropeans（excepttheSwiss）,butonaveragereceiveabouttwo-thirdsoftheincomethattheirAmericancounterpartsexpect. 

Becausemanagersusuallyremaininonefirmthroughouttheircareers,risingslowlythroughtheranks,theydonotneedavisiblebottom-lineresultquickly.Managersdonotneedtobeconcernedabouthowtheircareersmightbeaffectedbyacompany'

soradivision'

sprogress,orlackofprogress,foreachyearandcertainlynotforeachquarter. 

Germantaxationalsoinducesmanagementtowardlong-termplanning.GermantaxlegislationandaccountingpracticespermitGermanfirmstoallocateconsiderablesumstoreserves.Germancapitalgainstaxrulesexemptcapitalgainsincomeiftheassetsareheldformorethansixmonthsor,inthecaseofrealestate,formorethantwoyears. 

BecausemanagementhasnotbeenregardedinGermanyasaseparatescience,itwasrareuntilthe1980stofindcoursesinmanagementtechniquessuchasthosetaughtatschoolsofmanagementintheUnitedStates.Germansbelievedthatmanagementasaseparatedisciplinebredselfishness,disloyalty,bureaucraticmaneuvering,short-termthinking,andadangeroustendencytoneglectqualityproduction.Instead,coursesatGermanuniversitiesconcentratedmoreonbusinessadministration,orBetriebswirtschaft,producingaBetriebswirtdegree.Despitethis,twoWestGermanschoolsforbusinessadministration,theHochschulefü

rUnternehmensfü

hrungandtheEuropeanBusinessSchool,wereestablishedduringthe1980s,buttheyteachinwaysthatreinforceratherthanoverturntraditionalGermanwaysofmanagement. 

OutofthiscompendiumofbusinesspracticesariseswhatmightbetermedaGermanmanagementstyle,withthefollowingcharacteristics:

collegial,consensual,product-andquality-oriented,export-conscious,andloyaltoonecompanyandcommittedtoitslong-termprospects.OnecouldlegitimatelyconcludefromthisthattheGermansystemcouldstiflechangebecauseitisnotasinnovative,aggressive,orresults-orientedastheUnitedStatesmanagementstyle.That,however,wouldnotbecorrect,forchangecananddoestakeplace.Itoccursgradually,notalwaysobviously,underthemottoesofstabilityandpermanence,withtheleastdislocationpossible,andoftenundercompetitivepressuresfromabroad.Germanmanagersthemselvesoccasionallyspeculatethatchangemightcometooslowly,buttheyarenotcertainwhetherorhowtoalterthesystemanditsincentivestructures. 

GermanCultureLeadershipStyle

Countriesaroundtheglobehavetoadapttowhatisknownasthe"

Germanfilter"

whichreflectsGermany'

snationalisticmanagementmethods.

SomeanalystsrefertoGermany'

srule-oriented,hierarchicalfocusontaskaccomplishmentasanexampleofanEiffelTowermanagementstyle.

WhileitistruethatGermansubordinatesrarelydisobeyoropenlyquestionordersfromhigherlevelauthority,corporatepowerstructuresinGermanyaretypicallymoreflatthantheyaretall.That'

sbecauseGermanbusinessesarecollectionsofhighlyspecializedteams.

Moralofthestory?

Germany'

sEiffelTowerstructuresaren'

tverytall.

InsideGermany'

sEiffelTowerCulture

TheEiffelTowercultureismostcommoninNorthwestEuropeancountries,includingGermany.Deutschlandisfamousforitsmoredeliberate,stodgyGermanprocessofmanagementbyconsensus.

ThewayinwhichGermanslearnandworkdiffersstrikinglyfromothercultures,includingthoseofneighbouringEuropeannations.

InGermany,jobsarewell-definedwhileassignmentsarefixedandlimited.GermanemployeesknowwhattheyaresupposedtodowithinanEiffelTowerculturethatishierarchical,withorderscomingdownfromthetopwithverylittleupwardcommunication.

FormalGermanQualifications

Germanorganizationsrelyheavilyonformalqualificationsindecidinghowtoschedule,deployandreshufflepersonnel.Companiesmanagetheirhumanresourcesthroughassessmentcenters,appraisalsystems,training,developmentprogramsandjobrotation.Theseprocedureshelptoensurethataformalhierarchicalandbureaucraticapproachworkwell.

DifficultyHandlingOrganizationalChanges

Whenchangesneedtobemade,theGermancultureisoftenill-equippedtohandlethecomplexburdensthatarule-basedEiffelTowerbureaucracydemands.Manualsmustberewritten,procedureschanged,jobdescriptionsaltered,promotionsreconsideredandqualificationsreassessed.

GermansResistChanges

Generally,GermanmanagersareslowtoacceptchangespartlybecauseofGermany'

sstrongaversiontorisk.Also,Germanyistheworld'

snumberoneexporternotedforprecisionengineeredproducts.Germansstronglybelievethattheirprocesseshavebeenprovedsuperior,andit'

shardtoarguewiththeirsuccesses.

However,Germany'

ssuperioritycomplexsometimesleadstoanethnocentricstyleofmanagementinwhichstrongnationalismcompelsGermanheadquarterstomaintaincontrolofkeyinternationalmanagementpositions.Today,amoreglobalmanagementapproachthatfocusesonthebestqualifiedapplicantsregardlessofcountryoforiginmaybeabetterlong-termstrategy.

GermanLeadershipandMotivationStyle

Systemsintegratorsthattheyare,GermanshaveevolvedauniqueleadershipandmotivationstylethatintegratesthefeaturesthatmostcloselyfitwiththestrongestGermanculturalcharacteristics.Therefore,GermanleadershipandmotivationstylesynthesizesthemostpertinentcharacteristicsfromAuthoritativeTheoryX,PaternalisticTheoryYandParticipativeTheoryZ.

BelowisasummaryofTheoryG,basedonthemostrelevantfeaturesfromtheabovethreetheories.

FromTheoryX:

∙Germansliketobedirected.

∙InGermany,jobsecurityisprimary.

FromTheoryY:

∙SinceGermansarecommittedtogoals,theyexercisehighself-control.

∙Nothreatsofpunishmentarerequiredtoensuretaskcompletion.

FromTheoryZ:

∙Germansaremo