Week 6: Assignment - Cultural Communication

This is where I got into trouble, and lost points, for failing to cite my sources.  I still have no idea what APA format is for citing sources in a memo and I never found it in the book.  Of course this was all my fault because I was getting such excellent instruction.
Sunday, May 29, 2005


To:    Don Taylor

From:    Erik Smith

Subject:    Recommend procedures for the business trip to Germany


With our rapidly upcoming visit to Germany to discuss our technology services there are some culture differences that will are critical for the team to understand.  One item of overwhelming importance is that Germans tend to take much longer then Americans to reach a final business decision.  It is very important that the team not pressure our prospects to make a decision during our brief visit over there.  The delay is frequently due to the fact that there are key decision makers, and advisors, that we are unaware of that must review, and approve of, the contract.

Our casual dress will not be acceptable in Germany.  All team mates need to dress very conservatively.  We should all wear dark suits, solid and conservative ties, and white shirts. While we should not do this, do not be shocked if you see Germans wearing white socks with their suits.

We will need to shake hands with our prospects at the beginning and at the end of every one of our business meetings.  Also, if one of the Germans bows his head during the handshake it is critical that we reciprocate.  Furthermore, it is very important to look the person in the eyes while shaking their hand.  Finally, Germans require about six more inches of personal space then we do in the United States.

Punctuality will be critical while we are in Germany.  Since we have two team mates who tend to run a few minutes it will need to be emphasized, in no uncertain terms, that they cannot be late.  A German executive will take significant offense to even running late by a few minutes.

On the verbal culture differences the Germans will not be expect to be complimented.  They will assume that everything is fine, and going great, unless they hear otherwise.  Also, it is considered very rude to make jokes during business meetings.  While I do not expect the jokes to be an issue, since the entire team is so professional, it will need to be emphasized.  Finally, Germans like to use the phone and thus there will probably be many calls to discuss details of the contract.

On a final note, when we socialize with the prospects after hours we need to be very careful of our alcohol intake.  Germans are accustomed to consuming a large amount of alcohol, and it would not be unusual in some areas to consume two liters in one evening.  This is much more alcohol then any of us on the team can handle.  We will all need to pace ourselves since they have no tolerance for drunkenness.


© Erik Smith 2005
Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License