Attitudes Toward Management

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There were numerous cultural differences that the training did not（http://www.thomassaboclub.com/） address at all. The Germans came to meetings with thick folders and a detailed agenda. They prepared very detailed minutes of every meeting, whereas the Americans preferred free-flowing discussions and wanted agendas as general guidelines. The Germans wanted detailed summaries of previous meetings at the beginning of every session; the Americans wan-ted none of that.After studying the role of culture in international business communication, you know that the German attitude toward meetings and agendas is related to a dislike for uncertainty. Agendas provide order and minimize the risk that something unexpected will happen. Americans, who are generally more willing to accept uncertainty, prefer a more flexible approach.As the case at the beginning of the chapter pointed out, a decision was made to make English the official company language. The Americans who would deal with Germans on a regular basis were relieved because there was no need to learn the German language. When John Craig and Daniel Wilson went to their ...
... first meeting in Stuttgart, they were in for a surprise, however. During the official meeting everyone spoke English; however, as soon as the meeting was officially over, all the Germans switched to German. John and Daniel did not understand a word and decided that a few German lessons might be helpful after all.The Americans were worried that the Germans would discuss the important points in German and leave the Americans out of the process of the discussions. The Germans, who spoke very good English, nevertheless were worried that their English might not be good enough to get all the nuances of the language.The two sides also had to come to terms with different approaches to formality. The German members of the integration team called each other Mr., using last names. The Americans, being used to first names, thought the Germans were stiff and unfriendly. The issue did not disappear when the Germans agreed to use first names because in Ger-man there is also the distinction between the informal you (Du) and the formal you (Sie). Typically, the informal you is used with persons one knows well. At the workplace first names and Du hardly ever are used. The Germans tried the awkward combination of Sie and first names when the Americans were around. Gradually the Germans eased up and used first names with DM on a more regular basis.The corporate cultures were very different as well. At Chrysler executives ate in the executive dining room; in Stuttgart executives ate in the same cafeteria with the workers. In contrast, the Americans did not use titles, whereas in Stuttgart titles were important. Almost all top managers at Daimler had international experience. In fact, international assignments were considered a must on the way to the top. They had been in South Africa, South America, North America, and all over Europe. Also, they all spoke English and frequently a second foreign language. At Chrysler, in contrast, almost nobody even had a passport, and nobody at the top spoke a foreign language.The majority of upper management at Daimler-Benz had been with the company for a long time. Schrempp, for example, had started his career as an apprentice at Daimler. Most managers had a technical and/or engineering background. As a result, they focused on technical designs and technical quality. Typically, engineers at Daimler decided what a new car would look like. It was almost unheard of to collect information relating to design from consumers. After all, the crucial aspect was technical perfection. Driving was a serious business; there was no place in cars for cup holders, for example. Chrysler managers, by contrast, came from a variety of backgrounds, including marketing and finance. Although some had been at Chrysler for a number of years, many had gained experience at other automobile companies or even in other industries before joining Chrysler.The different approaches to cars and their design had an impact on views of corporate reputation. At the beginning there had been talk of sharing technology and platforms. However, Daimler engineers were concerned about giving their first-class technology to a mass-market car company. Purchasing was to be consolidated, but it turned out that the differences were so huge that little consolidation would be possible.（http://www.fashionthomassabo.com/）