In all the expat trainings that I give, I ask the participants:
“How do you see the Other?”
“And how do you think the Other sees you?”
At the core of every expat training is the idea of moving to another country, so these questions refer to the perceptions of countries and their culture. Germans have the general reputation of being meticulous in their planning and sticking to structure, so this is also reflected in the average answers about German culture.
Until recently.
Suddenly, responses started popping up about losing the grip on German punctuality – not just in a sense of timeliness. Most of them have made global headlines: DieselGate, Berlin Airport, Hamburg Concert Hall Elb-Harmonie, Stuttgart Central Station. There’s a possibility that they’re so well known because nobody expected such missteps from German entities. And maybe it is due to the fact that Germans have always been proud of their orderly approach, almost to the extent of arrogance towards those that are more relaxed about plans and schedules. The global shaming was a sort of payback for that arrogance.
What happened? Did the German nation really lose its grip?
We discussed it during the expat training sessions. Does culture change? Or do we all care less? In the various discussions that I’ve had, it became clear that we found thorough planning and the consistent following of a logical structure to be important. For us individuals, the cultural preferences had not changed. That’s a good thing because that is also the conclusion in all major cultural studies. Additionally, it seems that in larger groups, the attention to precision is neglected, while individuals still feel responsible and accountable for the process and the result of their work.
In our expat training discussions, another topic came up, and I am curious to hear how you look at this:
The reliability that is attributed to German culture stems also from the durability of the German products that are exported into the world: cars, tools, appliances …. you name it. Although the label “made in UK” was originally invented to encourage the purchase of domestic products in Great Britain, it quickly resulted in a strong preference for products “made in Germany.” Many of the products with that label are made to last; they’re meant to ensure the reliability and stability that is so precious to the German soul.
However, what happens if the products don’t last–what if they break down before their time? Well, my guess is that we would simply replace it. Most might even be happy to buy an upgrade from the previous version. It seems that it doesn’t matter that things don’t last as long as they used to in the past. Could it be that our improved financial situation makes us complacent? Or that the technological speed of change keeps accelerating? Of course, all of this is occuring while efficient marketing campaigns make us long for the latest and newest product available.
The products we use don’t have to be long-lasting because in many cases we won’t use them for a lifetime, the way our grandparents did. Our clothes change with the fashion of the season, our furniture is easy to assemble only the first time, and our phones and computers are technically outdated before they break down.
As a result of this development, the loss of accuracy and reliability could be due to the fact that we can all afford to replace and upgrade. And that we have gotten used to doing just that.
Curious to hear what your take is on this. Let me know in the comments below, or reach out to Das Tor to submit a response to this article.