After living in Germany for 2 months and traveling to different cities and countries on the weekend, I’ve learned a lot about the country and its culture. Naturally, German has many similarities to the United States, but it also has some significant differences. After looking at Germany’s Hofstede Index and comparing it to that of the United States, I noticed Germany is identical to the United States in everything except for Indulgence and Long-Term Orientation. As such, I’d like to share my experiences in Germany in relation to these cultural dimensions.
Although Long-/Short-Term Orientations are hard to notice at first glance and even after living in a country for only 2 months, I still was able to see small things that demonstrated Germany’s focus on the long-term. For example, Germany places a large focus on the environment, recycling, and saving money. One can recognize this after 1 trip to the grocery store. While there, I noticed that every customer brought their own bags and bought enough food for a few days/maybe a week. In regards to the store policies, Germany is a big supporter of recycling, such that they have instituted a recycling-incentive system. A “deposit” of sorts is put on any plastic and glass bottle, so when you buy a bottle, you pay for both the liquid inside of the bottle and the bottle itself. When you return to the grocery store, you can recycle it for your money back. This deposit and return is called “Pfand”. I thought all of these were very interesting to experience, and after thinking about it, I realize it is just a step beyond America. In America, we use plastic bags in grocery stores, believe in optional recycling, and have no incentive to recycle. In Germany, they banned plastic bags, believe in recycling (to an almost insane degree), and have a system in place to incentivize recycling. All of these simple factors are but one example of Germany’s care for the environment and therefore their focus on the long-term.
The other dimension I thought was interesting was Germany’s restraint compared to America’s indulgence. However, I find the index to ignore some parts of German spending because they consider it a part of their society. Specifically, I am referring to Germany’s baked goods and coffee culture. They will enjoy baked goods and coffee at many points in the day, but I don’t believe this is factored into the index. To me, an American, I see this as a clear indulgence of their desire for sugar and caffeine. But to them, it is a social norm and a common event to drink coffee during the day for 30+ minutes. However, I believe Germans demonstrate restraint in other ways. While Americans are very lax about how long their 30 minute lunch break actually is or what they do during school (talking to their friends), I think Germans are concerned about their work and finishing their tasks during work. Now, that’s not to say they don’t talk to coworkers at all, but they are a very punctual society and start and end work on the dot. They prioritize their tasks and goals more so than their wants and desires. I myself saw this in class. Class started at exactly 9, talking and eating during class was strictly prohibited, and breaks were exactly 15 or 30 minutes long. We had fun during class, of course, but the teachers made sure we were on topic for as long as possible.
After exploring the other cultural dimensions of Germany and comparing them with the US, I think that they are not too different. Germans and Americans share many similarities when it comes to recognizing a power difference, but not enough to where there is an organized hierarchical structure. We both desire success in school, work, and life, and are not afraid to flaunt it in the form of houses, clothes, and cars. However, as an American, there were many differences in day to day life and societal pressures I hadn’t felt back home. For one, there was a new emphasis placed on the environment and on punctuality. But overall, I didn’t believe I was in a totally different land culturally. Many values were the same, and the same power structure and success-oriented mindset persisted through cultural “barriers”.
This exercise was very informative and interesting, and I now view Germany in a different light. I don’t see it as different as before, while emphasizing the differences in, for example, long-term goal setting. I may be adopting some aspects of their society, like punctuality, since it seems useful in every situation!
Till next blog, John