Interpretation of Germans

Author: Greg Neith
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-06-01
Features: Do we really understand Germans? After all, more German immigrants have settled in the United States than any other nation, and now 5 million American citizens claim German ancestry. However, the truth is that Germans are different from us, and this difference manifests in more ways than we know. We need to understand these cultural differences to engage in effective and satisfying communication with Germans. In Understanding Germans, Greg Neith does an excellent job of this. Neith explores German cultural themes: the desire for order, adherence to rules and regulations, insistence on clear thinking, and a preference for categorization; the love of rational thinking and abstract debate, the strict distinction between "insiders" and "outsiders," a strong sense of responsibility, and the way Germans communicate. As a business consultant who has worked and lived with Germans for many years, Neith particularly notes the cultural differences in Germany's social market economy and the workplace. Even more valuable is that in the final chapter, Neith looks to the future, discussing the Germans' efforts to establish a new sense of German identity in the 21st century, touching on cultural diversity, Americanization, changes in lifestyle, the European Union, and globalization.