Workshops for Germans and Americans
- Doing Business with Germans: This training program provides essential information on key areas of German culture and business behaviour. Thousands of US-American business people doing business with Germans or working in Germany have already benefited from this course.
Content areas covered include:
- The influence of German and American values on business behaviour
- Understanding the German business environment
- Recognizing and dealing with differences in communication styles
- Leadership styles in Germany
- Planning, decision-making and attitudes towards change and risk
- Strategies for conflict resolution and collaboration
- Developing a personal action plan to create better business relationships
Example: A US company with a large subsidiary in Germany is about to implement a new process for product manufacturing at a German plant. The process specialists are US-American. They are concerned about how to get the necessary support from their German colleagues, whose help is needed with implementation and a tight schedule.
What Past Participants Have Said:
“Absolutely useful – great insight on how I can lead cross culture teams for the most productive results.”
“This class is the best training I have attended during the 12 years with our company.”
“Recommended to anyone involved in relations with Germans. I thought I understood some of the German culture before taking this seminar. I realize now that I probably didn’t. Excellent job, well worth time invested.”
- Businesskontakte mit Amerikanern (Business Contacts with Americans)
This training program helps German business people understand US-American culture and business behavior. It can be delivered in German or English. Hundreds of German participants have found that this program has greatly improved their working relationships with their American counterparts and clients.
Content areas covered include:
- Culture and its role in business
- US-American and German values
- Recognizing and dealing with differences in communication style
- Leadership styles in the USA
- Business communication and information flow in corporations
- Planning, decision-making and attitudes towards change and risk
- Strategies for conflict resolution and collaboration
Example: Employees at the German subsidiary of a US-American corporation in the IT industry feel their presentations are not received well by American audiences and would like to know how to improve them. Moreover, there are complaints about American communication being “fuzzy” and “unclear”. Worse still, frustration about relations with the American colleagues is being expressed.
What Past Participants Have Said:
“Ein fachlich und inhaltlich TOP-Training! Vorteilhaft, dass es in Deutsch abgehalten wurde.”(Excellent training, both in terms of content and delivery! Very advantageous that it was delivered in German.)
“Sehr praxisbezogen, gute Beispiele, nachvollziehbar.” (Very practical information, good examples, resonates with my experience.)
- German-American Teambuilding
What is a team and how does it work? Germans and Americans often answer this question differently. So it is not surprising that American-German work teams often get stuck in conflict when working together. The resulting breakdown in communication and lowered levels of trust often manifest as decreased productivity.
I have been very successful at helping teams of Germans and Americans explore the cultural, structural and interpersonal factors in their collaboration. My interventions have resulted in reduced misunderstandings and conflict, as well as improved decision-making, increased motivation and higher productivity.
Example: A German engineering company has recently acquired the majority stake in an American company. The management team consists of both Germans and Americans. The business situation calls for speedy and decisive action, but the managers struggle with cooperating in a productive way.