Intercultural competence Germany – German for Germans?
Targeted preparation abroad increases productivity
Many companies invest in intercultural preparation for employees who are sent abroad or have to do business there. This is a sensible investment, as such preparation increases productivity and allows the employee to find their feet more quickly in the new environment. If the employee is accompanied by their family, they should also be included in the preparations. It is not easy for children in particular to adjust to all the new things that are thrown at them. New language, new school, new friends. This aspect is particularly important because one of the main concerns of the expatriate is, of course, the family. If the integration is successful, the full energy can be used to concentrate on the reason for being there in the first place: the job. Of course, this also applies when employees are sent to Germany from abroad.
Domestic preparation? What is that?
What is obvious in the case of an international assignment is difficult to understand in the case of a transfer within Germany. Nobody would probably think of training an employee who is transferred from Hamburg to Munich, for example. Why not?
Germany is a country of diversity. No one would claim that there are no differences between Hamburgers and Bavarians. In the same way, no one would lump a person from Cologne together with a Berliner. These mentalities sometimes differ enormously. As has been confirmed to us by various sources, the same “symptoms” sometimes occur when changing region as when moving abroad: a culture shock. Bavarians and Austrians, for example, are closer to each other than Bavarians and Hamburgers. But while intercultural preparations are indeed made for Austria, no one will prepare the family for this when they take up residence in the North Sea. Children in particular are affected by this, as they have to cope with school systems that differ from state to state and sometimes take on strange forms. Schleswig-Holstein, for example, rejected the new spelling system and was only forced to introduce it when the old textbooks were used up and new “old” ones were no longer available.
Everyone speaks German? Well, sort of
Apart from the different dialects and dialects spoken in the regions, there are of course also differences in mentality. The much-cited “white sausage equator” is not a satirical term, but a reality. To give another simple example, consider the different terms for bread rolls, ranging from Semmeln to Bemmen to Rundstücken. The author’s grandparents, who came from the Ruhr area, constantly had problems understanding people in a bakery in the Palatinate, the author’s place of origin. They could just as easily have been in Switzerland.
But does this justify an intercultural seminar on “Bavaria” or the “North German Plain”? Let’s ask the question the other way around. Why can a Bavarian prepare for Austria but not for Schleswig-Holstein? In terms of mentality, Bavarians and Austrians are closer to each other than Bavarians and “northerners”. It’s not just about what buns are called, but rather how people think and what their mentality is.
A new approach
It is clear from the above examples that companies would not be ill-advised to take into account not only diversity, but also the diversity of Germany. Even though we all live in the same country, the differences are manifold, sometimes subtle and therefore not immediately apparent. This should perhaps give some people food for thought to look at this topic from a new perspective.
Find out more here:
Intercultural training Germany
Intercultural children’s training
