Intercultural competence Czech Republic – the somewhat different neighbor
The Czech Republic has been a valued neighbor for 25 years and many German companies are involved in one way or another. Either they take advantage of the lower labor costs compared to Germany to produce at low cost. Or they use the country as a sales market. After all, around 10 million Czechs have now acquired an interesting purchasing power, especially in the capital Prague, where there is full employment and the post-socialist “bargains” have long been a thing of the past.
However, the Czechs are a Slavic people and have a very different mentality to the Germans. It is therefore important to take these particularities into account if you want to be successful there.
Flexibility and freedom – dealing with rules
The first example is the rather flexible approach to structures and rules compared to Germany. Czechs tend to rely more on their pronounced and quite successful talent for improvisation. This mistrust of structures is also rooted in history. The country was under foreign rule for centuries. The Habsburgs ruled here from 1526 and the country was smashed and occupied by the National Socialists during the Second World War. Ultimately, the socialist period between 1948 and 1990 can also be described as “foreign rule”. The creation and use of free spaces therefore developed into a question of national identity. It is therefore essential for the Czech work ethic that instructions and rules can be accepted in a comprehensible manner. If this is the case, Czech productivity and quality are on an international level. After all, the country has a great industrial tradition (3/4 of the industries in Habsburg Austria-Hungary were located on Czech territory). Otherwise, the tendency to improvise and delegate responsibility upwards often leads to a loss of quality. It is therefore very important to explain the purpose and intentions and to involve the Czechs in finding solutions and making decisions.
Conflicts – no thanks
In particular, the tendency to avoid conflict must also be placed in the same context. Anyone who is ruled by a foreigner, and an authoritarian one at that, develops a good sense of diplomacy. After all, you could do something wrong and the consequences could be unpleasant. That is why Czechs do not like to commit themselves. Their communication is indirect, i.e. the real things are not touched on “officially” (e.g. at meetings, discussions), even if they can be unpleasant. This clashes with the direct German style, in which the factual level is clearly separated from the personal level and conflicts on the factual level are dealt with openly. For the Czechs, this separation does not exist, and the mixing of both levels means that criticism is perceived as personal, which disturbs the harmony. German employees and managers are therefore well advised to refrain from apportioning blame and to take a solution-oriented approach. Critical issues should be addressed in private and in a non-official setting. Here, too, direct criticism should be avoided, as Czechs find it difficult to accept criticism, as well as to admit mistakes. Excuses are often used as a diplomatic way out. It should also be borne in mind that the Teutonic “no” will not be heard from Czechs. Here, too, the Czechs tend to be indirect, as a simple “no” is undiplomatic and could damage the personal relationship. The challenge for Germans is therefore to develop antennae that enable them to understand what is really going on. Otherwise, it is not uncommon for a “parallel world” to develop between Czech and German employees.
Appreciation and interaction – the basis for successful cooperation
External monitoring is an effective but time-consuming method. This is not to be understood as checking “the homework”. In fact, a German supervisor should behave diplomatically here too. However, if he expects feedback according to the German model (“my employee will get in touch if there are problems, that’s part of his job”), his efforts will quickly come to nothing. The hierarchical attitude of the Czechs defines feedback as the responsibility of the superior. Germans have to get used to this, whereby a good personal relationship with employees helps immensely. This means that Czechs do not perceive superiors as functional beings, but always as people. This human level, which also includes superiors opening up on a personal level, is the basis for building trust. Appreciation for the work performed is also welcome and the maxim “not criticized is praised enough”, which is often practiced in Germany, should be put aside in the interests of employee productivity. Last but not least, it should not be forgotten that the market economy in the Czech Republic is only 25 years old. And in the former socialist system, personal initiative was rather dangerous.
The rather relaxed manners in everyday office life in the Czech Republic compared to Germany should not be misinterpreted either. The hierarchy with all its gradations is still intact, only the form it takes is different.
Preparation is the essence of business success
These examples may give a small insight into essential but success-critical differences. Germans who usually go to the Czech Republic as managers are therefore well advised to deal intensively with all facets of the differences. An intercultural seminar and intercultural coaching can help them to prepare accordingly and to recognize and minimize problem areas right from the start. The Ore Mountains and the Bavarian Forest may still be familiar surroundings – but a few kilometers away, another world begins.
