Intercultural competence USA – Help, we’ve been taken over
It is not unusual for companies from the USA to invest in Germany. In plain language, this often means that they take over German companies. Sometimes long-established companies. What can mean an opportunity, however, also fuels uncertainty. Sometimes fears also arise, because one of the prejudices that prevail against American companies is “hire and fire”. In other words, people start to ask themselves: “How safe is my job?”
Reduction of prejudices, knowledge of the new culture
It is true that employee protection in the USA cannot be compared with that in Germany. Employees can easily be made redundant. This enables American companies to adapt quickly to changing market situations. On the other hand, those who can fire easily also hire easily. In this respect, the US labor market is characterized by a dynamic unknown in Germany, where social considerations override economic necessities. But two things need to be made clear here: US companies are not monsters just lying in wait to send their employees into the desert. American companies are also dependent on their employees and would do well to treat and support them accordingly. On the other hand, there are also redundancies in Germany, albeit cushioned and delayed. The result is the same. As long as the acquired company is not a restructuring case, there is usually no risk of job losses, as the new masters need the expertise of the German employees in order to benefit from the takeover.
The pitfalls lie elsewhere
The real challenge then lies in the fact that new and unknown requirements are now being imposed. This applies to the handling of projects as well as reporting and general attitudes. US-Americans, for example, tend to think in the short term. They prefer quick and pragmatic solutions. In Germany, people prefer to plan comprehensively in order to identify any problems in advance and avoid them if possible. There is no question that many problems cannot be foreseen, but Germans want to create the greatest possible security. This is alien to the Americans, which automatically leads to differences in planning and requirements. If the acquired German company was previously independent, the headquarters are in Germany. Now, however, this head office becomes peripheral, with new reporting lines several time zones away in the West. This poses a further challenge: you can no longer make decisions and take control as before. You find yourself in the unfamiliar situation of now having to follow directives and new strategies yourself.
The US Americans have not invested to adapt
He who pays, decides. This not new wisdom also applies here. In addition, Americans are generally not used to adapting to others due to their economic supremacy, especially if they are the parent company, which also applies to German companies. This unsettles quite a few German employees, who are now challenged not only by the confrontation with the new culture, but also with a new corporate culture and a new role. Frictional losses are inevitable. To mitigate this, intercultural preparation helps to cover the cultural aspect and create an understanding of the culture and actions on the other side of the pond. In addition, a new corporate culture can also be taken into account in such training. Last but not least, the German “transferees” are well advised to take the initiative themselves, as it is rare for the new American parent company to come up with the idea of suggesting such preparation on its own initiative. This requires persuasion or creative budgeting. But one thing should also be made clear to the Americans: Those who prepare better will get by better and, above all, faster. And that means nothing less than a faster return on investment. Time is money. This saying comes from the USA.
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Intercultural training USA
