Language

German is the official language although many German businesspeople in the larger cities speak English. Showing that you’ve learned a few phrases of German will certainly impress your host.

Value System and Relationships

Germany has a class system with very little flexibility. There are still differences in the value systems between what was once East and West Germany, as well as generational differences. Germany scores high on the uncertainty index and lower on the power distance index. The Germans are status conscious, and formality is important although less so with the younger generation.

Business Climate

Germans depend on facts and will do extensive analysis before taking action. Consequently, decision-making may be slow but once a decision is taken, it’s difficult to revise. They value punctuality to the extreme so be on time for all appointments whether it is for business or a social event.  The Germans are cautious and therefore reluctant to take risks. They are also frank and direct and do not beat around the bush when communicating.

The Pew Global Attitudes Project is an interactive database that allows users to explore public opinion trends in 55 countries on topics ranging from attitudes towards the U.S. to peoples assessments of their own lives to views about globalization, democratization and extremism and other important issues.

The country ranks as no. 14 (of 180 countries) on Transparency International’s 2008 Corruption Perceptions Index.