Page 298 - Handbooks of Applied Linguistics Communication Competence Language and Communication Problems Practical Solutions

276 Peter Franklin

For the German culture, Schroll-Machl (2002a: 34) identified the following
culture standards: Sachorientierung or ‘task-orientation, objectivism’, expressed
in a focusing on the task in hand rather than the person with whom the interaction
takes place; Wertschätzung von Strukturen und Regeln or ‘valuing of structures
and rules’ and adhering to them; Regelorientierte, internalisierte Kontrolle or
‘rule-oriented, internalized control’ expressed through the application of univer-
sal guidelines that are valid for and applicable to all regardless of the people con-
cerned and their relationships and of the situation concerned; Zeitplanung or
‘time-planning’ manifested in using time, which is regarded as a valuable re-
source, as efficiently as possible and in focusing on planning the use of time in
advance, and on making and adhering to schedules; Trennung von Persönlich-
keits- und Lebensbereichen or ‘the separation of areas of personality and of living
spheres’ expressed in a differentiation of behaviour both according to the sphere
in which members of the German culture are dealing with another person as well
as according to how close they are to that person; Direktheit der Kommunikation
or ‘directness of communication’ expressed in a task-focus, in frankness and
honesty which make inference unnecessary; Individualismus or ‘individualism’
expressed in a high regard for personal independence and self-sufficiency.
This description of German culture standards would predict and explain
more fully many of the differences and difficulties (specialization, process-
orientation, rule-orientation, data-orientation, precision and directness) noted
by the British managers under discussion here.
Unexplained by Schroll-Machl’s list of German culture standards above are
the difficulties encountered by the British described as formality, surnaming and
the use of titles. However, Thomas’ (2003: 26) description includes identical or
similar terms, excluding individualism but adding Interpersonale Distanzdiffer-
enzierung (‘differentiation of interpersonal distance’). The formality, surnam-
ing and use of titles reported by the British can be interpreted as ways of main-
taining interpersonal distance where the British would expect the reverse.
Schmid (2003: 55–63) establishes the following culture standards for Britain:
Selbstdisziplin (‘self-discipline’), Indirekte Kommunikation (‘indirect communi-
cation’), Interpersonale Distanzreduzierung (‘reduction of interpersonal dis-
tance’), Pragmatismus (‘pragmatism’), Ritualisierte Regelverletzung (‘ritualized
rule-abuse’), Ritualsierung (‘ritualization’), and Deutschenbild (‘stereotype of
the Germans’).
This description of British culture standards would predict and explain more
fully than the contrastive studies the differences and difficulties (lack of struc-
ture, lack of process-orientation, indirectness, informality, humour) noted by
the German managers under discussion here. Insights from comparative man-
agement studies such as Stewart et al. (1994: 114–115, 168–171) and Ebster-
Groß and Pugh (1996: 147–148, 150–151, 156) would also have drawn attention
to the last three of these features at least as differences.