Module 1 : Successful personnal integration in Germany

1. Cross-cultural awareness : the key to a successful expatriation

• Taking stock of one's own cultural baggage
• Culture shock and the integration process
• Identifying and going beyond cultural stereotypes

2. Key aspects to German culture

• An ageing but powerful European nation
• The glory and the upsets of a united Germany
• The importance of the federal aspect
• An economic power in the process of restructuring

3. German values and behaviour patterns

• The family, regional identity and festivals: the impact of collective identity
• Religion and the State: a country with no secular tradition
• The challenge of being a woman in modern Germany: juggling the role of mother and working wife
• Precision, planning and segmentation
• Systematic thinking: reasoning, organising and acting
• Caution when faced with risks
• Cosiness: the German notion of  Gemütlichkeit

4. Practical day to day information

• Focus on the host town or city
• Regional differences and the specific characteristics of the East
• A country brimming with history just waiting to be discovered.
• Transport, administration, housing, security, hygiene and healthcare
• Social life, leisure activities, schools, extracurricular activities, sport

Module 2 : Successful professionnal integration

1. The German corporate world

• An informal but nevertheless important hierarchical structure.
• The German notion of Mitbestimmung or collective decision-making
• Performance and efficiency in the workplace, the role of the unions
• Understanding the concept of team working and delegation.

2. Effective communication with the Germans

• Making the most of the German language to forge and improve relationships
• A pretended transparency in non-verbal communication
• German advertising: an example of optimal communication
• Interpersonal socialisation: an aspect belonging firmly to the private sphere

3. Working with German teams

• Building confidence: respect for rank and status, and a willingness to listen
• Effective management: time management throughout the working day
• Demonstrating personal efficiency: expertise and precision
• Conflict  resolution: mediation, dialogue and decision-making

4. Successful meetings and negotiations with the Germans

• Identifying decision-makers and understanding where the true power lies.
• Achieving credibility: preparation, deadline observance, responsiveness
• The importance of ethics, attitudes to written contracts
• Managing the post-negotiation phase

5. Final handy tips

• Social standards, gifts, business cards, dress code, etc
• Sensitive subjects: politics, history, religion
• Humour: a double-edged sword