Move Slow and Fix Things

In another life, I worked as a Business English trainer within a large German company. Every day I would travel to multiple sites, navigate labyrinthine corridors, and eventually teach small teams of German employees. Somedays it would be software engineers, other days accountants, but much of the time the language problems would be the same. The only real difference would be the shades of grey that coloured the meeting room walls. Eventually I was embedded in an R&D department. For three days a week, I would be at the beck and call of teams of engineers, project managers, and occasionally the head of the entire department. It was exciting at first, not because I particularly liked my job, but I enjoyed observing how Germans worked together, interacted, and especially how they communicated with colleagues in different countries. 

On the whole, things ran smoothly, especially between the different experts from different fields. Things only ever seemed to get complicated when managers got involved. That is perhaps an oversimplification, but more often than not, when management turned up, or wanted something specific, things would begin to break down. In this particular company there seemed to be a deep distrust of managers. Anything implemented from the top would be questioned, especially if what was being implemented was any kind of change. Sometimes it might be new software, or a schedule, and on one memorable occasion, a new menu in the canteen. Whatever it was, no matter the change, it was dismissed out of hand. I was often told by managers that the employees were too typically German, that they couldn’t see the big picture, and because of this inherent failing, these people would eventually find themselves consigned to the scrapheap. I heard this so often that I began to believe it - after all, resistance to change seems to be a core aspect of the German condition, especially here in Bavaria. 

Across Germany, there are multiple examples of change resistance that add weight to the belief that Germany is its own worst enemy when it comes to progress. The continued existence of paper documentation for nearly all bureaucratic interactions; passwords sent out via post instead of through an email; the ever present fax machine that can be seen in offices across the 16 Bundesländer, not gathering dust, but there to be actively used. The failures of 'Digitalisierung' over the last decade are often blamed on the German desire to continue doing what has always been done, and reject any and all advancements. It can sometimes feel that it isn’t so much a case of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” so much as “it is broke, but don’t fix it, we’ve been doing it this way for forty years”.

This so-called truth is perhaps comforting to some, especially those, like myself, who come from different countries. The British in Germany are certainly one group who are more than willing to vocalise their disappointment at Germany’s distaste with change, and frequently we’re the loudest of the groups to bemoan this German trait. These complaints do, of course, need to be taken with a very large pinch of salt; Britain has a culture of make do and mend, of crossing bridges only when absolutely necessary. We aren’t long term planners or thinkers. We can solve problems with ingenuity, but there is never any guarantee that those things will stay fixed. Germany is not the same as Britain, and why should it be? Not every solution is long term, but it is something people here prefer over any short-term fix. 

This brings me back to my old R&D department. After several months of firmly believing that the employees I worked with were no more than luddites in faux leather shoes, I eventually asked some of them to explain why they were so resistant to any of the ideas that came from the management. The answers surprised me. One pointed out that this was not the first time such ideas had been suggested, and probably wouldn’t be the last. The employees who had worked in the company the longest had a laundry list of examples of changes that eventually led them back to doing the same things they had already done, but with more exciting names for the processes. Another said that many of the managers liked to show their leadership skills by implementing a new idea, it looked good when it came time for promotions later down the line. Finally, one of my favourite employees simply said “When they prove to me it can work, maybe then we will listen”.

This conversation opened my eyes to something about Germany that I realise is another possible truth of the German mindset: if you want to change something, you need to show that it can actually work. Talk is cheap in Germany, but evidence of success can often win the day. A simple example of this would be paying for anything with a card. It took the pandemic to make shops adopt the technology, but that was only half the battle. People actively adopting cashless payment wasn’t a given, but once people used it, saw how it worked, it quickly became commonplace. Now, many places are choosing a policy of cashless payment, something that would have been unimaginable a couple of years ago. 

Another example has been home office. Many employers who could have introduced it chose not to, believing that people would waste time or be less efficient. The pandemic forced a change, and showed that people can work just as well from their homes as they can from bland office spaces. Employers believe it, and moreover, employees see that it works too. Trusting that colleagues can work at the same level is just as important as managers believing it, if not more so. Productivity can quickly drop when an individual feels they are working significantly harder than their workmates. 

Even beyond pandemic driven changes, something such as the €9 ticket, which seemed like an excellent idea, was met with a decent level of scepticism from the public. In the early months, there were many who were far too willing to dismiss the project as a failure, for the simple reason that more people were using public and regional transport. The increase in passengers wasn’t considered a success, but a sign that the system could not cope with incredibly cheap travel. Yet, despite all the initial negativity, it was a genuine success, so much so that the government has decided on a successor project to be rolled out in January. The ticket might be more expensive at €49, but it’s certainly cheaper than buying tickets at the standard rate. 

In the end, Germany is capable of changing. It may not be overnight, but it can happen. What many people fail to appreciate is that careful decisions are not always a negative, as frustrating as that might be to hear. Sometimes good decisions take longer, other times it’s simply that in a federal republic, consultation among the states will slow things down. It’s not enjoyable to watch, and probably even less so to take part in, but trying to replicate a “move fast and break things” mentality isn’t a great idea when those ideas can impact millions of people’s lives. When I look at Britain as it recovers from its 44 day government of “disruptors”, I can’t help wondering why anyone would bemoan careful consultation. Sure, quick decisive action might sometimes lead to a great idea, but more often than not, it only leads to ever increasing problems.

Proofreader: @ScandiTina

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