German Management System :: essays research papers

German management, as it has evolved over the centuries and has established itself since argona War II, has a distinct style and culture. Like so legion(predicate) things German, it goes back to the medieval guild and merchant tradition, but it also has a sense of the future and of the long term. The German style of competition is stringent but not ruinous. Although companies might compete for the same general market, as Daimler-Benz and BMW do, they generally seek market share rather than market domination. many an(prenominal) compete for a specific niche. German companies despise price competition. Instead, they bring in what German handlers describe as Leistungswettbewerb, competition on the land of excellence in their harvestings and services. They compete on a price home only when it is necessary, as in the sale of bulk materials like chemicals or steel. The German manager concentrates intensely on two accusings product timber and product service. He wants his compan y to be the trump, and he wants it to have the best products. The manager and his entire team are untouchablely product oriented, confident(p) that a good product will sell itself. But the manager also places a high premium on customer satisfaction, and Germans are ready to style a product to suit a customers wishes. The watchwords for just about German managers and companies are quality, responsiveness, dedication, and follow-up. Product orientation usually also sum production orientation. Most German managers, even at senior levels, deal their production lines. They follow production methods closely and know their shop floors intimately. They cannot run across managers in the United States who want only to see financial statements and "the rear line" rather than inspect a plants production processes. A German manager believes deeply that a good-quality production line and a good-quality product will do more for the bottom line than anything else. Relations between German managers and workers are often close, because they believe that they are working unitedly to create a good product. If there is a third objective beyond quality and service, it is cooperation--or at least coordination--with government. German industry flora closely with government. German management is sensitive to government standards, government policies, and government regulations. Virtually all German products are subject to norms--the German industrial Norms (Deutsche Industrie Normen--DIN)--established through consultation between industry and government but with strong inputs from the management associations, chambers of commerce, and trade unions. As a result of these practices, the notion of private initiative operating within a public framework lies firmly imbedded in the consciousness of German managers.