When cultural differences create friction, even the most skilled teams can struggle. This leading German manufacturing company faced a challenge: bridging the gap between their German headquarters and Chinese teams. To foster stronger collaboration, they brought 10 to 20 engineers from Germany to China for a two-day intensive training—helping them align, communicate effectively, and work seamlessly across cultures.
The Challenge
The teams struggled with key differences in work styles and decision-making:
- Risk-taking – Chinese teams moved fast and took bold risks to close deals, while the German headquarters preferred a cautious, long-term approach.
- Business priorities – China focused on aggressive sales growth, while the German headquarters prioritized structured service and sustainability.
- Investment dilemmas – The headquarters found it difficult to justify large investments for niche Chinese market demands.
- Decision bottlenecks—without a clear escalation process, issues between teams often stalled progress, slowing global team collaboration and creating frustration on both sides.
Despite mutual respect, these differences led to inefficiencies and frustration.
The Solution & Key Takeaways
Through structured coaching and open dialogue, the teams co-created solutions to improve collaboration and reduce friction—turning cultural differences into strengths.
By the end of the session, the teams identified tangible solutions to bridge their differences:
- Regular In-Person Meetings – Some German team members committed to visiting China twice a year instead of just once. This would help them stay closer to the business, better understand the local pace, and build stronger relationships with their Chinese colleagues.
- Dedicated Liaison Role – A designated individual would serve as a bridge, resolving bottlenecks and facilitating seamless communication between the teams. This role would be part of the leadership team, ensuring that when a bottleneck arises, the designated person would be responsible for making a decision and moving things forward. This eliminates stagnation and ensures efficiency.
Strategic Investment Evaluation – A framework was proposed to help assess whether investing in niche product development for the Chinese market was viable, ensuring data-driven decision-making.
- Adopting the OKR Framework – The teams agreed to implement Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) as a structured approach to goal-setting and performance measurement.
- OKRs provide a higher-level perspective compared to traditional KPIs.
- While KPIs track daily or weekly progress, OKRs focus on bigger-picture goals, helping teams align and prioritize effectively.
- By using OKRs, the team could turn their workshop insights into actionable steps for improving collaboration between the Chinese and German teams.
- Encouraging Proactive Problem-Solving – The workshop helped both teams realize that addressing issues as they arise rather than letting them fester is critical. By implementing a structured decision-making process and ensuring ownership of key challenges, they could streamline collaboration and reduce frustration.
Final Thoughts
This case study demonstrates that cross-cultural collaboration, while challenging, can be significantly improved through structured coaching, open dialogue, and commitment to ongoing engagement. By embracing OKRs and fostering continuous learning, German manufacturing company successfully turned cultural differences into a strategic advantage, paving the way for a more cohesive and efficient global team.
As businesses expand across borders, investing in cultural intelligence and structured communication strategies is no longer optional—it’s a necessity for long-term success.
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