Exposure of cultural differences between Turkey and Germany

The first aim of this book is to analyze the impact of cultural differences on the cooperation between Turkish and German workers or managers. A second aim is to evaluate the use of Hofstede's framework for this topic. Potential cultural problems in the cooperation between Turkey and Germany are a highly relevant area of research. Firstly, because of the large number of first, second and third generation Turkish migrants in Germany, and, secondly, because of the ongoing debate on Turkey's EU membership. The analysis is empirically based on 11 interviews with German workers working together with Turkish workers and Turkish workers living in Germany. The first part provides a thorough overview of definitions of culture, cultural dimensions and the impact of culture on workplace relations. After a short characterization of Turkish culture the author outlines the methodology of the study. In the analysis for each of Hofstede's cultural dimensions the mutual perception of the other nationality is described and compared.