wtfeWays They Frame Engineering
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GermanyvsIndia

ドイツとインドDEIN

Seen from Germany: each line below describes India relative to Germany.

Swap: see Germany from India

Culture Map: eight scales

Erin Meyer's eight scales, sorted by how far apart Germany and India sit, largest gap first.

Filled dot: Germany, where you are looking fromHollow ring: India

Where you will notice the difference6 scales

  1. Scheduling

    India treats plans as more flexible than Germany (5 steps)

    Germany −3, India +2, on a line from −3 (Linear time) to +3 (Flexible time).

  2. Trusting

    India builds trust through personal relationships more than Germany (4 steps)

    Germany −2, India +2, on a line from −3 (Task-based) to +3 (Relationship-based).

  3. Communicating

    India leaves more to be read between the lines than Germany (3 steps)

    Germany −2, India +1, on a line from −3 (Low-context) to +3 (High-context).

  4. Evaluating

    India gives negative feedback more indirectly than Germany (3 steps)

    Germany −2, India +1, on a line from −3 (Direct negative feedback) to +3 (Indirect negative feedback).

  5. Disagreeing

    India avoids open disagreement more than Germany (3 steps)

    Germany −2, India +1, on a line from −3 (Confrontational) to +3 (Avoids confrontation).

  6. Deciding

    India leaves decisions to the person in charge more than Germany (2 steps)

    Germany −1, India +1, on a line from −3 (Consensual) to +3 (Top-down).

Not placed2 scales

These scales are left unmarked: either Meyer leaves a country off the scale or no source places it, and drawing it anyway would be guessing.

Positions are read by eye from Erin Meyer's published charts and rounded to seven steps. A step means “further towards that pole”, not a measured distance. How the positions were read

Hofstede: six dimensions

Scores from 0 to 100, sorted by the gap between Germany and India. They describe national averages, not either country's character.

  1. Individualism

    India scores 55 points lower than Germany (24 against 79)

    Germany 79, India 24, on a line from 0 (Collectivist) to 100 (Individualist).

  2. Power distance

    India scores 42 points higher than Germany (77 against 35)

    Germany 35, India 77, on a line from 0 (Low power distance) to 100 (High power distance).

  3. Uncertainty avoidance

    India scores 25 points lower than Germany (40 against 65)

    Germany 65, India 40, on a line from 0 (Tolerant of ambiguity) to 100 (Avoids ambiguity).

  4. Indulgence

    India scores 14 points lower than Germany (26 against 40)

    Germany 40, India 26, on a line from 0 (Restrained) to 100 (Indulgent).

  5. Motivation towards achievement and success

    India scores 10 points lower than Germany (56 against 66)

    Germany 66, India 56, on a line from 0 (Consensus-oriented) to 100 (Decisive).

  6. Long-term orientation

    India scores 6 points lower than Germany (51 against 57)

    Germany 57, India 51, on a line from 0 (Short-term) to 100 (Long-term).

Country averages. About 80% of variation in values is between people inside a country (Taras et al. 2016).Source: The Culture Factor — Country comparison tool (2026).About the Hofstede dimensions

What the sources say, theme by theme

Entries for Germany and India, side by side on wide screens. Each keeps its own confidence label and citations.

Design & quality

Germany2 claims

India4 claims

Failure & risk

Germany5 claims

India3 claims

Feedback & code review

Germany3 claims

India2 claims

Hierarchy & decisions

Germany3 claims

India3 claims

Communication & docs

Germany3 claims

India2 claims

Work & careers

Germany5 claims

India5 claims

Open source & community

Germany5 claims

India4 claims