wtfeWays They Frame Engineering
日本語

GermanyvsJapan

ドイツと日本DEJP

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

Swap: see Germany from Japan

Culture Map: eight scales

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

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

Where you will notice the difference7 scales

  1. Communicating

    Japan leaves more to be read between the lines than Germany (5 steps)

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

  2. Evaluating

    Japan gives negative feedback more indirectly than Germany (5 steps)

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

  3. Disagreeing

    Japan avoids open disagreement more than Germany (5 steps)

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

  4. Leading

    Japan keeps more distance between boss and team than Germany (3 steps)

    Germany 0, Japan +3, on a line from −3 (Egalitarian) to +3 (Hierarchical).

  5. Trusting

    Japan builds trust through personal relationships more than Germany (3 steps)

    Germany −2, Japan +1, on a line from −3 (Task-based) to +3 (Relationship-based).

  6. Deciding

    Japan decides by group agreement more than Germany (2 steps)

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

  7. Scheduling

    Japan treats plans as more flexible than Germany (1 step)

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

Not placed1 scale

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.

  • PersuadingMeyer leaves Japan off this scale and describes its reasoning as holistic
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 Japan. They describe national averages, not either country's character.

  1. Long-term orientation

    Japan scores 43 points higher than Germany (100 against 57)

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

  2. Motivation towards achievement and success

    Japan scores 29 points higher than Germany (95 against 66)

    Germany 66, Japan 95, on a line from 0 (Consensus-oriented) to 100 (Decisive).

  3. Uncertainty avoidance

    Japan scores 27 points higher than Germany (92 against 65)

    Germany 65, Japan 92, on a line from 0 (Tolerant of ambiguity) to 100 (Avoids ambiguity).

  4. Power distance

    Japan scores 19 points higher than Germany (54 against 35)

    Germany 35, Japan 54, on a line from 0 (Low power distance) to 100 (High power distance).

  5. Individualism

    Japan scores 17 points lower than Germany (62 against 79)

    Germany 79, Japan 62, on a line from 0 (Collectivist) to 100 (Individualist).

  6. Indulgence

    Japan scores 2 points higher than Germany (42 against 40)

    Germany 40, Japan 42, on a line from 0 (Restrained) to 100 (Indulgent).

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 Japan, side by side on wide screens. Each keeps its own confidence label and citations.

Design & quality

Germany2 claims

Japan4 claims

Failure & risk

Germany5 claims

Japan3 claims

Feedback & code review

Germany3 claims

Japan4 claims

Hierarchy & decisions

Germany3 claims

Japan3 claims

Communication & docs

Germany3 claims

Japan3 claims

Work & careers

Germany5 claims

Japan5 claims

Open source & community

Germany5 claims

Japan4 claims