wtfeWays They Frame Engineering
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Germanyvsthe Nordics

ドイツと北欧DENORD

Seen from Germany: each line below describes the Nordics relative to Germany.

Swap: see Germany from the Nordics

Culture Map: eight scales

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

Filled dot: Germany, where you are looking fromHollow ring: the Nordics

Where you will notice the difference6 scales

  1. Leading

    The Nordics keep less distance between boss and team than Germany (3 steps)

    NORD by country: DK −3, SE −3, FI −2

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

  2. Persuading

    The Nordics want examples and the conclusion before the theory more than Germany (2 steps)

    NORD by country: DK +1, NO +1

    Germany −1, the Nordics +1, on a line from −3 (Principles-first) to +3 (Applications-first).

  3. Evaluating

    The Nordics give negative feedback more indirectly than Germany (1 step)

    NORD by country: DK −1, FI −1

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

  4. Deciding

    The Nordics decide by group agreement more than Germany (1 step)

    NORD by country: DK −2, SE −2

    Germany −1, the Nordics −2, on a line from −3 (Consensual) to +3 (Top-down).

  5. Disagreeing

    The Nordics avoid open disagreement more than Germany (1 step)

    NORD by country: DK −1, SE +1

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

  6. Scheduling

    The Nordics treat plans as more flexible than Germany (1 step)

    NORD by country: DK −2, SE −2, NO −2

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

Where you are close2 scales

  1. Communicating

    Germany and the Nordics sit on the same step

    NORD by country: DK −2, SE −1, FI −1

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

  2. Trusting

    Germany and the Nordics sit on the same step

    NORD by country: DK −2

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

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 the Nordics. They describe national averages, not either country's character.

The Nordics are not one country: each score is the average of four national scores (Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway).

  1. Motivation towards achievement and success

    The Nordics score 52 points lower than Germany (14 against 66)

    The Nordics: average of Sweden 5, Finland 26, Denmark 16, Norway 8

    Germany 66, the Nordics 14, on a line from 0 (Consensus-oriented) to 100 (Decisive).

  2. Uncertainty avoidance

    The Nordics score 25 points lower than Germany (40 against 65)

    The Nordics: average of Sweden 29, Finland 59, Denmark 23, Norway 50

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

  3. Indulgence

    The Nordics score 25 points higher than Germany (65 against 40)

    The Nordics: average of Sweden 78, Finland 57, Denmark 70, Norway 55

    Germany 40, the Nordics 65, on a line from 0 (Restrained) to 100 (Indulgent).

  4. Power distance

    The Nordics score 7 points lower than Germany (28 against 35)

    The Nordics: average of Sweden 31, Finland 33, Denmark 18, Norway 31

    Germany 35, the Nordics 28, on a line from 0 (Low power distance) to 100 (High power distance).

  5. Individualism

    The Nordics score 4 points higher than Germany (83 against 79)

    The Nordics: average of Sweden 87, Finland 75, Denmark 89, Norway 81

    Germany 79, the Nordics 83, on a line from 0 (Collectivist) to 100 (Individualist).

  6. Long-term orientation

    The Nordics and Germany both score 57

    The Nordics: average of Sweden 52, Finland 63, Denmark 59, Norway 55

    Germany 57, the Nordics 57, 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 the Nordics, side by side on wide screens. Each keeps its own confidence label and citations.

Design & quality

Germany2 claims

The Nordics3 claims

Failure & risk

Germany5 claims

The Nordics3 claims

Feedback & code review

Germany3 claims

The Nordics4 claims

Hierarchy & decisions

Germany3 claims

The Nordics5 claims

Communication & docs

Germany3 claims

The Nordics3 claims

Work & careers

Germany5 claims

The Nordics4 claims

Open source & community

Germany5 claims

The Nordics5 claims