When intercultural consultant Christina Röttgers works with her international students and clients, she likes to break the ice by playing a stereotype association game. When she asks them for their perceptions of Germany, they reliably say the country is efficient, describing it as a machine, always chugging away.
German efficiency is an international stereotype with holding power. It is tightly intertwined with other German values, which can make it difficult to disentangle. Yet a look back through history reveals efficiency's concrete roots and shows how it has evolved — and how the perception of it has evolved — over time.
Germany's centuries-old reputation
Efficiency can be defined as achieving the desired outcome with the least waste of resources. Germany's reputation for it stretches back centuries, and its roots are twofold.
