In this episode, Kelly Nadjimi and Daniel Donahey speak about the causes of success and failure in German-American business. Their conversation includes well-known business failures like Walmart's fiasco in Germany and DaimlerChrysler's 19-Billion dollar debacle in the USA. They also discuss Disney's near death experience in France and celebrate T-Mobile's hero's journey and unparalleled triumph in the USA. The main point of this episode is that success or failure in German-American business is a choice. Any German company with a successful product and service on the German market can succeed in the USA and any American company with a successful product or service on the US market can succeed in Germany, BUT NOT IN THE SAME WAY! Choosing to succeed means choosing the path of cultural adaptation.

German-American cross-cultural business is practically always a challenge, It is characterized by frequent misunderstandings, conflicts, escalations, missed forecasts and disappointments, BUT WHY? Most reasonable people would assume that Germans and Americans should be able to work together with no undue difficulties. However, the reality of the situation is much different. German-American business is usually beset with underperformance and far too many outright failures. In this episode, Kelly Nadjimi and Daniel Donahey discuss how culture affects business generally, and specifically, why Germans and Americans so often find it difficult to work together harmoniously, successfully and efficiently. This is a MUST SEE for anyone engaged in a German-American business relationship. Leaders, especially, should learn the lessons offered here.