Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book describes the management of organizations in Germany and presents a cultural account of the country's economic development and reform problems. It outlines the historical and intellectual origins of German national culture and interprets German corporate cultures in relation to national culture. The book discusses the notions of liberalism versus non-liberalism to for-profit firms. This is based on a particular argument: that these notions are relevant to firms as much as to societies or states. The liberalism framework helps to carve out and bring to the fore major cultural differences and challenges, conveys them to an Anglo-American audience, and provides a particular perspective on national and organizational competitiveness and reforms. The liberalism-based approach to organization theory is also related to the debate between liberalism and communitarianism.