ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts covered in the preceding chapters of this book. The book outlines the characteristics as well as historical and intellectual background of German national culture. It looks at the extent to which the elements can be found in the economic sphere, and refers to ultimate authority, organicism and Ausbildung as cultural elements reflected in the structure of economic institutions. The book also looks at organizational cultures in Germany. Based on an application of Karl Popperian liberalism to organizations, the data led to a distinction between organicist 'Clans' and egalitarian 'Teams' among medium-sized manufacturing firms. It describes the liberal perspective on organizations and outlines liberalism as a dilemma for firms. The book discusses whether there are recognizable performance differences between the 'Clans' and 'Teams', and the data suggest a superiority of 'Teams' in terms of innovativeness and flexibility.
