FAQWhat is Magee‘s approach to analysis?

I am not trained as a social scientist. I studied History at Georgetown University in Washington, DC and then at Die Frei Universität in Berlin.

We interact with another culture, sense differences, want to understand what the differences are, what impact they have, how to deal with them. How do we peel back the onion? Via mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics? Via accounting, finance, economics? Via engineering? All of the above, or a combination thereof?

History. Understanding something through understanding how it has become what it is. I think historically. We all think historically.

Let‘s take leadership as an example. Not in the theoretical sense, but very concrete, specific. How a German leads and wants to be led. How an American leads and wants to be led. There are hundreds of these situations today, live, in Dax30 and in Fortune100 companies. Well, what is the nature of the interaction between a German team lead and his or her American team members or vice versa, an American team lead and German members of the team?

One way to get a sense of the logics in play is to address a few fundamental questions about leadership in any society. What is the leadership principle operating in how a given society defends itself (military)? What is the leadership principle operating in how that society feeds itself (business)? What is the leadership principle operating in how it makes decisions (politics)? What is the leadership principle operating in how that people simulates all of these (team sports)?

If a given society functions, and functions well, the fundamental leadership principle will be the same or similar in all four realms: military, business, politics, sports. Can it be any other way? In fact, we know from history that many military leaders go on to become political leaders. We know from history that many political leaders lead their societies into war, successfully. Many captains of industry had their most formidable training as young military officers. Many business leaders enter politics and affect needed change. We know that many of the qualities developed on the football field, the basketball court, the soccer (Fussball) field, and in other sports, are those necessary to succeed in any human organization, whether that organization‘s purpose is to gain market share, win elections or defeat an enemy on the battlefield.

So we believe, if you want to understand the bottom-line leadership principles of a national culture look at the evidence accessible to everyone, evidence right before our eyes. Compare the leadership principle in the German Bundeswehr with the U.S. Army. Compare the principle governing the interaction between a Chancellor and his/her cabinet with an American president and his/her cabinet. Compare the interaction between a Vorstandsvorsitzender and the Vorstand in a major German company with a CEO and the CFO, COO, CIO etc. in a major American company. Compare the soccer coach on the one side with the football, basketball and baseball coach on the other.

In our work, we look at the situation as it is today, on the ground, in the myriad of German-American interactions. We formulate what we believe are the key questions. Evidence is gathered. Examples, analogies, representations. If done carefully and critically, the evidence gathered is indisputable, fundamental to that respective culture, has been developed over many generations, is accepted, deep seated, a belief.

So when it comes to our research, there are a only a few key steps or key questions. Where do we experience differences in approaches? What is the issue: communication, decision making, leadership, processes, product philosophies, etc.? What situations, example, analogies, representations provide insight? How do we analyze such that these indisputable evidences provide access, insight, understanding? What (interim) conclusions can we draw? How can we apply them to realworld situations so as to test their validity? Finally, how do we strive for further insight, deeper understanding?

We want to get into the details, into the realities, the very fabric of American and German society. Inductive, bottom-up, experience- and fact-based. Evidences which all can understand, which all have experienced, observed or participated in. This requires of us imagination, diligence, patience, reflection and common sense. Most importantly, it requires involvement, getting our hands dirty, doing the field work.