The companies you describe above are known as Germany's mittelstand.
There was recently a documentary in the UK that detailed the success of the mittelstand and questioned whether or not it could be implemented in the UK, however I don't think that it can. The difference between Germany/UK and Germany/US is Germans give a shit about Germany.
Companies have better relationships with unions, with some union representatives sitting on the board.
Companies work with schools and colleges to train the workforce they need.
If people are made unemployed the state pays for their retraining if need be.
They have better quality hi-tech manufacturing jobs which are much less likely to be outsourced.
The mittelstand tends to care more about long term growth than being held randsom for growth in only the next quarter.
Finally, culturally, there's less of a dog eat dog attitude within German society. The UK/US boasts this kind of "fuck you I'm rich now" attitude which sees people exploit the system and then do everything they can to destroy it once it isn' needed anymore.
Edit: I also wanted to add that with unions being board members they are allowed to see the books of the company which helps them negotiate realistic deals for their members. Without board members having access to a company's books can result in unrealistic demands by the unions or the board lying about the availability of funds.
There was recently a documentary in the UK that detailed the success of the mittelstand and questioned whether or not it could be implemented in the UK, however I don't think that it can. The difference between Germany/UK and Germany/US is Germans give a shit about Germany.
Companies have better relationships with unions, with some union representatives sitting on the board.
Companies work with schools and colleges to train the workforce they need.
If people are made unemployed the state pays for their retraining if need be.
They have better quality hi-tech manufacturing jobs which are much less likely to be outsourced.
The mittelstand tends to care more about long term growth than being held randsom for growth in only the next quarter.
Finally, culturally, there's less of a dog eat dog attitude within German society. The UK/US boasts this kind of "fuck you I'm rich now" attitude which sees people exploit the system and then do everything they can to destroy it once it isn' needed anymore.
Edit: I also wanted to add that with unions being board members they are allowed to see the books of the company which helps them negotiate realistic deals for their members. Without board members having access to a company's books can result in unrealistic demands by the unions or the board lying about the availability of funds.