[patall]

> I am your boss, you are the employee, now shut up and do as I say

This would also not work in engineering and never did. In fact, it's likely one of reasons why german engineering was so good: because people would (and still do) tell their boss bluntly what is wrong.

[tetris11]

Can confirm this in science too. German masters/PhD students are much more willing to correct the professor on a topic, then I. England. N=1, of course.

[rurban]

Well, I'm just reading the Oppenheimer biography, who studied in the US, UK and Germany, and he came to the very same observations. And tried to encourage his students in Berkeley successfully to be more critical and interrupt the professors.