British and German battlecruisers were designed for different wars

German battlecruisers were conceived as a fast wing that would defeat British battlecruisers and move around the opposing battle line. The Royal Navy had a broader global mission: protecting trade between fleet-controlled choke points, hunting hostile cruisers, attacking enemy trade, bringing in troop convoys, and reacting across open oceans. During World War I, British battlecruisers dealt with von Spee and convoy missions before concentrating in the North Sea. Once those distant tasks were complete, they could join the Grand Fleet as scouts and a rapid-reaction force. Germany's 11-inch guns therefore had to face British battlecruisers with 12-inch guns and could also bring German ships near battleships protected against 12-inch fire. The smaller weapons would need more time at dangerous ranges to achieve the same effect. Beatty's emphasis on rate of fire over accuracy sometimes reduced that German disadvantage.