This Tuesday at 8.45 pm, the national football teams of Denmark and Sweden will play in Copenhagen to qualify for the Euros next summer. While generalising always brings the risk of falling into cliché, it is fairly safe to say that when the whistle blows, Danes and Swedes will have finished work hours earlier. At a time when Scandinavian states are always upheld as the ideal example of good practice, finding out more about their business culture is interesting.
That is what Esade Alumni, the Cambra de Comerç Hispano-Sueca de Barcelona and the Cercle Empresarial Danès de Barcelona explained in a roundtable event with business people and Nordic executives, along with Spaniards with a lot of experience working in Swedish and Danish companies.
Disagreeing obligatory in the consensus culture
Javier Cucalón has spent more than 20 years working in a Danish company. "Every three or four years there is a very well organised strategic planning, it is in their DNA," says the current managing director for Iberia in Nilfisk-Advance.
Cucalón confirms that "Denmark is used as an example for everything, but the reason is it is an authentic democracy and that is reflected in companies." Not only is everyone's opinion valued, but "disagreeing is obligatory". In fact, he says, at his company, the "grandfather principle" was used. This means that "any employee has the right to go to his boss and show his disagreement with a certain decision." For Cucalón, "this introduces self-control in people management, preventing you from becoming a little dictator to your team."
Camilla Brenchley is Danish and has spent 17 years in Barcelona, where she works as a business consultant. "Consensus is a tool that is often used and that can be very useful. As a result, executive teams tend to be very strong and unified. There are no personal agendas," he says. For Brenchley, there is a model of Scandinavian leadership characterised by knowing how to direct consensus and commit the whole company to it. "Marking out the direction to take is something many cultures can do, but Nordic countries know how to plan over the long term and create motivation in the company," he says.
Mateo Iglesias, senior director of pathology at Dako Diagnósticos agrees. "They do not decide quickly, but they are quick to carry their decisions out," he says. For Iglesias, the fact that everyone has been able to influence the decision means that "in the end the whole team are involved."
The art of keeping things simple
Enrique París is director of Securitas in Catalonia. "I have worked in a Swedish company for more than 20 years and I've seen that Lutheranism and the climate both influence the way they live and work," he says. When listing the keys of the Nordic model, París does not hesitate mentioning "simplicity, transparency and flexibility".
Mateo Iglesias insists that "simplicity attracts a lot of attention. Latin people are baroque and we tend to make life more complicated." On the other hand, he points out that "Nordics prefer things in three steps rather than five. This also makes them good at planning and carrying plans out."
You are no one if you do not work
Jonas Borgh, founder and COO of MYMobileSecurity, is Swedish and has lived in Barcelona for 12 years. "We Nordics are Lutherans and that leaves its mark. Luther said that if you do not work you are no one." Borgh says that this is alive and well in Sweden, where "people are identified by the work they do." He says that the first thing people ask you is what you do. However, he says in contrast, "I have had Catalan friends for years who do not even know what it is I do." Borgh, only half-seriously, says that "here you can go to the beach or to have a glass of wine, but not in Sweden. There we have to stay focused on work."
Mateo Iglesias agrees that "Lutheranism and climate influence the society, in the same way that it is very difficult asking people to work hard when it is 40 degrees in the shade." Iglesias highlights the contrast between Spain and Scandinavian countries when it comes to accepting responsibility. "When you ask people who the owner of a Spanish company is, they say the shareholders. They clearly understand that the shareholders are the ones to keep happy. It is different in Nordic companies, where you work to keep the customers happy," he says.
Javier Cucalón adds that "everyone is taken into account, but at the same time there are demands and results are expected." Enrique París adds his reflection on this issue: "The Swedish model is about commitment, decentralised, agile and simple. They do not only have values but they demand they be complied with."
París says that the Scandinavians "do not allow abuse nor corruption. Though there might be some, once they discover it...". This point is tied to their reputation, which he qualifies as "fundamental". However, in Spain, "it depends on what you have taken," he laments.
Respect for timetables
One of the characteristics of the Scandinavian business culture is scrupulous respect for timetables. "At 4pm no one is left in the office. Whoever stays late is seen as incompetent and unable to finish the work, or someone who has a sad life with nothing better to do," says Javier Cucalón.
Finishing on time in the evening allows for a family life and time to do sport or attend a club. However, as Camilla Brenchley recognises, often many employees finish work at home once the children are in bed. "The fact that children go to bed at 7pm perhaps helps," she says jokingly.
Mateo Iglesias exemplifies the sense of time in Scandinavian countries with an anecdote that took him by surprise in his first few days in Copenhagen. "In the car park of a company with 1,000 employees there are very few cars (most people go to work by bike). But the first ones to arrive park as far as possible from the exit." Why? "If they arrive first it means they have more time. They leave the spaces nearer to the door for those who arrive at the last moment and who need them most," he says.
It is time they will need to be punctual. "Meetings aren't at 10am. They are from 10 to 11," says Javier Cucalón. Moreover, punctuality is basic. "If you arrive late, the door is locked," he concludes, giving the example of some people who arrived at 8.02 am for a meeting scheduled for 8am.
That is what Esade Alumni, the Cambra de Comerç Hispano-Sueca de Barcelona and the Cercle Empresarial Danès de Barcelona explained in a roundtable event with business people and Nordic executives, along with Spaniards with a lot of experience working in Swedish and Danish companies.
Disagreeing obligatory in the consensus culture
Javier Cucalón has spent more than 20 years working in a Danish company. "Every three or four years there is a very well organised strategic planning, it is in their DNA," says the current managing director for Iberia in Nilfisk-Advance.
Cucalón confirms that "Denmark is used as an example for everything, but the reason is it is an authentic democracy and that is reflected in companies." Not only is everyone's opinion valued, but "disagreeing is obligatory". In fact, he says, at his company, the "grandfather principle" was used. This means that "any employee has the right to go to his boss and show his disagreement with a certain decision." For Cucalón, "this introduces self-control in people management, preventing you from becoming a little dictator to your team."
Camilla Brenchley is Danish and has spent 17 years in Barcelona, where she works as a business consultant. "Consensus is a tool that is often used and that can be very useful. As a result, executive teams tend to be very strong and unified. There are no personal agendas," he says. For Brenchley, there is a model of Scandinavian leadership characterised by knowing how to direct consensus and commit the whole company to it. "Marking out the direction to take is something many cultures can do, but Nordic countries know how to plan over the long term and create motivation in the company," he says.
Mateo Iglesias, senior director of pathology at Dako Diagnósticos agrees. "They do not decide quickly, but they are quick to carry their decisions out," he says. For Iglesias, the fact that everyone has been able to influence the decision means that "in the end the whole team are involved."
The art of keeping things simple
Enrique París is director of Securitas in Catalonia. "I have worked in a Swedish company for more than 20 years and I've seen that Lutheranism and the climate both influence the way they live and work," he says. When listing the keys of the Nordic model, París does not hesitate mentioning "simplicity, transparency and flexibility".
Mateo Iglesias insists that "simplicity attracts a lot of attention. Latin people are baroque and we tend to make life more complicated." On the other hand, he points out that "Nordics prefer things in three steps rather than five. This also makes them good at planning and carrying plans out."
You are no one if you do not work
Jonas Borgh, founder and COO of MYMobileSecurity, is Swedish and has lived in Barcelona for 12 years. "We Nordics are Lutherans and that leaves its mark. Luther said that if you do not work you are no one." Borgh says that this is alive and well in Sweden, where "people are identified by the work they do." He says that the first thing people ask you is what you do. However, he says in contrast, "I have had Catalan friends for years who do not even know what it is I do." Borgh, only half-seriously, says that "here you can go to the beach or to have a glass of wine, but not in Sweden. There we have to stay focused on work."
Mateo Iglesias agrees that "Lutheranism and climate influence the society, in the same way that it is very difficult asking people to work hard when it is 40 degrees in the shade." Iglesias highlights the contrast between Spain and Scandinavian countries when it comes to accepting responsibility. "When you ask people who the owner of a Spanish company is, they say the shareholders. They clearly understand that the shareholders are the ones to keep happy. It is different in Nordic companies, where you work to keep the customers happy," he says.
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| Executives and business people with experience in Scandinavian countries, meeting in Esade. PGF |
Javier Cucalón adds that "everyone is taken into account, but at the same time there are demands and results are expected." Enrique París adds his reflection on this issue: "The Swedish model is about commitment, decentralised, agile and simple. They do not only have values but they demand they be complied with."
París says that the Scandinavians "do not allow abuse nor corruption. Though there might be some, once they discover it...". This point is tied to their reputation, which he qualifies as "fundamental". However, in Spain, "it depends on what you have taken," he laments.
Respect for timetables
One of the characteristics of the Scandinavian business culture is scrupulous respect for timetables. "At 4pm no one is left in the office. Whoever stays late is seen as incompetent and unable to finish the work, or someone who has a sad life with nothing better to do," says Javier Cucalón.
Finishing on time in the evening allows for a family life and time to do sport or attend a club. However, as Camilla Brenchley recognises, often many employees finish work at home once the children are in bed. "The fact that children go to bed at 7pm perhaps helps," she says jokingly.
Mateo Iglesias exemplifies the sense of time in Scandinavian countries with an anecdote that took him by surprise in his first few days in Copenhagen. "In the car park of a company with 1,000 employees there are very few cars (most people go to work by bike). But the first ones to arrive park as far as possible from the exit." Why? "If they arrive first it means they have more time. They leave the spaces nearer to the door for those who arrive at the last moment and who need them most," he says.
It is time they will need to be punctual. "Meetings aren't at 10am. They are from 10 to 11," says Javier Cucalón. Moreover, punctuality is basic. "If you arrive late, the door is locked," he concludes, giving the example of some people who arrived at 8.02 am for a meeting scheduled for 8am.
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