tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1530140329306503392.post8529130020028782947..comments2024-03-19T08:19:45.049-04:00Comments on Crane and Matten blog: The Scandinavian Cooperative AdvantageCrane and Mattenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13809682169218066019noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1530140329306503392.post-67029065351619884262011-10-07T14:16:10.427-04:002011-10-07T14:16:10.427-04:00Hello Moni,
Thank you for your comments. I think...Hello Moni,<br /><br />Thank you for your comments. I think you are hitting on two interesting points here. First, regarding the "human" working environment. I have never seen such friendly working conditions than in Scandinavian settings. Ample natural lighting, desks that move up and down so one can stand or sit, typically child friendly work schedules, etc. All in all, this helps to lessen the stresses. Regarding conflict, I would argue there is a bit more of a nuanced thing going on here. From what I have seen I would characterize avoidance of conflict in Scandinavia more in terms of attempting to engage with the conflict upfront and come to a consensus with stakeholders as a means to avoid bigger conflicts down the road. This requires a willingness to acknowledge problems coupled with ongoing engagement and discussion. Your comment rightfully implies that a balance must be struck as there are many times (particularly in the case of small start-ups) that a decision must be made rapidly and thus it is not always possible to engage with all stakeholders to come to a consensus. But I find that the more stakeholders were engaged in the process leading up to these times when rapid decisions must be taken, the more the decision makers can incorporate the views of the stakeholders even without consultation, and ultimately make better decisions for the long run. And when I broadly compare to my experiences in U.S., I think the Scandinavians do a particularly good job of this. (Of course we are taking in broad generalizations here, where independent experiences can vary.)<br /><br />Again, thank you for your thoughtful comments Moni. RobertRobert Strandhttp://www.cbs.dk/en/Research/Departments-Centres/Institutter/IKL/Menu/Staff/IKL-Staff-mappe/Academic-staff/Researach-assistant/Postgraduate-and-PhD-fellows/rsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1530140329306503392.post-35179603717049744402011-10-07T12:01:55.516-04:002011-10-07T12:01:55.516-04:00I am from Hungary and I had my first professional ...I am from Hungary and I had my first professional experience in Finland in a spin-off company as a business development trainee. I was surprised how "human" the working environment is and how much emphasis they put on minimizing the stress and conflicts. Although I have to say that in my opinion this emphasis on avoiding stress and conflicts can also cause some problems in the performance in the case of small start ups.Pack Your Luggage Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16764298092085257658noreply@blogger.com