Chapter 1: About Denmark
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s a Nordic country, Denmark is culturally similar to Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Iceland. However, there are di erences between the countries, some of which will be discussed in this book. Denmark is a small nation with a population of about 5.7 million people. The culture is known for low inequality and a at hierarchy at the workplace. Danes do not lead; they coach. Therefore, they expect and require autonomy. Denmark is the country with the highest employee autonomy in the EU. The egalitarian mindset is historically derived from Protestantism, which focuses on independence and equal rights in society. Management is expected to facilitate and empower the employees, which happens through decentralization and trust in their team members' experiences. The at hierarchy and strong focus on independence also result in direct and informal communication, e.g., working on a rst-name basis. Employees also expect to be consulted before signi cant changes happen at their workplace; this often goes through the local Union representative (Hofstede Insights, 2017). The independence in the workplace re ects a highly individualistic society with a loosely-knit social framework. People are expected to take care of themselves and their immediate families only. The high level of independence also makes it relatively easy to start a business and start doing business with the Danes. Danish businessmen/-women generally want to get to the point of business sooner rather than later. Hence, keep small talk to a minimum – this is
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