Introduction and links to research that supports Nordic leadership (get files at the bottom of this page)
The leading European business school IMD in Switzerland have called the Danish management style for the world's best. The major international research project on management, The Globe Study, also highlights the Nordic region as the place with the best leaders and the most effective corporate culture. Below you can read brief introductions and links to some of the research articles that support the Nordic management style. This page will currently be updated with relevant research.
The Globe Study - Characteristics of management/leadership - and business practices in specific geographical areas
The extensive research project The Globe Study, 2004 - 2007, mapped the characteristics issues of management and business practices in geographical areas with a certain culture. The study highlights the Scandinavian and especially the Danish way of management as efficient when it comes to contributing to the company's success. The study characterizes the Nordic business cultures as having by far the lowest power distance, highest degree of collective resource allocation combined with relatively high equality and freedom ideals. Furthermore, the research shows that Scandinavian corporate culture is characterized by dialogue and relatively short communication distance between employees and management.
The research has also identified the differences between different cultures when it comes to which expectations and believes works for managers or leaders when they have to motivate, exercise influence and strengthen their employees contribution to business success. In tis context Denmark is one of the countries where the participatory management style scores very high, while countries such as China scores very low. The Scandinavian business culture is also characterized by a high degree of collectivism and justice in relation to how to distribute tasks and resources, and Denmark is most significant also in relation to the rest of the Scandinavian countries.
New Nordic Leadership - fair leadership and strategy - a research-based concept
This research article is the first to introduce New Nordic Leadership as a management concept. The article identifies some of the characteristics of Scandinavian leadership and provides a theoretical argument for a specific strategic process design on how the Nordic management approach can help organizations and leaders to develop and implement effective strategies. The article combines studies of Scandinavian companies' performance with two research-based and internationally acclaimed articles that were presented at the leadership conference Academy of Management in 2012 and 2013 respectively, Boston and Orlando USA. Research shows that a strategic management approach that is characterized by trust, participatory leadership, process fairness and efficient communication patterns predisposing to a momentum that creates high strategic decision-making and implementation quality, which in turn predisposes to high organizational effectiveness. The article is written by Peter Larsen, Michele Guarini, Bo Vestergaard and Jens Larsen, all affiliated with New Nordic Leadership Institute. Link to the article at the end of this page.
The Scandinavian way - a paper from Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies, 2006
According to IMD, Denmark has the world’s best management practice. During some years The Scandinavian Management Model has got attention from around the world and in Chapter 6 of the paper of Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies it is discussed whether the Scandinavian Management Style is the management style of the future. A management style that can improve innovation and productivity in companies with a high knowledge base, because the Scandinavian Management Style supports the employees creativity and will to take responsibility. This is due to the fact that the Scandinavian Management Style focusses on motivation, involvement and knowledge sharing; that employees is met by trust and respect and that employees are led through goals and values rather than control and chains of command. The introduction refers to a shorter article based on the publication from The Copenhagen Institute of Future Studies “The Scandinavian way” by Troels Theill Eriksen, Martin Kruse and Gitte Larsen.
Relational Strategic Leadership (RSL) - model for Effective Strategy Formation Processes
This research-bases paper is an attempt to understand and map the relational strategic leadership processes (RSL processes) between top management and middle management. These processes are considered as crucial to strategic decision making and strategy implementation, which, in turn, are crucial to organisational efficiency. The paper explicate the RSL model and the RSL strategic process design that pinpoint a number of central factors - thrust, integrative leadership, involvement and dialogue, that can strengthen the RSL processes between top management and middle management in the context of achieving the goal of strategy formation: high quality strategic decision-making and implementation. The paper was presented at the 2013 Academy of Management Conference, Orlando USA. The paper is written by Peter Larsen, associate partner in New Nordic Leadership. Link to the article at the end of this page.
Leading Unpopular Changes With Fair Process
Two-thirds of strategic transformation efforts fail. But when frontline employees know the purpose and are engaged in crafting and implementing solutions the transformations efforts succeed 8 out of 10 times. But how can managers engage employees without loosing control and how can managers control without killing the employees engagement? This research paper presents and unfold the five-step strategic design process for fair process. The design-model shows how to create and manage a both involving and effective implementing process. The paper was presented and among the top ten percent best papers at the 2012 Academy of Management Conference in Boston. The paper is written by Bo Vestergaard, associate partner in New Nordic Leadership Institute. The paper is blog-posted in Harvard Business Review: "Managing an Unpopular Change Effort". Link to the article at the end of this page.
Social Capital of the Company – White Paper, National Research Center for the Working Environment, Tage Sønderskov Kristensen et al. 2008 (the report is available in Danish)
Chapter 3.2. ‘Social Capital in Denmark’ (pp 31-39) is referring to a number of international surveys showing that Denmark is the country in the world with the highest score regarding people’s trust both in each other and in the institutions of society. When it comes to the extent of social capital at the Danish labor market, the chapter explains that Denmark is in the top among European countries concerning job satisfaction and job security. At the same time a range of research shows that Danish employees experience a great influence at their workplace and that they seek it out. This may be the case because the values of the employees are characterized by a combination of a low power distance, a high degree of soft values such as care and involvement, a high degree of individuality, and a low experience of unforeseen events threaten. The insights of the report supports other research results which points out that the management styles of the Scandinavian countries especially are involving the employees and are characterized by a low power distance.
The leading European business school IMD in Switzerland have called the Danish management style for the world's best. The major international research project on management, The Globe Study, also highlights the Nordic region as the place with the best leaders and the most effective corporate culture. Below you can read brief introductions and links to some of the research articles that support the Nordic management style. This page will currently be updated with relevant research.
The Globe Study - Characteristics of management/leadership - and business practices in specific geographical areas
The extensive research project The Globe Study, 2004 - 2007, mapped the characteristics issues of management and business practices in geographical areas with a certain culture. The study highlights the Scandinavian and especially the Danish way of management as efficient when it comes to contributing to the company's success. The study characterizes the Nordic business cultures as having by far the lowest power distance, highest degree of collective resource allocation combined with relatively high equality and freedom ideals. Furthermore, the research shows that Scandinavian corporate culture is characterized by dialogue and relatively short communication distance between employees and management.
The research has also identified the differences between different cultures when it comes to which expectations and believes works for managers or leaders when they have to motivate, exercise influence and strengthen their employees contribution to business success. In tis context Denmark is one of the countries where the participatory management style scores very high, while countries such as China scores very low. The Scandinavian business culture is also characterized by a high degree of collectivism and justice in relation to how to distribute tasks and resources, and Denmark is most significant also in relation to the rest of the Scandinavian countries.
New Nordic Leadership - fair leadership and strategy - a research-based concept
This research article is the first to introduce New Nordic Leadership as a management concept. The article identifies some of the characteristics of Scandinavian leadership and provides a theoretical argument for a specific strategic process design on how the Nordic management approach can help organizations and leaders to develop and implement effective strategies. The article combines studies of Scandinavian companies' performance with two research-based and internationally acclaimed articles that were presented at the leadership conference Academy of Management in 2012 and 2013 respectively, Boston and Orlando USA. Research shows that a strategic management approach that is characterized by trust, participatory leadership, process fairness and efficient communication patterns predisposing to a momentum that creates high strategic decision-making and implementation quality, which in turn predisposes to high organizational effectiveness. The article is written by Peter Larsen, Michele Guarini, Bo Vestergaard and Jens Larsen, all affiliated with New Nordic Leadership Institute. Link to the article at the end of this page.
The Scandinavian way - a paper from Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies, 2006
According to IMD, Denmark has the world’s best management practice. During some years The Scandinavian Management Model has got attention from around the world and in Chapter 6 of the paper of Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies it is discussed whether the Scandinavian Management Style is the management style of the future. A management style that can improve innovation and productivity in companies with a high knowledge base, because the Scandinavian Management Style supports the employees creativity and will to take responsibility. This is due to the fact that the Scandinavian Management Style focusses on motivation, involvement and knowledge sharing; that employees is met by trust and respect and that employees are led through goals and values rather than control and chains of command. The introduction refers to a shorter article based on the publication from The Copenhagen Institute of Future Studies “The Scandinavian way” by Troels Theill Eriksen, Martin Kruse and Gitte Larsen.
Relational Strategic Leadership (RSL) - model for Effective Strategy Formation Processes
This research-bases paper is an attempt to understand and map the relational strategic leadership processes (RSL processes) between top management and middle management. These processes are considered as crucial to strategic decision making and strategy implementation, which, in turn, are crucial to organisational efficiency. The paper explicate the RSL model and the RSL strategic process design that pinpoint a number of central factors - thrust, integrative leadership, involvement and dialogue, that can strengthen the RSL processes between top management and middle management in the context of achieving the goal of strategy formation: high quality strategic decision-making and implementation. The paper was presented at the 2013 Academy of Management Conference, Orlando USA. The paper is written by Peter Larsen, associate partner in New Nordic Leadership. Link to the article at the end of this page.
Leading Unpopular Changes With Fair Process
Two-thirds of strategic transformation efforts fail. But when frontline employees know the purpose and are engaged in crafting and implementing solutions the transformations efforts succeed 8 out of 10 times. But how can managers engage employees without loosing control and how can managers control without killing the employees engagement? This research paper presents and unfold the five-step strategic design process for fair process. The design-model shows how to create and manage a both involving and effective implementing process. The paper was presented and among the top ten percent best papers at the 2012 Academy of Management Conference in Boston. The paper is written by Bo Vestergaard, associate partner in New Nordic Leadership Institute. The paper is blog-posted in Harvard Business Review: "Managing an Unpopular Change Effort". Link to the article at the end of this page.
Social Capital of the Company – White Paper, National Research Center for the Working Environment, Tage Sønderskov Kristensen et al. 2008 (the report is available in Danish)
Chapter 3.2. ‘Social Capital in Denmark’ (pp 31-39) is referring to a number of international surveys showing that Denmark is the country in the world with the highest score regarding people’s trust both in each other and in the institutions of society. When it comes to the extent of social capital at the Danish labor market, the chapter explains that Denmark is in the top among European countries concerning job satisfaction and job security. At the same time a range of research shows that Danish employees experience a great influence at their workplace and that they seek it out. This may be the case because the values of the employees are characterized by a combination of a low power distance, a high degree of soft values such as care and involvement, a high degree of individuality, and a low experience of unforeseen events threaten. The insights of the report supports other research results which points out that the management styles of the Scandinavian countries especially are involving the employees and are characterized by a low power distance.
| The Globe Study |
| Relational Strategic Leadership |
| The Scandinavian Way |
| Leading Unpopular Changes With Fair process |
Managing an Unpopular Change Effort
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