A spotlight on Nordic leadership characteristics, similarities and pitfalls. 

Time and time again, the Nordic countries show remarkable results on everything from economic performance and innovation to human rights and happiness. But is there a Nordic zeitgeist that is particular to Nordic leadership?

Join us for an inspiring afternoon when the new CBS Leadership Centre invites CBS researchers and practitioners to put a spotlight on the characteristics and impact of Nordic leadership style and way of doing business. 

VENUE: Copenhagen Business School, Kilen 14, Room s48

Programme:

16.00 – 16.05: Welcome
CBS Leadership Centre, Centre Director Eva Fog Bruun 

16.05 – 16.35:
Insights on Nordic leadership characteristics, similarities and pitfalls from a manager's perspective.
Chris Shern and Pernille Brun

16.35 - 17.10: 
What research tells us about Nordic leadership style, culture and challenges in a comparative perspective.
Professors Kristina Dahlin and Caroline de la Penta

17.10 – 18.00: 
Panel discussion and Q&A.
Facilitated by professor Louise Mors

18.00 – 18.30: Drinks and snacks

You will meet:

Chris Shern is an American/Danish national with a unique "outsider on the inside" perspective on Nordic Leadership. His book "Return of the Vikings - Nordic Leadership in Times of Extreme Change" is an inspirational book for managers & executives that seek inspiration in the trust-based Nordic approach to leadership, its origins in the Viking era, and its relevance in a world characterized by extreme change and complexity.  

  Pernille Brun, a Danish entrepreneur, strategic advisor, and leadership expert that has extensive experience with Nordic leadership. Her career has given her the opportunity to live and work in many parts of the world, which led her to write the book “On the Move, lessons for the future from Nordic Leaders” - with practical tips on how to apply the best practices from the Nordic Leadership style (and avoid some of the pitfalls). 

The academic perspectives on Nordic leadership style, culture and values are provided by CBS researchers:

Professor Kristina Dahlin has a PhD in Organizational Behavior and Theory from Carnegie Mellon University in the US, and before joining CBS in 2018 worked as a professor at the University of Oxford. Kristina will talk about what science says about cultural differences, and how the Nordic countries are different from the rest of the world when we look at the large-scale World Values Study. Her work on failure learning discusses the importance of leaders in managing difficult situations (https://journals.aom.org/doi/abs/10.5465/annals.2016.0049).

Professor Caroline de la Porte contextualizes Nordic Leadership with features of the ‘Nordic Model’ of decision-making in the public and private sectors. She argues that decision-making in the Nordic countries is increasingly inclusive, due to the complexity and transnational nature of many challenges. She has taken the lead in a special issue on these topics. (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/rego.12494=) and a book, Successful public policy in the Nordic countries:
https://global.oup.com/academic/product/successful-public-policy-in-the-nordic-countries-9780192856296?cc=dk&lang=en&

Marie Louise Mors is Professor of Strategic and International Management at the Department of Strategy and Innovation. She is also the academic co-director of the CBS Leadership Centre. Before joining CBS Louise worked at the London Business School and she has a PhD from INSEAD. Her research focuses on innovation, resource access and knowledge sharing of senior managers and in particular the effects of organization design, social networks, and teams. Recently she has also studied board dynamics. Louise teaches strategy to Masters and executive students at CBS. https://hbr.org/2021/05/research-dispersed-teams-succeed-fast-fail-slow