Working with Norwegians

Our main courses related to working in Norway or doing business with Norwegians are:

• Working with Norwegians
• Doing business with Norwegians
• Applying for jobs in Norway
• Alcohol culture in Norway – dilemmas and challenges in the workplace

Description of these courses:

Working with Norwegians

This course will give you a practical insight of what is expected in Norway – in a business and social setting. Our courses are based on the little known fact that the Norwegian business and corporate culture have unique and important elements that are seldom found in others. The Norwegian way of doing business may therefore often cause confusion and frustration for people from other cultures. Most Norwegians are not aware of this situation and will often not think of explaining the traits of their workplace culture. The lack of clear expectations, instructions, follow up and feedback may be hard to deal with for their foreign colleagues.

This cultural training gives a systematic introduction to the special traits of the Norwegian workplace culture. The participants will also learn simple techniques for how to achieve better results in their cooperation with Norwegians. The course has practical exercises with scenarios where the cultural differences will typically come to the surface for discussion and reflection in the group, before specific tips are given on how things should be done to achieve the best results.

The course fee includes an electronic copy of the course material and free support for the participants where they may contact us for advice relating to issues with working or socialising with Norwegians.

Whilst the duration and content of the training may be tailored for each customer,  below is our suggested format:

Goals of the course:

• Build a bridge between cultures
• Learn about the cultural traits of Norwegian workplaces
• Create an awareness of what is expected in Norway
• Reduce misunderstandings and communication problems

Course content:

• Introduction and a bit about the Norwegian lifestyle
• Major cultural traits of Norway – how and why Norwegians are different
• Scenarios from the workplace where the cultural differences may typically be an issue
  • Discussion in the group for reflection
  • Suggested solutions
  • Explanation of what is considered acceptable behaviour in Norway
• Socialising in Norway
• Summary
• Questions and answers