Much like what the title says, this is a very brief document that sheds some light on what makes Nordic working culture different than American working culture. It's important to note that the comparison in the image is not my work. Rather it's a documentation from a conference where this slide was shown to the audience. On the other hand, the commentary that follows are my own.

1. Commentary:
Image derived from an instagram that was posted from a conference that was held a few
days ago. The original image is from a photo taken by Magrethe Vestager, an MP as
well as the Minister of the Economy and Interior Affairs from my home country (of
Denmark) whom i respect very much and have voted for in years past. She was at the
conference and snapped a photo of the slide that I have since cleaned up and modified
by correcting the grammar.
There has been an effort to better define Nordic cultural values as it applies to
the workplace. One way of doing that is to compare them to their American
"counterparts." I don't agree with each point but I think this comparison makes for

2. an interesting discussion while I should note that, case by case, the comparisons
do not necessarily favor one over the other. There is some self-reflection and
self-criticism directed towards Scandinavian values as well. The reference to
"Janteloven" is one.
While difficult to translate directly, much less explain, Janteloven might best be
compared to Australia's "tall-poppy" syndrome: it is a strong impulse to conform
to societal norms for fear of the attention one gets for standing out by way of
being exceptional. In essence, it is hard to be exceptional in Nordic culture
because one is often punished for it: one is ridiculed for being egotistic, arrogant
and selfish, putting oneself before the community.
It manifests itself by a particular reluctance to be recognized for excellence but
also as a preference for avoiding one-on-one conflict, and potential conflict, at all
costs. If it has a positive side, it also imprints a kind of humility, skepticism and
occasional community-mindfulness that has its pragmatic applications.
Thanks to Magrethe Vestager for kickstarting this conversation.
-- Christian Svanes Kolding