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Business in Sweden: A Guide

Wadeinc Business Travel

Preparedness

What should you expect from Swedish Culture? In order to successfully engage in business across cultural boundaries, it’s crucial to understand the cultural grammar inherent in the society you wish to do business. This includes learning to read the subtext beyond the surface of your social interactions as they relate to the given culture.

Egalitarian: of, relating to, or believing in the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities.

This word is the foundation of Swedish culture. The indigenous are very supportive of one another and typically very humble— boasting is not something that you will want to engage in as it's

regarded as unacceptable and very unflattering.

Fortunately Swedes are very accepting of others so you'll be hard pressed to see one lash out in anger, or raise their voice in a public setting, so should you commit a cultural faux pas quickly move on and try to learn from your missteps.

You should be aware that Punctuality is extremely important in Swedish culture. This not only

applies to being late but to being early as well. It's not uncommon for Swedes to find ways to occupy themselves upon an early arrival, until the last minute, to ensure they are walking in right on time.

! Upon arrival be mindful that Swedes are generally very

private so avoid asking for a tour of ones home. Typically the only room outside of the dining and living rooms that are considered open to guests are the restrooms.

Some Standards of Behavior

Kindness and hospitality are universal mind sets in Swedish culture and failure to show gratitude can be perceived negatively. The Swedes have a word to define their approach to life—a mantra if you will. The word is Lagom. There are many translations of this word, all of which point to almost the same idea, the two most common being, "Enough, sufficient, adequate, just right," or "Everything in Moderation" — there's no place for Excessiveness. Take a moment to look through an Ikea catalogue and you'll see this mentality reflected in every page.

Table Etiquette

• Keep your hands in full view when eating and when not using your hands be mindful to rest them on the table top.

• Do not start eating until the host or hostess has started.

• Do not help yourself to the last serving of a dish.

• Avoid leaving any food uneaten as it is considered rude.

• Do not discuss business at the dinner table. Swedes prefer to keep their work and home lives separate.

• Do not offer a toast to anyone older than you are, and when presenting a toast, raise your glass and nod at everyone around the table starting with the person on your right before taking a sip. Once you have taken a sip then you will want to nod once more before placing your glass back down on the table.

• Always write or call to thank the hosts within a few days following your visit.

Values and Customs

Family is an extremely important aspect of Swedish culture and the child-parent relationship is an extremely high priority. Families are afforded certain rights to ensure that they are able to adequately care for

their children. Below you will find a sampling of these rights:

• Either the mother or father is entitled to be absent from work until their child reaches 18 months old.

• Either parent has the right to reduce their workload by 25% until their child reaches 8 years old and is formally ready for school.

• A parental allowance is paid for 480 days, which is intended for both parents. Sixty of these days must be used by the ‘minority’ parents. For this reason, this element of the allowance is often known as ‘Daddy’s months’.

• You have the right to up to 60 days off per year to care for a sick child.

In Sweden you will find a social custom called Fika which means "to have a break." This usually involves coffee and cake and is very formal.

“When greeting for business handshakes are expected. Between men

they are to be swift and firm but a lighter touch is to be taken between

men and women.”

One of the most difficult aspects of conducting business beyond cultural boundaries is communication, and we’re not just talking about language barriers. Universal Rationalization is a sure fire way to break down communication, and quite possibly offend—albeit unintentionally—those you intend to do business with. I recommend paying careful attention to the following information and taking time to work on your learnability prior to getting involved in Swedish Business.

Collective Communication Styles

When greeting be sure to shake hands with everyone present. This includes men, women and children. If no one is available to introduce you then take it upon yourself to shake everyones hand and introduce yourself. You will also want to shake everyones hands again when leaving. Children do not typically shake hands when greeting friends but adults will be expecting it. Also be sure to maintain eye contact at all times when conversing with someone.

Swedes are typically reserved when it comes to body language so avoid public displays of affection.

Conversely, swedes are very direct and open when engaged in conversation, but take care to listen carefully when a person is speaking—taking turns to offer their own thoughts on the subject matter.

Avoid interrupting a person when they are speaking as this is considered to be extremely rude.

Valued traits in the workplace

As mentioned above, punctuality is very important in Swedish Culture. If you expect to be delayed it’s important to note that a call explaining the delay will be expected by the waiting party.

Swede’s value a factual, practical, and precise approach to getting things done, especially in business matters. It's important to get to the point quickly and concisely—you can expect the same in return.

Professional Attire

In a business setting men should wear conservative suites and ties and women should wear dresses, suites and pantsuits. Remember Sweden's egalitarian values—avoid wearing anything flashy. Even top executives dress on par with average employees.

Structure and environment

Agendas are clearly set for meetings with a stated purpose so be prepared to get right to work as soon as formal introductions are done.

One very helpful thing about conducting business in Sweden is that English is commonly used in the workplace and interpreters are rarely needed.

Business Etiquette and Protocol

When greeting for business handshakes are expected. Between men they are to be swift and firm but a lighter touch is to be taken between men and women. Also, men should wait to shake a woman's hand until she extends

her hand first, and if you are wearing gloves, remove them first.

When conducting business make it a point to address other business professionals by their first names.

Keep in mind that personal space is valued in Sweden. Because of this the typical Swede will tend to keep more distance between themselves and the person they are conversing with.

Avoid physical contact like back patting, etc and take care not to speak with your hands in your pockets.

Be sure to make appointments at least two weeks in advance and avoid scheduling anything during the months of June, July, or August, as well as late February through March. These are typically reserved for holiday breaks.

Negotiation styles

It's important that you do not show any emotions when negotiating in Sweden—try to remain calm and collected. Injecting emotion and showing lack of self control can be seen as weakness and critically undermine any negotiation attempts.

It is my hope that you will take these insights to heart and that they will assist in guiding you to great success abroad. The notion of Universalism will provide little help, if any at all, when attempting to reach across cultural boundaries so I applaud your efforts to become more culturally aware. - All the best.

Effective Communication and Professional Expectations

Wadeinc Business Travel

Preparedness

Sources

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Kwintessential Ltd. (n.d.). Doing business in sweden. Retrieved from http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/etiquette/doing- business-sweden.html

eDiplomat. (n.d.). Cultural etiquette - sweden. Retrieved from http://www.ediplomat.com/np/cultural_etiquette/ ce_se.htm

(n.d.). Stockholm-sweden-10. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.cis.edu.vn/Portals/0/stockholm-sweden-10.jpg

(n.d.). Photo_sweden. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.cis.edu.vn/Portals/0/photo_sweden.jpg

(n.d.). Sweden-map. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.mapsofworld.com/sweden/maps/sweden-map.gif

(n.d.). stockholm-sweden. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.touristmaker.com/images/sweden/stockholm- sweden.jpg

(n.d.). Handshake. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://adrworks.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/handshake.jpg

(n.d.). Fika2008-25-version-2. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.petersyard.com/wp-content/uploads/Fika2008-25- Version-2.jpg

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http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/sweden.html
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/sweden.html
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/sweden.html
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/etiquette/doing-business-sweden.html
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/etiquette/doing-business-sweden.html
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/etiquette/doing-business-sweden.html
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/etiquette/doing-business-sweden.html
http://www.ediplomat.com/np/cultural_etiquette/ce_se.htm
http://www.ediplomat.com/np/cultural_etiquette/ce_se.htm
http://www.ediplomat.com/np/cultural_etiquette/ce_se.htm
http://www.ediplomat.com/np/cultural_etiquette/ce_se.htm
http://www.cis.edu.vn/Portals/0/stockholm-sweden-10.jpg
http://www.cis.edu.vn/Portals/0/stockholm-sweden-10.jpg
http://www.cis.edu.vn/Portals/0/photo_sweden.jpg
http://www.cis.edu.vn/Portals/0/photo_sweden.jpg
http://www.mapsofworld.com/sweden/maps/sweden-map.gif
http://www.mapsofworld.com/sweden/maps/sweden-map.gif
http://www.touristmaker.com/images/sweden/stockholm-sweden.jpg
http://www.touristmaker.com/images/sweden/stockholm-sweden.jpg
http://www.touristmaker.com/images/sweden/stockholm-sweden.jpg
http://www.touristmaker.com/images/sweden/stockholm-sweden.jpg
http://adrworks.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/handshake.jpg
http://adrworks.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/handshake.jpg
http://www.petersyard.com/wp-content/uploads/Fika2008-25-Version-2.jpg
http://www.petersyard.com/wp-content/uploads/Fika2008-25-Version-2.jpg
http://www.petersyard.com/wp-content/uploads/Fika2008-25-Version-2.jpg
http://www.petersyard.com/wp-content/uploads/Fika2008-25-Version-2.jpg