If you do business with Danes, you will encounter cultural traits that are quite peculiar to basically everybody else. The Danes themselves are not likely to be conscious about these traits as cultural awareness in Denmark is generally low. In fact, only 5% of Danes have high cultural competencies, while 66% and 29% have low and average cultural competencies respectively.
However, there is a good reason for this. Historically Denmark has been an enclave where homogeneity has been valued. It has been quite common for immigrants to assimilate into Danish culture as a ‘requirement’ for social survival. Therefore, the Danes have been less exposed to other mindsets than most other cultures and have not had the opportunities to develop the competencies needed to manage cultural differences. This has two foundational consequences:
- Danes have limited knowledge of other cultures.
- Danes have limited awareness of how their behaviour is perceived by others.
It is when we engage with others, that we become conscious of our own features. Non-Danes might therefore experience positive results by being explicit about the way you are and how you work when you interact with Danes. This approach can bring potential differences out in the open. For there will be differences! What is interesting is that the Danish features are consistently at the extreme end of almost any cultural dimension we can measure. And therefore, I give you four insights about Danish behaviour that might help you interpret their odd behaviour and underlying intentions.