I forgot to post this link last week.
I was doing some online research into the subject of Swedish management styles and I found a lot of interesting articles written at around the time of Sven Goran Eriksson taking the England job.
The Swedish Way looks at our impressions of them and theirs of us..this quote from the Daily Mail made me laugh
“We’ve sold our birthright down the fjord to a nation of seven million skiers and hammer throwers who spend half their life in the dark,” said the Daily Mail.
Oh dear!
Then there is this article which looks at the differences in Swedish management style to other countries. ‘Swedish Style Extends to the Boardroom’ highlights the fact that there is far more consensual management in Sweden than in other countries. This is good and democratic but there are of course reasons to be wary, it does involve putting a lot of trust in the workforce, I am not entirely sure how that is policed or monitored but I am sure the Swedes have a way.
Todays Swedish word of the Day is lagom -which cant be translated. Its very Swedish and as the article above says permeates Swedish society.
Filed under: Our Man in Stockholm | Tagged: lagom, Sven Goran Eriksson, Swedish management style |
Let Me Tell You About Sweden 
This is something that my girlfriend doesn’t like about working in England… hierachy
She says that everyone is treated exactely the same no matter what position you are and that Swedish companies really work at making sure everyone feels part of the team and equal – if you have an opinion of how something may work better it wont be dismissed just because you aren’t management.
Apparantly you could find the Manager of ICA sat on the tills as if a normal cashier.
Also she prefers the relaxed Swedish work attire.
I think that any style that harnesses the knowledge of its workforce is a good one indeed.
So far so good with my management here, I have been accused of maybe being too liberal in the past and I have been slapped in the face by this as well
In the field I am in its very performance led so there still needs to be a hierarchy unfortunately. Will be interesting to see how it pans out.
I think in any type of job there has to be a level or hierarchy to keep people going in the right direction and there are very few individuals that have the desire and determination to do their best without a bit of guidance and enthusiasm of someone above them.
There’s always that fine balance that needs to be struck.
The minority of xenophobes who consistantly denigrated Sven-Goran Eriksson (to the point that he quit) have been frequently damned and reviled by many England supporters who see the failure of England in qualifying for Euro 2008 as a direct result of the consistant smear campaign directed at his management style with England’s “Golden Generation” and unwarranted intrusion into his private life. His skill is somewhat dramatically demonstrated by the same squad’s total failure under a less skilled Brit?
Indication that “the Swedish way” works can be seen in the fact that S-G E turned round an England squad that had been wallowing in the wilderness during the 1990’s and coached them to top place in every qualifying group, losing only 5 competitive games during his tenure and rising to FIFA No.4 world ranking. The subsequent rise from oblivion of Manchester City FC since he took over may continue to be an example to any who continue with their misinterpretaion of what the rest of the world considers football’s greatest manager?
I know that English fans hold Sven in a much higher regard since he left… kinda like a ‘you dont know what youve got til its gone’ senario.
His record was 2nd to non and that was really apparant once Mclaren took over.
I would call him football’s greatest manager as his record is only in Swedish football and a cash pumped Italian team, but his potential and man management skill is undeniable as he has shown with his work at Manchester City.
You are absolutely spot on Derek. For my sins I also have a soft spot for the Pride of Rome -Lazio so I was very aware of Sven’s work from his time there.
Just to remind any AS fans looking in:
Italian Cup Winners 1998, Italian Super Cup Winners 1998, UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup Winners 1999 and UEFA Super Cup Winners 1999. In 2000 they won the Italian League and Cup double.
On saying that I wouldnt fancy the England job and take my hat off to whoever has the bottle to do it.
Are you still getting plenty of work Derek,?
Tip-top look-a-like… have you ever been to Sweden and mistaken?