Author: Elizabeth Jones
Globalizing Denmark:
ASB international students want to successfully socially integrate and work in Denmark.
So why is it so difficult?
Author
Advisor
Elizabeth Jones
Jakob Lauring
MSc Business Performance Management
Master Thesis
Aarhus School of Business
Aarhus University
August 2010
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Author: Elizabeth Jones
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
Introduction………………………………………………………………………….5
1.1
Problem Statement…………………………………………………………8
1.2
Research Questions……………………………………………………….9
1.3
Structure of the Paper…………………………………………………….11
1.4
Theory……………………………………………………………………….12
1.5
Methodology……………………………………………………………….13
Cultural Intelligence……………………………………………………………….14
2.1
Intercultural Engagement………………………………………………..15
2.2
Cultural Understanding…………………………………………………...16
2.3
Intercultural Communication…………………………………………….17
2.4
Combination of the Three Components……………………………….18
2.5
Cultural Intelligence in Relation to Emotional Intelligence………...19
Change Leadership……………………………………………………………….19
3.1
Forming Change……………………………………………………………21
3.2
Leading Change……………………………………………………………22
3.3
Learning from Change…………………………………………………….23
3.4
About the People……………………………………………………………23
Language Diversity in the Workplace…………………………………………...25
4.1
Current ASB International Students……………………………………..27
4.2
International ASB Alumni…………………………………………………..31
4.3
A Common Working Language……………………………………………34
4.4
Language and Social Integration…………………………………………35
4.5
Group Cohesiveness and Language Skills……………………………..36
Research Design…………………………………………………………………….39
5.1
Creating the Problem Statement and Research Questions………….40
5.2
Data Collection Methods……………………………………………………40
5.3
Current International Student Survey……………………………………41
5.3.1 Survey Analysis……………………………………………………...42
5.4
Focus Groups………………………………………………………………..43
5.5
International ASB Alumni Survey………………………………………..43
5.6
DJØF Survey………………………………………………………………..44
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Author: Elizabeth Jones
5.7
International Community Survey…………………………………………45
5.7.1 Result Highlights from the International Community Survey..46
6.0
7.0
8.0
ASB Internationalization Strategy…………………………………………………47
6.1
ASB Vision Statements: 2006 – 2009; 2009 – 2012……………………48
6.2
ASB Scholarship Students…………………………………………………49
6.3
ASB International Student’s Opinions of Danish Labor Market……..49
Municipality of Aarhus Internationalization Strategy………………………….51
7.1
Open-minded…………………………………………………………………52
7.2
Business-minded…………………………………………………………….52
7.3
Service-minded……………………………………………………………….53
Why Denmark?...................................................................................................54
8.1
Key Results of the DJØF Survey - International Needs, Opportunities
and Barriers………………………………………………………………..…57
9.0
8.2
Immigrants Can Benefit the Danish Labor Market…………………….59
8.3
Integration of Foreigners in Denmark……………………………………60
8.4
Danish Management Style………………………………………………….62
Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………63
9.1
Implication for Further Studies……………………………………………67
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Author: Elizabeth Jones
Figure 1 – Dependent Elements of Cultural Intelligence…………………………….18
Figure 2 – Types of Opposition to Change…………………………………………….23
Figure 3 – Survey Question – Do you Speak Danish?.............................................28
Figure 4 – Survey Question – Do you intend to learn Danish?..............................29
Figure 5 – Survey Question – Danish language in relation to Integration?...........30
Figure 6 – Alumni Survey – How did you find your full-time job?..........................32
Figure 7 – Alumni Survey – What language do you use most at work?..................33
Figure 8 – International Student Survey Response Rate…………………………….41
Figure 9 – Survey Question – Easy to find job openings in Jutland?.....................50
Figure 10 – Survey Question – Why did you choose to study in Denmark?..........54
Figure 11 – Survey Question – Why stay in Denmark after graduation?................55
Figure 12 – Survey Question – Intend to stay in Denmark after graduation?.........56
Appendix 1 – International Student Survey, ASB
Appendix 2 – International Alumni Survey, ASB
Appendix 3 – Brief Survey and Focus Group Results, InterResource
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Author: Elizabeth Jones
1.0
Introduction
In this section, the thought process and passion behind the problem statement and
supporting research questions will be formulated.
A brief overview of the theories
chosen to support the problem statement will be underlined, as well as the structure of
the thesis. The limitations the research has put on the overall thesis will be highlighted
in the conclusion.
There has been an influx of international students in the mid-Jutland region of Denmark
in recent years; specifically regarding the Aarhus School of Business, of the 1215 new
graduate students enrolled for the 2009-2010 school year, 37% are international
students (asb.dk, 2010). This number is an increase of 10% from the year before.
Schools, government offices, and organizations dealing with supporting non-Danes are
aware of the fact that immigration of international students is on the rise.
International students in the mid-Jutland region of Denmark have become a part of an
EU- and mid-Jutland funded internationalization project named ‘InterResource.’ The
aim of the project is to break down barriers amongst Danish companies, and guide the
Danish organizations towards seeing the benefits that can be obtained by hiring an
international student (for a student job, internship, project, or full-time job).
The
institutions that are a part of this project are the Aarhus School of Business (ASB),
Aarhus University (AU), Institute of Business and Technology, Herning (HIH), and the
Aarhus School of Architecture (AAA); (Studenterhus Aarhus is a partner in the project
as well, predominately because it is a building large enough for all students to gather
together).
The international students studied in the InterResource project can be
specifically defined as full-degree, international students. A full-degree international
student is defined as residing in Denmark (in the mid-Jutland region) for the entirety of
his/her degree (albeit a Bachelor or a Master degree). At this time, exchange students
(those only at a Danish institution for a period of around 6 months) are not the main
target group. For the purpose of this thesis, my efforts were focused on ASB, as that is
the institution I was most familiar and worked the most closely with.
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Author: Elizabeth Jones
The mid-Jutland region is specifically named as the schools involved in this project are
all located in this region. Additionally, three of the four schools involved in this project
are located in the city of Aarhus, which is the second largest city in the country of
Denmark, with a 2010 population of around 300,000 inhabitants (Aarhus.dk, 2010).
Aarhus is a university city, with many of the inhabitants moving here specifically for
educational opportunities. For example, in 2009, AU was ranked number 63 out of the
world’s 17,000 universities, and ASB is consistently ranked as one of the top business
schools in Europe (asb.dk, 2010).
Additionally, over the last decade, Aarhus has been the fastest growing business center
in Denmark, creating more than 20,000 new jobs, predominately in the private sector
(Aarhus.dk, 2010). Aarhus is home to a variety of businesses, ranging anywhere from
the food industry, to IT, to life sciences and nanotechnology.
What was interesting in performing the research for this thesis was to learn that
international students wanted a forum; they wanted to be heard. The main issues that
came to the forefront as a result of the research conducted were the lack of feelings of
inclusion. These students just wanted to belong. They embarked on a new journey by
moving to Denmark – but were not prepared to deal with the reality of the social and
professional situation that lay ahead of them in their new home.
While Denmark is consistently rated the Happiest Country in the World (based off of the
main scientific survey of international happiness, carried out by Leicester University in
England) (US News Program, 60 Minutes, 2008), the experience garnered by
international students is perhaps not that happy.
It has been difficult for them to
integrate, and possibly because of this, even more difficult for them to find a studyrelevant job. When asked the question via survey, the decision was split in regards to
whether or not international students planned to stay in Denmark after graduation –
25% said no; 25% said yes; and 50% said maybe, depending on whether or not they
could land a job. When the survey question was analyzed further via focus groups, it
could be estimated that in reality, as high as 80% of the students had a desire to stay in
Denmark after graduation; however, they quickly lost hope, realizing that the job market
situation was not easy for international, non-Danish speakers.
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Author: Elizabeth Jones
As stated in a recent article by J. Shen (2009) quoting Joplin and Daus (1997) regarding
managing diversity through human resource management:
‘Rapid internationalization and globalization has enhanced the significance of workforce
diversity. A cross-cultural and multicultural workforce is a common thread not only in
organizations in western economies but also in corporations globally.
As a result,
diversity has increasingly become a ‘hot button’ issue in political, legal, corporate and
educational arenas.
However, the attitudes towards a diverse workforce in these
corporations and from researchers have been very mixed. The organizational attitudes
range from intolerance to tolerance and even appreciation of diversity’ (p. 235-236).
Regarding Danish businesses, even though the globalization of business is a hot topic
these days, some of the Danish businesses have appeared to be trailing behind the
trend. Introducing these companies to the concept of internationalizing their workforce
has been a bit challenging – but there are data and facts (to be revealed later)
supporting the idea that if organizations in Denmark do not change their visions and
thought processes, the Danish economy could suffer.
international workers in the Danish workforce.
There is now a need for
It may take strong leadership and
willingness to accept change, but in the end, evidence shows that the outcome will be
for the better for everyone.
Lindholm and Møller (2004), two Danish management
researchers, were quoted in Plum’s Cultural Intelligence: the art of leading cultural
complexity (2008), as saying:
‘We will only be able to maintain our high Danish living standard in a global economy by
staying ahead of our competitors – in thought and action. To stay ahead, we must be
more creative and innovative than the rest of the world. This is why economic security
in the society of the future is not just about knowledge and education, but also about an
entirely new work culture where new thinking and its heroes are valued (p. 94).’
The two were making a point in relation to the idea that the Scandinavian countries
need to focus on developing strategies and competencies in order to keep small
Scandinavian economies competitive (Plum, 2008).
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Author: Elizabeth Jones
For the purpose of this thesis, it is important to highlight and define two terms that can
often be used intermittently: foreigner and international. When used throughout this
thesis, the term ‘foreigner’ is meant to describe non-Danes currently residing in the
country of Denmark, often as a result of being a refugee-immigrant. In other words, the
term foreigner means a non-educated worker.
The term ‘international’ is meant to
describe non-Danes currently residing in Denmark, who are in school, have completed
school, or have some type of formal higher-level education.
In other words,
internationals are educated workers.
1.1
Problem Statement
This thesis aims to formulate a study on the Danish labor market in regards to two key
components:
internationalization/integration as well as change leadership.
By
combining these two components, the problem statement can be defined as:
Is Denmark (ASB, Danish companies, and the Danish government) prepared to
successfully lead and manage the integration of an international workforce? What steps
can be taken in order to ease the social and professional integration process in a
Danish society to allow Denmark to remain competitive on the globalization forefront?
The problem statement was chosen because I am an educated international student,
seasoned in the workplace, who would like to stay in Denmark after graduation, along
with a large quantity of international students like me. I have encountered obstacles
along the way, much like that of the other international students who have been
surveyed throughout this thesis, in relation to practical and professional matters.
The problem statement wishes to attack the issue of social and professional integration
in relation to leadership and management styles, and any training tools that may go
along with those ideas.
It is possible to think of the problem this way:
what
infrastructure does an organization (educational institution, government office or Danish
business) have in place to help international workers integrate? Are support systems in
place? Are considerations made for cultural and linguistic differences? The idea of
change leadership, cultural intelligence and intercultural communication are relevant to
discuss, as well.
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Additionally, this topic was of extreme interest not only because of the focus ASB/AU
has recently placed on their educational internationalization strategy, but also because
of the efforts the Aarhus Municipality has been placing on their own internationalization
strategy (both will be discussed later). While the ideas are there, it appears that the two
entities are not really communicating with each other. While ASB has been successful
in increasing the number of international applicants on a yearly basis, the city of Aarhus
appears
unprepared
to
support
these
students
practically
(through
housing
opportunities, CPR-registration, tax information, etc), socially (helping them integrate
with the Danes), or financially (helping them secure employment in a Danish
organization).
The idea of internationalization and globalization in Denmark is a hot topic – one that
has a lot of grant money being thrown its way in order to establish projects,
organizations and systems, in the aim of becoming more global.
The Integration Minister, Bertel Haarder, has been quoted (C.P. Wallace, 2002), in an
article by Selmer, et al, (2008) as saying:
‘Denmark was a Sleeping Beauty country with a wall around it to protect us against all
foreign influence.
Now globalization has come over this country, and we are
experiencing the dark side of our social-welfare system’ (p. 2).
1.2
Research Questions
To support the aforementioned problem statement, there are a couple of key research
questions that should be addressed. Each of these research questions relates directly
to an aspect that affects an international students experience in Denmark, and more
specifically, the career options available upon completion of their education.
-Why do international students want to stay in Denmark after graduation?
This question is relevant because despite obstacles that can be faced by international
students studying in Denmark, the students still want to stay in the country to work after
graduation. In order to support this research question, I will attempt to uncover, in
relation to the international students, why did you choose to study in Denmark; what
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Author: Elizabeth Jones
would make you want to stay in Denmark; and, do you intend to stay in Denmark after
graduation?
-In the opinion of international students, is it considered easy to find study-relevant job
openings located in the mid-Jutland region after graduation?
This question is relevant in order to determine not only the level of desire to remain
living in Denmark, but also to potentially uncover the amount of effort said students
have put into their job-search efforts.
In order to support this aforementioned research question, I will attempt to uncover:
what are the barriers to finding a job in Denmark; and why do you not have a job in
Denmark?
-In the opinion of international students, do language skills (ex: knowledge of Danish or
native language skills) help or hinder the job search process?
This question is relevant because while most Danes have a fairly strong command of
the English language, they typically communicate in Danish unless asked to do so
otherwise. Danish is a unique language with three letters that are not found in other
alphabets: å, æ, and ø. Regarding protecting culture and customs, it can be understood
why the inhabitants of Denmark (around 5.5 million people) want to protect their
heritage in this world, as they represent .08 percent of the world’s total population
(prb.org, 2009). On the other hand, it is necessary to understand whether or not Danish
companies could be inhibiting their future growth potential by predominately
communicating in the Danish language. In order to support this research question, in
relation to the international students studied, I will attempt to uncover: do you speak
Danish; do you intend to learn Danish; is it important to learn Danish in order to
integrate into the Danish society; does knowledge of Danish help you to feel more
integrated?
-Of the international ASB alumni who found a relevant job in Denmark, how did they?
This question is relevant although a different target group was surveyed than the
respondents of the aforementioned questions. Not only can we briefly take a glimpse at
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Author: Elizabeth Jones
the success rate of international graduates of ASB who managed to land relevant jobs
in Denmark, but survey results can highlight how they managed to find these jobs, what
languages they use in the workplace, which industries/companies hired them, and much
more. In order to support this research question, in reference to international ASB
alumni, we will focus predominately on: was the relevant job considered a student job,
internship, or full-time job; and what languages have you used mostly in the workplace,
respectively?
Please note that for the purpose of this thesis, the term ‘study-relevant’ job is defined as
work completed by a student while they are enrolled in a Bachelor or Master program
that is paid. Positions held will be considered something that will help them land a fulltime position after they graduate (ex: NOT cleaning jobs, NOT stocking groceries at a
supermarket).
1.3
Structure of the Paper
The thesis is organized into nine chapters. The second and third chapters deal with the
chosen theories: the theory of cultural intelligence as well as the theory of change
management.
In the chapter dealing with cultural intelligence, the three main
components that make up cultural intelligence are discussed, along with a brief
comparison to emotional intelligence. In the chapter dealing with change management,
three key themes are discussed, along with how change affects people.
The fourth chapter discusses language diversity in the workplace. Data is shown in
regards to how knowledge of the Danish language has affected current ASB
international students as well as international ASB alumni. Additionally, the concept of
a common working language is discussed, as well as how language can affect social
integration and group cohesion.
The fifth chapter lays out the research design, what research tools and techniques were
chosen and why.
Additionally, a brief presentation is made regarding similar
internationalization projects and surveys that have recently occurred in the mid-Jutland
region.
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The sixth chapter discusses the ASB internationalization strategy, while the seventh
chapter discusses the municipality of Aarhus’ internationalization strategy.
The eighth chapter highlights why international students and expatriates alike would
choose to stay in the country of Denmark. Survey results from a similar project are
discussed, as well as a brief discussion of immigrants and foreigners, which notably
(and will be explained later) are considered different than internationals; Danish
management style is discussed, as well.
Chapter nine will conclude the thesis, including the summary and a discussion of the
study. Additionally any limitation to the research will be divulged. Following this, the list
of references and appendices will be included.
1.4
Theory
It is apparent that communication is not always easy amongst groups of varying
cultures. Lack of group participation and idea generation can be construed by one
culture as disinterest and unwillingness to help, while to another culture, it can represent
respect of the leader and faith in the system. When discussing the idea of integrating
internationals into the Danish society and workplace, many similar situations will initially
be encountered. Therefore, the theory of cultural intelligence will be discussed, as well
as its relation to social awareness.
It will be related to the theory of emotional
intelligence, and how that is similar to the theory of cultural intelligence. This is
important as factors relating to culture intelligence are learned at a very early age; these
are almost inbred in a person, and therefore, are difficult to change.
Change of any kind is often resisted. In relation to the idea of integrating internationals
successfully into the Danish society and workplace, many change processes will have
to occur: implementing change to make practical things easier (CPR number process,
secured housing, etc); implementing change in order to help Danish businesses realize
the benefits of hiring internationals; implementing change in a Danish organization to
speak in English in order to include the internationals.
The concept of change
leadership and the importance of management implementation of training programs will
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Author: Elizabeth Jones
be discussed so that the feelings associated with change and international integration in
society as well as the workplace are alleviated and eventually eliminated.
The importance of language diversity in the workplace specifically will be discussed.
Intercultural communication has become an important factor to consider when
integrating internationals into a workforce. An international’s background and culture
can affect how open and freely they communicate within an organization, and in order to
maximize the potential in an employee, the managers of the organization need to take
precaution to care for this. Additionally, the issue of Danish as a corporate language in
Denmark versus English as a corporate language will be discussed, both the positives
and the negatives. Group cohesiveness and language skills, and how that relates to
social integration in the organization will be highlighted as well.
1.5
Methodology
The purpose of discussing the methodology involved in this thesis is to assess the
methods used in relation to the gathering and analyzation of the empirical data. We are
then able to assess the quality and validity of the data, and the conclusions that were
drawn as a result of that.
This thesis is based on quantitative and qualitative research in the form of
questionnaires, interviews, focus groups and seminars.
The decision to use this
bipartite empirical method was to not only gain results from the students (current and
former, in relation to alumni), but also to gather more insightful input from the students
via the four focus groups held. The target populations were current ASB (full-degree)
international students for one questionnaire, as well as former ASB international
students who are currently registered within the ASB Alumni network system.
The
collected questionnaire responses (317 current international ASB students responded
out of 1262 (1262 in total, representing the four institutions involved in the
InterResource project); 196 international alumni of 800, respectively; this data,
representing response rates of 25.1% and 24.5% respectively, were then analyzed
further through the Aarhus School of Business’s Analytic Group (part of the IKT-
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Author: Elizabeth Jones
Technology organization). The results of this empirical data have allowed this thesis to
be steered in the most interesting direction.
This respondent population was chosen because the current students are facing the
challenges of landing student jobs, internships and full-time jobs in a new country. The
alumni were chosen because they have (most likely) been in the country long enough to
assimilate and pick up varying levels of Danish language skills; additionally, we were
interested in revealing which companies they were employed by and which language
skills they were utilizing; we were also attempting to get a grasp on a quantifiable
number of success stories, as there has been no real research or tracking of such
information done previously.
Additionally, data was collected via a variety of seminars attended, put on by the
organization International Community (which will be detailed later).
Topics of the
morning seminars ranged from ‘Integration of International Employees in Danish
Companies,’ which addressed the possibilities of implementing buddy and mentor
programs within an organization, to ‘Insight and Influence – a Corporate Seminar on
International Labour.’ Amongst other topics, the results of the International Community
Survey were presented, which will be discussed later as well.
2.0
Cultural Intelligence
This chapter will discuss the importance of the theory of cultural intelligence in relation
to the integration process in a Danish company.
It will highlight the three main
components that make up the theory of cultural intelligence: intercultural engagement,
cultural understanding, and intercultural communication. Additionally, the relationship
between cultural intelligence and emotional intelligence will be discussed.
Culture and cultural intelligence have a greater influence on business effectiveness than
we think and it is therefore important for companies to develop the cultural intelligence
of their employees (Plum, et al, 2008). Consider for a moment that a traditional Danish
organization has decided to begin the internationalization process throughout their
company – they have decided to hire their first non-Dane, non-Danish speaker. In order
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Author: Elizabeth Jones
to make such integration a success, the theory of cultural intelligence should be
considered.
Cultural intelligence (CI) can be defined as ‘the ability to make yourself understood and
to establish a constructive partnership across cultural differences’ (Plum, et al, 2008, p.
19). This concept can be extremely important when integrating international workers
into a Danish organization – managers need to consider that along with the possibility of
language barriers, there could be cultural misunderstandings, etc.
The theory of cultural intelligence is closely related to both emotional and social
intelligence; however, cultural intelligence encompasses more because it considers the
idea that feelings and human relations are determined via cultural backgrounds.
Cultural intelligence also consists of three main components: intercultural engagement;
cultural understanding; and intercultural communication.
2.1
Intercultural Engagement
Motivation is a large part of what makes up intercultural engagement. The concept of
engagement deals with the emotional aspect of an intercultural encounter. It has been
stated that intercultural engagement is about ‘motivation, attitude to cultural differences,
and the courage to allow oneself to change’ (Plum, et al, 2008, p. 23). Something that
is worth noting is the idea that motivation deals with personal desire and drive. If the
motivation is present in order to make a success of cross-cultural encounters,
employees will invest more in the situation. They will avoid giving up easily in the given
situation, even if things are difficult. So perhaps the concept of motivation is a training
issue in an organization that management needs to address; whether or not the
integration process is introduced to newly-hired employees, or to those who have been
with a company for years, assets, whether personal, financial or technological, need to
be set aside in order to train employees in regards to the new direction the organization
has decided to head. Additionally, there needs to be a training focus in regards to how
to approach and handle difficult situations with employees from varying cultures.
A challenge of intercultural engagement is the idea that, as grown adults, we need to
take a step back and look at our own prejudices and viewpoints. And in any given
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Author: Elizabeth Jones
situation with coworkers of differing nationalities, such reflection may bring to light the
idea that some of the behaviors we have held onto for years may need to be adapted.
Approaching situations with a desire to learn as well as having a level of curiosity are
healthy approaches that can help combat what could be potentially frustrating and
argumentative situations (Plum, et al, 2008).
‘Probably the most important aspect of intercultural engagement is to be fully present
and attentive during a cross-cultural encounter.
Being fully present and listening
attentively will help an employee to discover the silences, shifts in atmosphere and
other small signs in oneself and the other party, which indicate that we need to work in
order to communicate better’ (Plum, et al, 2008, p. 26).
2.2
Cultural Understanding
‘Cultural understanding is the knowledge and mental dimension of cultural intelligence’
(Plum, et al, 2008, p. 26). The main idea behind the concept of cultural understanding
is to not only have a grasp on your own culture, but to attempt to understand someone
from another culture when you are working together.
In order to achieve cultural
understanding, it is relevant to understand the roles cultural differences can play when
meeting each other.
Take for example, the case of a Danish local authority working on a project that was
geared towards attracting, integrating and keeping employees with foreign backgrounds
(between the years of 2003 – 2005). Instead of preaching to the Danish employees the
importance of foreign cultures, the training route the authorities decided to take was
more of a hands-on approach. The focus was on ‘reversed culture courses’ where
Danes were asked to explore Danish workplace culture (Plum, et al, 2008). By taking a
look at themselves and their culture internally, the Danes were able to see themselves
as cultural beings, and how that can affect how they work and perform in their
workplace.
This approach resulted in a more culturally-aware organization, where
employees were able to cooperate with and understand each other better.
Cultural adaptation (and understanding), as stated by Gahan and Abeysekera, can be
defined as ‘changes in individual behavior and cognition when in direct contact with a
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Author: Elizabeth Jones
new culture’ (Berry, et al, 1987; Nilsson and Anderson, 2004; Selmer and de Leon,
2002, p. 133). Adaptation is unavoidable when culturally integrating an organization,
and should be expected when this is the case in Danish organizations. If a Danish
organization chooses to integrate international workers, the international workers should
expect to meet the Danes halfway on the cultural forefront. Training programs can
again be helpful in the Danish organization; ‘training should promote the acquisition of
enough personal flexibility regarding one’s own and the target culture’s ethics so as to
enable the sojourner to be empathic with the new culture and to deal effectively with
cultural differences’ (Landis and Baghat, 1996, p. 4).
There will be change, both
internally in the person and externally in the organization.
2.3
Intercultural Communication
The component that can be considered the call-to-action is the intercultural
communication component of cultural intelligence.
It consists of all types of
communication: verbal, non-verbal, written, and many more. It has been stated that ‘it
is impossible not to communicate, as passivity and silence are also types of
communication which will be noted and interpreted by our surroundings’ (Plum, et al,
2008, p. 29).
Intercultural communication is the component that highlights all of the differences
encountered when two different cultures meet. In intercultural situations, it is necessary
to think before you act, or think before you open your mouth. This simple task may be a
bit difficult for some more outspoken cultures – but when working with someone from a
more reserved, quiet culture, both parties need to think, analyze, and adapt their
behaviors in order to work together successfully – and in order to respect each other.
Robert Heller (1998) has stated via Mark Wellington’s classroom discussion, that
effective communication is based on complete and total understanding by both parties –
and only when this is achieved can the piece of information mean the same thing for
everyone. ‘If that is not the case, then miscommunication evolves and no foundation for
growth in any form can be achieved’ (Wellington, 2005, p. 4).
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2.4
Combination of the Three Components
Each of the aforementioned components is extremely different, and emphasizes
different things:
the logic of feelings, the logic of actions, and the logic of rational
understanding. While they are all different, they are all related in regards to cultural
interactions, and combined, they create the broader concept of cultural intelligence
(Plum, et al, 2008).
Figure 1.1 highlights the relationship between the three cultural intelligence
components:
Intercultural
Engagement
Cultural
Understanding
Intercultural
Communication
Figure 1 – Dependent Elements of Cultural Intelligence
The three components, as stated previously, are closely related in cultural encounters,
as they influence each other mutually. ‘They can confirm each other and strengthen
each other, and they can disrupt and jostle each other. They can turn into negative
cycles creating negative dynamics by increasing misunderstandings, thus increasing the
distance between people, or they can turn into positive cycles, creating positive
dynamics with learning and mutual understanding, and we call this latter process the
development of cultural intelligence’ (Plum, et al, 2008, p. 34). Therefore, it is important
for managers to train employees on intercultural differences in order to not only sustain
their international employees, but also to help make the group dynamics more
sustainable.
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If someone has a high level of cultural intelligence, this means that there is a continuous
level of personal development regarding all facets of culture.
Singly, the three
components can not yield high levels of cultural intelligence. This is because the true
definition of cultural intelligence is a culmination of the three components.
2.5
Cultural Intelligence in Relation to Emotional Intelligence
American psychologist Daniel Goleman made a lot of progress on the theory of
emotional intelligence. His main concept ‘represents a breakthrough in the work of
demonstrating how important emotional competences are for people’s ability to lead,
cooperate and achieve results in today’s workplaces’ (Plum, et al, 2008, p. 44).
Goleman includes the following concepts in his version of emotional intelligence: selfawareness; self-management; self-motivation; social awareness; and relationship
management.
For the purpose of this thesis, I will focus on the idea of social
awareness.
As stated In Plum’s book (2008), Goleman (1998) stated that ‘social awareness is the
ability to recognize and understand what other people feel, to be able to look at things
from other people’s perspectives, and to maintain friendships and keep social relations
with many different people – our social antennae’ (p. 44). Now consider this concept in
regards to an employee’s social outlet at their place of employment.
As will be
discussed later in section 8.4 regarding language communication and social integration,
every human has a desire to want to be included in a group. In the workplace, feeling a
part of a group will increase satisfaction, and help make the group dynamics more
successful.
3.0
Change Leadership
This chapter will discuss the theory of change leadership, and the importance of strong
leaders in a Danish organization in relation to the integration of international workers in
the workplace. It will highlight the three most important concepts in regards to change
leadership: forming change, leading change, and learning from change. Additionally,
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this chapter will briefly discuss the effects that change can have on the people in the
organization.
Integrating internationals in an organization is going to require planning, effort, and
support. Regarding any ground-breaking change process:
‘Harvard Business Review published a survey concluding that 70% of all major change
projects failed to meet their success criteria and that 70% of these shortfalls could be
attributed to lack of change leadership’ (Hildebrandt and Brandi, 2007, p. 9).
It has been said that right now, ‘change is in vogue’ – change management and change
leadership are both hot keywords used in the corporate world. Change is now the
norm, no longer the exception; but it must be said that ‘there are no easy tools for
change leadership’ (Hildebrandt, 2007, p. 7).
The concept behind change leadership should not be the responsibility solely of the top
level executive – change involves everyone in an organization. And in order for any
type of change to be successful, there must be ample amounts of communication
amongst all levels of the organization.
Organizational culture comes from the combination of three sources: 1) the beliefs,
values and assumptions of founders of organizations; 2) the learning experiences of
group members as their organization evolves; and 3) new beliefs, values, and
assumptions brought in by new members and leaders (Schein, 2004). The concept
behind changing the culture of an organization boils down to successful leadership.
When discussing the concept of culture and leadership, it can be determined that ‘they
are two sides of the same coin; neither can really be understood by itself. On the one
hand, cultural norms define how a given nation or organizations will define leadership –
who will get promoted, who will get the attention of the followers. On the other hand, it
can be argues that the only thing of real importance that leaders do is their ability to
understand and work with culture’ (Schein, 2004, p. 10-11).
Leadership research in the past ‘has proven that transformational leadership (change
leadership) has a positive effect on employee task performance and helping coworker
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behavior’ (Wei-Chi, et al, 2009, p. 206). ‘When people are in positive moods, they tend
to feel more positively towards both coworkers and opportunities for helping’ (Isen and
Levin, 1972; Isen, et al, 1976; Cunningham, et al, 1980; George, 1991; p. 210) ‘and to
be helpful’ (George, 1992, p. 210). Therefore, if management takes the added initiative
to ensure that international employees can integrate successfully, they can be assured
that the group cohesiveness amongst differing nationalities will be stronger than had
there been no added integration support.
According to Hildebrandt and Brandi, there are three main concepts of change
leadership: forming, leading and learning. I will now discuss these three key themes,
and how they can impact the change process.
3.1
Forming Change
Forming deals with the foundation for change; it is important to go into the situation with
a full change vision. An effective leader will take a moment to determine how the
impending change is going to affect not only the employees in the organization, but
stakeholders as well. It is important to have a strategy and a communication plan in
place.
Perhaps a Danish organization, as a result of the InterResource project, would begin
the change process by opening job opportunities up to international students. The
possibility of this change process has arisen because the Danish organizations have
realized that international students have qualities and competencies that can enrich
their organization (above and beyond the additional language skills); during this
beginning change period, the human resource managers and executive leaders of the
organization need to supply the organization with a vision and an action plan in regards
to how to successfully implement international workers into their organization.
Hildebrandt and Brandi (2007) have said that ’forming a change vision is therefore one
of the primal activities in the change process. A good vision has a time horizon of three
to five years, is realistic, energizing, motivational and can be broken down into more
detailed goals that can help continuously track your company’s progress towards vision
fulfillment’ (p. 37)
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3.2
Leading Change
This step focuses on the leadership of the whole change process. ‘A change process is
all about exercising active leadership, about involving key stakeholders and identifying
key performers; about building commitment and ensuring ongoing follow-up; about
handling frequently asked questions/rumors, emotions and opposition; and finally, about
addressing reward and recognition’ (Hildebrant and Brandi, 2007, p. 57).
Active leadership is the most important change issue for organizations. The chosen
leader must be available, open and honest, and communicative. He or she must be
approachable to employees on all levels of the organization. The leader must motivate
employees and instill a sense of team spirit, and must celebrate even the littlest ’win.’ It
is so important that this leader is not secluded, away in their office, but rather, can be
seen walking amongst the people – visibility is key in order to establish trust and faith.
‘The more people who know where they stand (when the change is supposed to be
complete), the greater loyalty they will receive and the more ready for change the
organization will be’ (Hildebrandt and Brandi, 2007, p. 59).
Motivation is important. Celebrating the quick wins will help to maintain team morale
and momentum throughout the change process. The chosen change leader should
have a positive attitude a majority of the time. Most change requires whole-hearted
commitment from all parties involved (Hildebrandt and Brandi, 2007).
Opposition to change is definitely an obstacle that every leader is going to encounter, so
they must know that they will deal with that at some point along the way. This outright
opposition to change, while extreme, can take the shape in many forms:
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Visible
Hidden
Conscious
Unconscious
Open disagreement
Lassitude
Protest
Isolation
Silent opposition
Psychological withdrawal
Forming Coalitions
Mental inability to change
Sabotage
Figure 2 - Types of Opposition to Change
3.3
Learning from Change
‘Like anything in life, you should be able to learn something from the successes and
failures in a change process. Learning from change deals with evaluating the project,
comparing planned results with actual results, discussing and addressing deviations,
and also deals with bringing the project to an appropriate close’ (Hildebrandt and
Brandi, 2007, p. 11).
The change process is never static – rather, dynamic. Therefore, change leaders must
continuously evaluate the idea that new possibilities may emerge in any given situation
that were not a part of the original vision. These changes to the original plan need to be
assessed and integrated into the plan as necessary. There needs to be a continuous
sense of evaluation/reevaluation going on.
It is a good idea to bring all relevant parties together during the conclusion of the
change project to discuss the successes and failures of the project. This way, leaders
and their organizations can celebrate the small successes, and learn from the obstacles
they have had to overcome.
3.4
About the People
It should always be remembered that change is about the people, as stated via
Hildebrandt and Brandi (2007, p. 22):
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Analyzing change processes, it seems that even if strategy, structure, culture,
and systems are important, the core of the matter is always about changing the
behavior of people, and behavior change happens in highly successful situations mostly
by speaking to people’s feelings (Kotter & Cohen, 2002).
There are several reasons why most of the emphasis is placed on the people in an
organization. On a very basic level, organizations consist of people, and would not
function without them.
Therefore, changing the organization means changing the
people. Failing to focus on the people in the organization can be extremely costly and
time consuming. This is because the main change goals will not be achieved if the
people’s individual emotions, opinions and understanding of the overall change are not
addressed (Hildebrandt and Brandi, 2007).
It is often wrongly assumed that change is all about improving financial results – stock
prices, profitability, or sales. We forget that successful transformation also generates
‘soft’ benefits, such as trust, new organizational capabilities, and emotional commitment
among employees. Additionally, the people side of things needs to continuously be
considered when implementing change within an organization. People are likely to
behave negatively out of frustration or confusion when they are asked to change the
way they work and communicate within an organization. Whether it is feelings of anger,
alarm or confusion that arise, we must ease those feelings by cultivating an
environment of trust, involvement and empowerment (torbenrick.edu, 2010).
Communication is an important key in regards to change leadership – continuous
communication is the only way to lead people and an organization through change. And
in order to disperse the change idea, ‘all leaders must speak the same language and
use the same terms when discussing any given change,’ (Hildebrant and Brandi, 2007,
p. 24). And in terms of the overall success of the ‘change process’:
Success depends on the ability to analyze the change in light of the relevant
perspectives – on an ongoing basis, naturally, as the project moves forward – and
acting accordingly (Hildebrandt and Brandi, 2007, p. 22).
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Hildebrandt and Brandi (2007) have said that, ’although strategy, structure, culture and
systems are key elements of a change process, ultimate success depends on the ability
to change people’s behavior by influencing their attitudes, opinions and emotions’ (p.
28). When a Danish organization is preparing to change their corporate language, or
simply to implement more internationals into the workforce, it would behoove them to
delegate some resources to aid in the introduction of these new concepts to their
organization, as well as training current employees on how to deal with the situation at
hand.
4.0
Language diversity in the workplace
The topic of language diversity in the workplace will be discussed next, as it is known
that the Danish language barrier is an obstacle for international students in terms of
integration into Danish society, as well as in regards to securing employment within a
Danish organization. And while there may be internationalization strategies occurring
throughout the region, there are change management measures that need to be put in
place in Danish organizations in order to assure the success of a linguistically diverse
workplace – in order to highlight the benefits gained to preexisting employees.
Language diversity in the workplace can simply be described as a variety of employees,
with a variation of native languages, who work together in an organization, often times
communicating most frequently in their second language. Additionally, Lauring (1997,
p. 2) discussed linguistic barriers in a paper, highlighting that linguistic barriers can
affect cross-cultural knowledge sharing, dialogue, relationship building and networking
in the effort to manage international activities and to respond rapidly to the changing
demands of the different markets (Bonache and Brewster, 2001; Feely and Harzing,
2003).
As stated in an article by Lauring and Selmer (2009, p. 3), ‘increasing
globalization is forcing an increasing number of organizational members to interact
across linguistic boundaries’ (Henderson, 2005; Selmer, 2006).
Denmark is a small country, made up of around 5.5 million people. While Danish is the
national language, a large majority of Danes can speak English on a fluent level. Fear
is associated with switching focus in the country from the Danish language to the
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English language. For example, in relation to a bid from Google to digitize the nation’s
literature in the Royal Library, Erland Kolding Nielsen, the library’s curator, has said the
alternative to not getting the collection digitized is a frightening one for the Danish
language. He believes that ‘Danish culture and Danish material on the web would
disappear in the Anglo-Saxon deluge…our language would shrink even more from
sight, as would much of the Danish research that is not written in English’(Copenhagen
Post, 2009, p. 7).
One of the obstacles that makes landing a job difficult for international students is that a
variety of Danes/Danish organizations do not use English as a corporate language.
Perhaps this is because the overwhelming majority of employees in the organization are
Danish, even in an international company. Communication amongst different business
units (located in different countries) throughout the organization will likely be in English
– but the working language, and definitely the conversational language in Denmark is
often Danish. Within multinational companies, this can be a problem.
Tange and
Lauring (2009, p. 219) discussed ‘the size of the problem increases with the number of
languages co-existing within a corporation, and an obvious solution has been to
introduce a single corporate language (mostly English) in order to improve managers’
capacity to control and coordinate international activities’ (Feely and Harzing, 2003).
In relation to integrating an international student, many Danish companies focus on the
‘negative impact’ created by the language barrier: the predominant use of the Danish
language in an ‘international’ organization, when dealing with a non-Danish speaker.
Regarding the benefits of hiring an international student, again, the focus resides
predominately on the benefit of foreign language skills. Companies are not yet thinking
about the core skills and competencies that an international student may possess, that
may vary from the skills and competencies of a Dane, but rather focusing on the
communication skills of their native language.
Take for example, the Danish milk/dairy company Arla. One of the new concepts they
are introducing in order to help integrate international employees is an online English
learning program called ‘Englishtown.’ This program gives 24 hour access to advanced
English lessons online to those employees who have internationals in their department.
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The purpose of this is to help motivate the employees to speak English conversationally
at work, in order to socially integrate the international employees (International
Community survey results, 2010). Implementing a similar system could ease some of
the transitional pains for other Danish organizations.
It has been said in a recent study that in multicultural organizations, the English
language is used most often to standardize internal communication. As stated in an
article by Tange and Lauring (2009, p. 220), English has evolved as the most commonly
used corporate language (Janssens, Lambert, & Steyaert, 2004; Welch, Welch, &
Marschan-Piekkari, 2001), which solidifies the idea that English is the emergent,
common language of international business. If Denmark is to remain competitive in the
international business world, they should consider making the English language more
prevalent in their organization.
It should be noted that this study is relevant to
companies in countries all over the world.
4.1
Current ASB international students
Survey results have highlighted that international students are aware of the importance
of studying and learning the Danish language in order to network and help them to
succeed in the job market, while living in Denmark.
To answer the proposed question do language skills (ex: knowledge of Danish, or
native language skills) help or hinder the job search process, the group of international
ASB students who were surveyed responded to a few questions regarding the Danish
language.
The first question, do you speak Danish, produced the following results out of the 314
respondents:
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Figure 3 – Survey question – Do you speak Danish?
An astounding 41.0% did not speak Danish at all, while a total of 72.2% speak the
language poorly or not at all.
It should be stated that it is possible the responses were weighted heavily on the
‘unable’ side in terms of speaking the Danish language because 52.3% of the students
surveyed were in the first year of their master program. Because of this reason, they
most likely had been living in Denmark for a period of barely 2-3 months; they
potentially had just begun Danish lessons.
The second question, do you intend to learn Danish, produced the following results:
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Figure 4 – Survey Question – Do you intend to Learn Danish?
Of the students surveyed, 86.7% of them have intentions to learn the Danish language.
In the Aarhus region, Danish language courses are offered free (essentially) via the
institution LærDansk. For a small fee (around 500 DKK), students can take an exam at
the end of each module – there are a total of six levels until one is eligible to pass a
national exam and is considered fluent in Danish. This service is sponsored by the
Aarhus Municipality.
It is relevant to note that often, international students deactivate their interest in learning
the language before they have completed the six modules. Students have stated that at
times, this is due to scheduling conflicts.
If a full-time student is attending Danish
courses, they typically attend their language classes two nights a week, for 2.5 hours
each class. If a student misses three of their language classes, they are essentially
dismissed from the course – and often times schoolwork is not considered a valid
reason to miss Danish classes.
This scheduling can be restrictive on full-degree
international students who are typically enrolled in 30 ECTS credits a semester, and
have a full work load accompanying their ‘degree’ courses.
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The third question that was asked, how important is it to learn Danish in order to
integrate in Danish society, produced the following results:
Figure 5 – Survey Question – Danish Language in Relation to Integration?
Regarding the Danish language in general, the trend in responses has been fairly
positive. While the language is an area of frustration for students in regards to finding a
job, they are well aware of the importance of the language in terms of integration in
society as well as potential networking advantages.
They appear to initially be
motivated to attend language courses and learn the language. However, throughout the
focus group interviews, it was revealed that some of this initial to enthusiasm has been
known to fade within the first semester of an international student’s stay in Denmark, if
there is no personal proof of benefits or success for the student. Personal successes
can be defined by both successful social integration, as well as success in landing a job.
The fourth question, does knowledge of Danish help you to feel more integrated, was
asked as an interview question as opposed to a survey question.
We were able to come to an overall conclusion via the focus group interviews that yes,
knowledge of the Danish language helped the students to feel more integrated. There
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was a positive correlation between those who were learning/had learned the Danish
language, and those who had Danish networks and/or jobs in Denmark.
It is evident that language skills can help and also hinder internationals attempting to
land employment in Denmark, as well as socially integrate.
The Danish language
appears to be an obvious barrier in the job market – if an international student is not
able to communicate fluently in Danish, it can make finding a job in Denmark that much
more difficult. If you don’t have a solid command of the Danish language, but show a
willingness to learn, some companies would still consider you as a candidate. For
example:
Pressalit A/S stated on their website, in the guidelines of their graduate
program: It is not necessary to know Danish, but we desire a candidate who possesses
a willingness to learn (pressalit.dk, 2009).
On the other hand, if one is not able to communicate in near-perfect Danish, many
Danes show an unwillingness to even attempt to understand various accents and
dialects of their language.
While knowledge of the English language is typically
considered a benefit within an organization, it has been realized that some people are
intimidated to speak English, especially with native speakers.
A barrier to
communication within a multilingual workplace can be known as ‘thin communication.’
‘Thin communication is defined as the withdrawal of organizational members from
informal interaction performed in a non-native, corporate language such as English’
(Hange and Lauring, 2009, p. 220).
4.2
International ASB Alumni Results
The term ‘alumni’ is defined as ‘a person who has attended or has graduated from a
particular school, college or university’ (Merriam-webster.com, 2010). For the purposes
of this thesis, a brief survey was sent out solely to ASB international alumni
It was pertinent to survey the alumni in order to tap into the past successes of
international alumni. If the alumni had been successful in landing some type of studyrelevant employment in the past, it had previously gone undocumented. Even more
valuable than the idea of uncovering whether or not they had been working was the
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information regarding what company they worked for, how they got their job, and which
language skills they predominately used in the workplace.
A group of approximately 800 international alumni were surveyed recently regarding
their experiences with finding study-relevant employment, from a student job, to an
internship, to a full-time job. For the purpose of this thesis, we will focus on responses
relating to full-time positions.
When asked the question how did you find your full-time job, the response was:
Figure 6 – Alumni Survey – How did you find your full-time job?
Through these results, we can see that almost 39% of the respondents relied on their
personal network – which is important in the Danish society. In an interview regarding
networks in Denmark, Jette Hammer, Director of the ASB Career Center, states that for
Danes, ‘a personal network is very important since many job openings are facilitated by
personal networks; it is always important, but in times of high unemployment, it
becomes even more important.’ When asked about Danish networks in regards to
international students, Jette stated that ‘it is crucial for international students to try to get
a personal network in Denmark to be able to be on the same playing field as the Danes.
For international students, a personal network is, if possible, even more important than
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for Danish students because they often have to convince the employer that their
competency levels are above that of the language barrier.’
Of the 13 alumni who responded ‘other,’ the top responses were promotions from
previously held positions, as well as those responses can probably be re-classified as
personal network (supervisor of Master thesis; teacher; AIESEC (in English,
International Association of Students in Economics and Business Management).
When asked the question what language do you use most at your full-time job, the
response was:
Figure 7 – Alumni Survey – What language do you use most at work?
Although only 38 international alumni (who landed full-time jobs in Denmark) responded
out of the 800 the survey was sent to, the response outcome clearly highlighted the idea
that the Danish language was used least often in the workplace.
The response
suggests two ideas. First, there is strong evidence that the English language is used
more frequently in Danish organizations than originally assumed, although it is not
revealed if those particular alumni have the ability to communicate in Danish as well.
Secondly, the idea that 39.5% of the respondents use other language skills (revealed as
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Romanian, Spanish, Estonian, Chinese, Swedish, etc.) can allow us to believe that
native language skills in this case, were a help to the respondents.
4.3
A common working language
In an article by Lauring and Selmer (2009, p. 4), it has been stated that ‘a shared
common language has been proposed to increase the frequency of communication in
organizations’ (Triandis, 1960; Tushman & Nadler, 1978). In any organization, if there
are multiple cultures, there should naturally be one common working language that can
be easily used by all. There is no official data regarding how often this is the case in
Danish companies.
Consider the well-known organization, Ernst & Young. This American-born financial
organization considers themselves ‘a global leader, with a global approach to global
problems,’ as is stated on their website. The Ernst & Young webpage for the Danish
office is only available in Danish, which makes the career section of the webpage
difficult to navigate for a qualified international student searching for a job in Denmark,
with little knowledge of the Danish language. Additionally, while the working language
in this international organization is considered English when communicating between
countries, the working language for this American-born, self-proclaimed global
organization in Denmark, is Danish.
The use of the Danish language in an international organization is exclusive – nonnatives will not have the same command of the Danish language as natives, and this
will exclude them from participating fully in the social aspect of an organization. ‘In spite
of the corporations’ official claim to English as a corporate language, members from
speech communities other than the Danish find that their integration into the
organization depends on their willingness to acquire Danish’ (Tange and Lauring, 2009,
p. 220).
Marschan-Piekkari, et al, (1999, p. 379) discussed the adoption of a common company
language as having many advantages from a management perspective:
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1)
It facilitates formal reporting between units in the various foreign locations,
minimizing the potential for miscommunication as well as allowing for ease of access to
company documents.
2)
It enhances informal communication and information flow between subsidiaries.
3)
It assists in creating a sense of belonging to a global ‘family’ (Ferner et al., 1995).
By integrating the English language into non-Danish companies located in Denmark, or
in Danish companies who have a desire to export outside of Denmark, the manager’s
pool of qualified candidates for any given position will dramatically increase. Results
from Selmer and Lauring’s (2009) study on common language, knowledge sharing and
performance have shown that ‘consistency in English management communication was
the dominating factor with strong relationships with all of the investigated knowledge
sharing and performance variables’ (p. 2). Change is often resisted, and switching
organizational communication to the English language can be considered difficult, but
the benefits are proven. The use of a common organizational language (English) can
improve communication frequency, as well.
4.4 Language and Social Integration
Additionally, this thesis strives to uncover whether or not language skills can help or
hinder the social integration process. As stated by Lauring and Selmer (2009, p. 3), ‘the
fact is that the identification of these individuals with certain group membership is linked
to categories such as language, complicates international management practices’
(Dalton & Chrobot-Mason, 2007).
Integrating other languages and cultures into an
organization can be complex at first.
Managers need to consider the basic human need of a sense of belonging, as it relates
to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
Humans need to feel a sense of belonging and
acceptance, and often look for it through their office culture. Most everyone has a
desire to feel included; a feeling of exclusion in the workplace can result in social
anxiety, feelings of loneliness, as well as possible negative feelings towards the
organization (netmba.com, 2007). If the language barrier in Denmark is a reason why
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an international employee to not feel included, whether it is a professional or social
situation, the international naturally will develop negative feelings toward the ‘majority
cultural groups’, the Danes. Group cohesiveness is an important factor in successful
relationships. One aspect of group cohesiveness, the emotional aspect, ‘is the result of
the social connection that members feel towards other group members’ (Lauring and
Selmer, 2009, p. 5). Feelings of social inclusion are definitely something that managers
need to be aware of and need to consider.
Lauring and Selmer wrote (2009, p. 7) ‘individuals who are different are argued to be
less socially attractive to each other; they may experience negative social interactions
such as being excluded from communication’ (Jehn, Neale, & Northcraft, 1999; Tsui,
Egan, & O’Reilly, 1992).
When speaking with the international students who
participated in the focus group interviews, many mentioned that, whether in the
workplace or in social settings, they were often told by Danes ‘to just remind us if we
forget to speak English.’ Being reminded that you are different can create feelings of
guilt when the minority has to ask the majority to change their language in order for the
minority to feel included in the conversation. Consequently, the ‘increasing trend in
globalization makes the understanding of the use and management of languages a
growing challenge throughout the world’ (Lauring & Selmer, 2009, p. 4). ‘Language is
extremely important in terms of social integration, and creating a common workplace
language; enforcing it, should be a focus of management in any organization. Having a
multitude of groups communicating in different languages will weaken knowledgesharing and networking across an organization’ (Tange & Lauring, 2009, p. 221).
4.5
Group Cohesiveness and Language Skills
Within a Danish organization, whether employees from varying nationalities are
switching from their native language (Danish or other) to English, or from their native
language to Danish, management must acknowledge the fact that there will most likely
be communication breakdowns. Henderson (2005) argues that ‘organization members
may experience communication breakdowns in the form of 1) a linguistic
misunderstanding caused by inadequate language skills, and 2) a socio-cultural
misinterpretation prompted by a lack of socio-linguistic knowledge about different
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linguistic and communicative practices’ (Lauring and Selmer, 2009, p. 5). Simply put,
when group members have different cultural backgrounds and speak different
languages, there will be points where further explanation is required in order for
understanding to be complete. While these differences may be a little tedious in the
beginning, they can be quickly overcome and will either disappear completely, or
require less and less time and resources to be spent on further explanations.
Lauring and Selmer (2009, p. 9) wrote ‘the social barriers connected to language
differences, due to their relation with nationalism and ethnicity, are known to have a
detrimental effect on communication and cooperation regardless of means to
communicate’ (Brubaker, 2002; Louhiala-Salminen, Charles, & Kankaanrant, 2005;
Park, Hwangt, & Harrison, 1996; Vaara, Risberg, Soederberg, & Tienari, 2003). As
mentioned earlier, the need to feel included and accepted is a strong feeling in many
humans. In order for groups to work effectively together, communication needs to be
able to flow easily; this in turn will increase social acceptance, and will promote
cooperation amongst members. The idea of participating in ‘small talk’ conversations
during downtime at work can also affect group cohesiveness and feelings of
acceptance. Take for example, a statement given by a Polish employee (from a study
performed by Tange and Lauring, 2009) in regards to how Danes tend to form groups
for small talk, in Danish, making it difficult to enter the conversation:
In general, we work fine together. But like at lunch, if you sit there alone, then the
Danes will speak in Danish. They don’t sit together with the foreigners. The small talk
is always in Danish. And sometimes the small talk gives a lot of information. It gives
you an idea of what is really happening. It is something I really miss, to be able to really
feel part of the conversation. I don’t think my knowledge is used properly because I
don’t know the small talk. Before I was fighting it, but now I just do my work.
‘Social identity is the process by which we define ourselves in terms and categories that
we share with other people…the concept of social identity assumes some
commonalities with others.
Psychological distinctiveness, in relation to the social
identity theory, states that people have an innate desire to have their identity be both
distinct from, but also positively compared to a group’ (utexas.edu). As stated in a
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paper by Lauring and Selmer (2009), ‘managers need to remember that in a multicultural group, an individuals’ language is used in positive or negative differentiations,
which can affect social identity’ (Giles, 1977), ‘and that language is one of the most
characteristic markers of identity’ (Giles & Byren, 1982).
‘Group cohesiveness represents the extent to which group members are attracted to
each other, feel satisfied with each other, and socialize with each other’ (Selmer and
Lauring, 2009, via O’Reilly, Caldwell, & Barnett, 1989). As mentioned above, language
skills, and the effectiveness of communication, all directly affect the levels of
attractiveness, satisfaction and socialization amongst groups. And again, regarding the
cohesiveness of the ‘group’ or organization, managers must realize that ‘individuals will
attempt, physically or psychologically, to leave a group when group membership is
unsatisfactory’ (Lauring and Selmer, 2009, p. 11 via Turner, 1987). Therefore, it is
important to remember that when planning to integrate an international employee into a
Danish organization, that it is not only the international that needs to be prepared to
adjust; it is relevant to consider the fact that the Danes in the organization need to be
prepped as well in order to successfully adjust to the integration of a new culture in their
workplace.
By making this added effort, there could be a higher retention rate of
educated international workers in Denmark.
The loss of employees could end up
costing an organization more than it would cost them to introduce training courses, etc,
on cultural acceptance as well as focusing their efforts on diversity management.
‘Using a common language can increase group cohesiveness and trust’ (Lauring and
Selmer, 2009, p. 12, via Barner-Rasmussen et al., 2007; March & Simon, 1956; Zenger
et al., 1989).
‘The use of English as a common organizational language has been perceived to
minimize the potential for miscommunication and provide easy access to company
documents’ (Lauring and Selmer, 2009, via Piekkari et al., 2005). Therefore, the issue
of language diversity in relation to group cohesiveness and inclusion needs to be
managed and organized by company leaders. Additionally, managers need to realize
that they can’t simply introduce a common language concept and that be the last heard
from them.
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The ‘international’ Danish companies most likely do not want to be recognized as a
‘Danish company with a lot of foreigners.’ An Italian employee in a Danish organization
was quoted (Tange and Lauring, 2009) as saying ‘I asked them before – do I have to
speak Danish and they said no, no, we are an international company and we speak
English. But, they cannot say that it is an international company and that English is the
company language. It is just a Danish company with a lot of foreigners.’
Training programs need to be implemented; perhaps language courses during the work
day can be allowed; the entire organization needs to be on board in order for this to be
a success, or at least be willing to try to change. A structure or support system needs to
be in place in order to change an organizational language, as we know that second
language speakers may feel insecure and uncomfortable avoiding taking active part in
daily interaction (Lauring & Tange, 2009).
‘An organizational change as large as
implementing a new corporate language is a true transformation, and will reflect culture
changes at this level.
In the evolution of companies, such transformations occur
periodically and at those times the direction of the change is not always predictable’
(Lauring and Selmer, 2009, via Tushman and Anderson, 1986; Gersick, 1991). ‘Culture
change inevitably involves unlearning as well as relearning and is therefore, by
definition, transformative’ (Schein, 2004, p. 21).
5.0
Research Design
This section will overview the concept of the research involved in this thesis. It will
detail the research design, as well as the methods chosen in order to collect the data;
additionally, the other surveys used for research data (completed via other
organizations) will be discussed as well.
‘A research design is a framework for conducting a research project. It details the
procedures necessary for obtaining the information needed to structure or solve
marketing research problems’ (Malhotra, 1999, p. 64).
While the approach to the problem statement (in reference to the information that is
desired to be uncovered) has already been discussed, the research design specifies the
details – the nuts and bolts – of implementing that approach (Malhotra, 1999). The
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chosen research design will lay the foundation for everything else that is to be
completed in this project. Carefully planning out the research design will allow the
thesis to be conducted effectively.
5.1
Creating the Problem Statement and Research Questions
Before beginning this thesis, research was conducted on the chosen institution: ASB. It
needs to be noted, that the thesis predominately focuses on ASB, but at times, it is
relevant to discuss research data gathered from all partner schools as well as from
organizations within the region.
The municipalities in the mid-Jutland region have all provided funding to various newlydeveloped projects in order to place efforts on the internationalization of their respective
cities. It has been mentioned that, for example, the Aarhus Municipality wants the city
of Aarhus to be named a European Culture Capital of the world by the year 2017.
Being considered a culture capital for all of Europe means there is a large emphasis
placed on international aspects. This concept will be discussed more in depth later in
the thesis.
This thesis will not go into depth regarding other similar projects occurring in the region;
however, it is relevant to mention that there have been a lot of resources placed on
research and laying the groundwork for successful internationalization processes. This
thesis will discuss some of the data collected from at least one of the following projects:
ISIC, International Students, International Career; VIA University – Horsens;
Kontaktmæglerne; DJØF; and International Community.
5.2
Data Collection Methods
A variety of research has been conducted in the form of electronic (email) surveys (for
current international students as well as international ASB alumni). Focus groups were
held, seminars were attended, and data was collected from the other similar
internationalization projects in the region. Additionally, a few brief interviews were used
to collect data. It has been noticed that a fair amount of ASB students actually have
conducted a similar research project as part of their schoolwork in one of their required
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courses at ASB (Research Methods, Corporate Communication courses, etc). Data has
also been gathered from a variety of student research reports focusing on the many
issues surrounding the topic of internationalization.
5.3
Current International Student Survey
The survey, used in the InterResource project, was emailed out to all full-degree
(Bachelor and Master) international students at the four participating institutions: AU,
ASB, HIH, and AAA.
The survey focused on a few main areas: Denmark and the Danes, social life (including
accommodation and free
time activities),
attitudes towards
accessibilities of
jobs/internships in Denmark, and proposed future plans in Denmark. It was created and
modeled after a similar survey that was used with the sister project in Copenhagen, and
modified specifically for the needs of our four partner schools.
The survey was created using the StudSurvey system created and designed at ASB.
The initial technical analysis was performed by the ASB IKT Analysis Group; a more indepth analysis was performed by me.
The breakdown of the survey results (number of surveys emailed per school, number of
respondents per school, response rate per school, response rate in total) are:
#
%
School
Sent
total
ASB
1262
34.5% 317
35%
AU
1719
47.0% 165
27%
AAA
161
4.4%
4%
HIH
512
14.0% 88
3654
to #
Responded
25
595
Response
Rate
15%
16.3%
Figure 8 – International Student Survey Response Rate
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The respondent rate exceeded our expectations. The response rate was the highest
from the students at ASB, with a 35% response rate, which was 8% higher than the next
closest institution – AU.
Some quick highlights of results gained from this survey was the perception that Danish
companies (at the moment) are not very receptive towards the idea of integrating
international students into their workforce; additionally, because of the economic crisis,
as leaders of the InterResource project, we needed to continuously let the international
students know that finding a job is difficult for everyone right now – even the Danes.
And lastly, and quite possibly most importantly, knowledge of the importance of the
Danish language jumped right to the forefront. These students are aware that they are
living and studying in Denmark, where Danish is the native language. And although
most Danes have the capacity to speak English, even in international companies, often
times the working language is Danish.
5.3.1
Focus Groups
The focus groups, or interviews, were first and foremost, voluntary. At the end of the
international student survey, the respondents were allowed to sign-up their email
addresses if they were interested in participating in an international student focus group.
Over 200 respondents (out of around 600) indicated they would like to participate in said
focus group.
Four focus groups in total were held.
Three physically took place at ASB, with a
combination of AU and ASB students. Each had a maximum of 10 students present. A
fourth focus group session was held and run at HIH, with around 8 students
participating. There were no students from AAA who participated in any of the focus
groups.
One of the main points that came out of running these focus groups is the students
have a desire to stay in Denmark after graduation – they want to, if they can.
The focus group interview questions were created based off of the interesting and
relevant data that came from the international student survey. They focused on a few
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key points:
Denmark and the Danes; the Danish language; social aspects
(accommodation, etc); job market/prospects; future plans; additionally, the participants
were given the opportunity to discuss their thoughts and feelings openly, in case there
was anything additional they wanted to discuss.
5.4
International ASB Alumni Survey
A survey was created and sent to the international ASB alumni in order to gather
information. The survey focused on revealing if international alumni were able to secure
study-relevant employment in Denmark (in the form of a student job, internship or fulltime job). If the response was yes, it was then asked which company/companies they
have worked for. The purpose of uncovering the names of the various companies was
to not only specifically contact them, but also to get a grasp on the breadth of
international-minded companies located in the mid-Jutland region.
Language skills
were also a focus, and understanding if these international alumni were hired because
of their native language skills, Danish skills, or other language skills; on the other hand,
perhaps English communication was enough, or by that point, the alumni were able to
communicate fully in Danish?
5.5
DJØF Survey
In collaboration with Rambøll Management, DJØF (the Danish association of lawyers
and economists), have created a research project entitled ‘International skills – Danish
needs, opportunities and barriers.’ The purpose of this particular research survey was
to determine how globalization is affecting the Danish labor market.
Through this,
DJØF is hoping to highlight the new challenges and skill requirements that they should
be focusing their efforts on. There were four surveys that made up this project, and
each one of them attacks the theory of globalization from a different angle:
the
international job market; the views of Danish employers concerning internationalization;
the degree of internationalization within Denmark’s public and private sector
organizations;
and
the
experiences
of
DJØF
members
with
regard
to
internationalization.
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This survey information was used because it highlights not only the challenges that
Danish organizations face in regards to globalization, but also because it relays the
message that in order to overcome these challenges, Danish organizations will need to
recruit employees with international mindsets, skill sets, networks and experience. The
survey will be discussed in detail later in the thesis.
5.6
International Community Survey
International Community is an organization in Aarhus whose main goal is to attract and
maintain qualified labor by further developing Aarhus as a city attractive to foreign
employees,
to
make
the
employees
(internationalcommunity.dk, 2010).
and
their
families
feel
welcome
With over 650 members including local Danish
companies, international employees, accompanying family members, as well as
international Danes, the breadth of cultural identities is extremely wide. While many of
the members of International Community are expats who were recruited from their
home countries, some of them are not.
Some of the members were international
students studying in Aarhus who were able to land a job in order to stay in Denmark
after graduation.
Recently, the organization surveyed their members and highlighted the results of their
survey at the aforementioned morning seminar entitled ‘Insight and Influence:
a
Corporate Seminar on International Labor’ that was held on March 26th, 2010. The
survey is based on the responses from 45 Danish companies and 386 expats in the
Eastern Jutland region, and was conducted in the fall of 2009. Additionally, the survey
is supplemented with information from interviews with business leaders, political
leaders, and international families. Some of the key results of this survey will be briefly
discussed, as the members of International Community (both former students and
expats) were able to discuss key obstacles in regards to integrating in Denmark, as well
as in relation to the overall attractiveness of the city of Aarhus.
Some of the concerns that the results of the International Community survey highlight
are problems integrating spouses and family; Denmark’s high taxes and cost of living;
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and lack of an international high school in Aarhus.
As stated by Karina Boldsen,
Director, People and Culture, Compensation and Reward, Vestas Wind Systems:
Some of the issues (regarding integration) are difficult. Cultural norms and language
barriers cannot be overcome with legislation. Perceptions will not change overnight.
But with a concerted focus and a radical willingness, the region – and the entire nation,
can become more international, more open and more attractive. We cannot continue
talking, however, and expect to get new results. We need to act now.
5.6.1 Results Highlighted from the International Community Survey
The following details came directly from the results of the International Community
survey:
Fifty-eight percent of the companies expect an increased need for international labor,
compared to 2% who expect a decreasing need; it appears that the companies are
aware. The International Community survey also revealed that 91% of the companies
surveyed believe it is very important or important to attract and retain international
workers within the next three years.
This idea would suggest those international
students who are graduating within the next 3 – 5 years will have an increased
opportunity for finding a job and a higher success rate over the students of years past.
When diving into the question ‘why or why not Denmark,’ a variety of responses arose
from the survey results. Among the reasons why those (families) surveyed mentioned
having a desire to leave Denmark were: lack of career opportunities for accompanying
spouses; difficulties integrating for accompanying spouses; and cost of living. On the
other hand, standards of living in Denmark, as well as work-life balance, were at the top
of the list in regards to why these families have a desire to prolong their stay in
Denmark.
Over one-third of the companies surveyed have no employees assigned specifically to
helping international workers integrate and assimilate.
Although organizations are
becoming aware of the challenges international workers face upon arrival, without a
support system in place at their place of employment, the employee can feel lost and
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essentially slip through the cracks. This concept is parallel to the situation at ASB, as
focus group results have indicated, full-degree international students feel as though they
too are slipping through the cracks. With the reorganization of ASB offices as a result of
the recent merger with AU, it is hard to say what the support staff positions will look like
in the future. As of the beginning of the school year in 2008, there was not one person
specifically in charge of helping and guiding full-degree international students with
practical issues upon arrival in Denmark.
The International Office at ASB is an
administrative office at the school that is a form of a support system for incoming
international students in regards to housing issues (housing is found for these students),
practical issues (help with issuance of CPR numbers, etc.), as well as being a social
outlet that organizes activities for international students to meet each other as well as to
integrate with Danish students; unfortunately, because of their lack of resources, their
main focus is exchange students, or students who are only attending the school for a 6month period.
6.0
ASB Internationalization Strategy
In this chapter, I will briefly discuss the ASB Internationalization strategy, as well as
touch on the vision statements of the institution and their efforts to promote the school
to international students. This is relevant to discuss as Aarhus is a ‘university city,’ and
a large percentage of the international population in the area are dedicated to education
and research. Additionally, the education system is an important sector the municipality
continues to review and develop – so if one of the two has an aim at being international
(which they both have plans laid out for), then they should be in communication with
each other, as their successes and failures will affect each other.
Additionally, it is relevant to focus on the Internationalization Strategy at ASB because
this thesis is highlighting the interview and survey results from the students at this
institution; additionally, the highest percentage of respondent population in regards to
the international student survey came from the Aarhus School of Business.
Internationalization is a term that has become popular in the business sector as well as
in the educational sector.
Specifically regarding the educational sector, ‘having an
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internationalization strategy can help an institution climb in rankings in order to attract
students and educators’ (Schultz, et al. 2007, p. 612).
The idea that ASB is an international institution is a component that has been highly
touted and communicated across many types of multi-media. As of recent data, 900
international degree students from 80 countries are currently enrolled in graduate and
undergraduate programs (asb.dk, 2010).
The municipality of Aarhus has been successful in regards to recruiting international
students to attend the institutions by accepting them at the universities, offering them
scholarships, or offering free education (if they are students from the European Union).
6.1
ASB Vision Statements, 2006 – 2009; 2009 – 2012
The ASB mission and vision statements can be found easily on the webpage. These
can be found on the English version of the website. We will not highlight the mission
statements, but respectively, the vision statements cite:
ASB Strategy 2006 – 2009
Vision
Aarhus School of Business will strive to be internationally recognized as a university
that develops and realizes ideas that promote growth for companies, organizations and
society.
Aarhus School of Business is committed to achieving this through outstanding business
research, internationally recognized graduates, and fruitful cooperation with the Danish
business community.
The basis for this is an attractive, creative and learning workplace for employees and
students and a high international level in everything we do.
ASB Strategy 2009 – 2012
Vision
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ASB wants to be a leading international business school.
ASB will develop and transform knowledge and ideas that create sustainable growth
through innovation for the benefit of students, companies, organizations and society.
As a result of the recent EQUIS (European Quality Improvement System) rating, ASB
under Aarhus University, was recently ranked as one of the top 100 universities in the
world; as of January 1, 2009, ASB is one of the 113 universities and business schools
out of 4,000 who have achieved EQUIS accreditation (asb.dk, 2010).
6.2
ASB Scholarship Students
Each year, ASB offers ten scholarships (out of a group of nearly 100 applicants) to the
most talented international students from non-European Union countries.
These
scholarships have typically covered the cost of tuition, and provided some sort of
support in terms of a living stipend. Jesper Qvistaard, International Admissions Advisor
at ASB, has stated that ‘the students have been selected on the basis of their previous
academic achievements, that is, a combination of their home university and the marks
of their Bachelor degree’ (asb.dk, 2010).
Following an evening seminar with these scholarship students, their future opportunities
in Denmark were discussed.
Insight was provided regarding the ASB 2020 Vision
which states that ‘before the end of the year 2020, ASB aims to be recognized by
businesses and organizations, as well as by potential students and researchers alike,
both nationally and internationally, to be one of the leading business schools in the
world in terms of both its research and its study programs’ (ASB Strategy 2009 – 2012).
It is well-known that ASB has high expectations for all their international students, but
most especially, their ten scholarship students.
Meghna Katoch, an Indian student
studying her Masters in International Economic Consulting has said, “I could easily see
myself working and living in Denmark if it would not be an obstacle that I do not speak
Danish, that is…at any rate, I could picture myself still having work-related ‘contact’ to
Denmark and be travelling back and forth between India and Denmark.”
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ASB is international enough to offer scholarships to international students, and to go to
college fairs around the world in order to recruit international students.
There are
marketing materials for ASB (Aarhus School of Business: Growth, Sustainability and
Innovation) that state ‘we wish to integrate internationalization in all activities conducted
at ASB.’ But the real question is: what is done after these students arrive in Denmark?
Is there a support system for these full-degree international students? Results from the
survey research as well as the focus group state the answer is no, and this is part of the
reason international students struggle so much in terms of integration and adjustment.
But it appears change is on the horizon. As stated in the ASB Strategy, 2009 – 2012,
regarding international relations:
We will increase the job opportunities for our graduates with international businesses.
This will, among other things, require broadening the activities of the career center to
include the international market and the establishment of internships with international
businesses. Moreover, we will establish a service offering guidance for prospective
international employers at selected management levels and ensure international
representation on the Advisory Board.
The potential problem with this part of the ASB international relations strategy is that
while they are attempting to provide jobs for graduates, it appears the focus is on
sending students (Danish and international alike) out of the country of Denmark, as
opposed to helping create jobs to keep them inside the country. The resources again,
appear to be leaving the country after the students have achieved free education.
6.3
ASB International Student’s Opinions of Danish Labor Market
These same students had strong opinions in regards to the Danish labor market.
When asked the question is it considered easy for international students to find job
openings located in the mid-Jutland region in Denmark, in English, after graduation, the
responses clearly portrayed the overwhelming feeling of the student body:
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Figure 9 – Survey Question – Easy to find job openings in Jutland?
A mere 2.8% of the respondents said it was easy, while 81.1% collaborated to either
say it was ‘difficult’ or ‘very difficult’ to find a job.
When asked the question what are the barriers to finding a job in Denmark (why do you
not have a job), the write-in responses varied.
Of the 49 responses written, 25
mentioned they don’t speak Danish; 5 students expressed the opinion that companies
(in Denmark) don’t want non-Danish/international students in their organization. Eight
students replied that they had not started looking yet; 3 responses were that they were
caring for children; and 7 responses varied.
ASB may want to quickly get a strategy in place via the Career Center or the
municipality of Aarhus in order to garner more strong partnerships with local Danish
companies; this will help to aid their international students in securing employment in
Denmark (specifically the mid-Jutland region) after graduation.
If the incoming
international students begin to realize how difficult the labor market in Denmark will be
for them after graduation, they may choose to attend other institutions, which will affect
the overall goals of the ASB Internationalization Strategy.
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7.0
Municipality of Aarhus Internationalization Strategy
In this chapter, the different aspects of the city of Aarhus’ Internationalization Strategy
will be discussed. This is relevant to consider in order to determine if the city of Aarhus
is communicating with the educational institutions, as well as the abundant
internationalization projects that are being run around the region – a system of mini
checks and balances.
Peter Kjær, Chairman of the Board at Erhverv Århus, has stated that ‘Aarhus is a city in
motion, a city with ambitions to become a leading participant in the international
knowledge society and to be a catalyst for progress in the Central Denmark
Region…we need the competence and knowledge of skilled international labor now and
in the future’ (Insight & Influence, 2010).
As mentioned previously, the city of Aarhus is hoping to become a European Capital of
Culture in 2017; they realize one of the most important things to accomplish in order to
make this ‘title’ a reality is creating a strong bond between the internationals and the
locals. For example, Trevor Davies, head of Aarhus 2017, has stated that ‘international
students can show us an Aarhus we can’t see ourselves,’ in reference to seeing how
easy it is to function in a city if you are not a local and accustomed to the rules and
regulations. ‘And we expect to develop this initiative in the future. Aarhus should be
known for its ability to listen’ (Aarhus International, 2010).
With a plethora of
nationalities living in Denmark in general, it is relevant to consider issues accompanying
the concept of diversity, all the while realizing that the predominant diversity issues in
each country are going to be different (Shen, et al, 2009).
In a report by Bashy Quraishy called ‘Ethnic Minorities and Their Integration in
Denmark,’ it was stated that:
‘All the official integration policy papers and reports and laws only speak of integration in
terms of learning the Danish language and adopting the Danish culture. This means
that the whole burden of integration is put on the shoulders of the ethnic minorities thus
relieving the Danish society of any responsibility for the very concrete socio-economical
problems it has created for the minorities. When the Danes talk of equal rights and
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equal responsibilities for everybody living in Denmark, they forget the most important
aspect of mutual integration, namely the provision of equal opportunities, and protection
of these rights under law.’
It has been noted amongst students and expats alike that integration in Denmark can be
a challenge – practically, culturally and linguistically. With more than 1,400 international
skilled workers living and working in the region, it is no surprise that the Arhus
Municipality has formed an internationalization strategy. This strategy consists of three
main components: open-minded; business-minded; and service-minded.
7.1
Open-minded
The goal of the Aarhus ‘open-minded’ component of the internationalization strategy is:
To make citizens more tolerant and to make Aarhus a great city to visit, to work in and
live in for foreign employees, students and guests; an Aarhus for everyone. Openness
and an understanding of cultures are a precondition for being able to live and be
successful in a globalized world.
Right away, it is interesting to point out that in the main message of this component, the
first point the reader is made aware of is: to make citizens more tolerant. It can be
argued that by pointing this out first, the municipality is aware that the Danish citizens
are not tolerant of international residents. Additionally, the word order choice of ‘a great
city to visit…work in…live in…’ is interesting. Is it possible that the tourism traffic is
more important to the municipality of Aarhus than focusing on recruiting and retaining
international workers?
In order to become more open-minded, the direction the municipality of Aarhus is
heading is that they ‘must contribute to strengthening the international outlook of the
citizens of Aarhus and creating room for diversity’ (Aarhus International, 2010).
7.2
Business-minded
The
goal of
the
‘business-minded’ concept of
the municipality of
Aarhus’
internationalization strategy is:
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To create the best possible conditions for the city’s business sector and its knowledge
and cultural institutions; Aarhus – a city that does not stand still.
A strong and
internationally competitive business, knowledge and cultural life is a precondition for
being able to develop Aarhus and for putting the city on the international map.
It is clearly stated that there is a relation between the business sector of Aarhus and the
international population. It is fantastic in theory that these two pieces of information
have been combined in the strategy, but there has yet to be much development in
regards to turning this theory into practice. Additionally, it appears it is recognized that
Aarhus is in a sense a ‘university city,’ and that because of this, there is a lot of
international knowledge available. It would behoove the city to find a way to best utilize
this international knowledge, as knowledge is power.
In order to become more business-minded, the direction the municipality is heading is
that ‘the international activities must support the international goals and ambitions of the
city’s businesses and institutions’ (Aarhus International, 2010).
7.3
Service-minded
The goal of the ‘service-minded’ concept of Aarhus’ internationalization strategy is:
For the municipality of Aarhus to develop and deliver the best services possible to the
citizens of the city.
International partners and networks must serve as important
sources of inspiration for the continued development of the municipality’s service level.
In addition, the opportunity to engage in international work will make the municipality an
exciting workplace for both existing and future employees.
Again, the municipality is aware of the power behind an international workforce, as well
as focusing efforts on taking advantage of networking and development opportunities.
The concept of engaging in international work is parallel to the logic behind the
International Community organization – to attract and maintain international workers.
The direction the municipality is heading in order to achieve this component of the
internationalization strategy is that ‘the international activities need to contribute to
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utilizing international best practices and make the municipality an exciting and
developing workplace’ (Aarhus International, 2010).
8.0
Why Denmark?
In this chapter of the thesis, the country of Denmark and the details surrounding why
international students want to stay and continue to work and live here will be discussed.
There will be a brief background of the country of Denmark in regards to political and
societal factors. Additionally, relevant survey data regarding international opinions of
Denmark that was performed by the DJØF labor organization will be discussed.
Denmark is a small country with around 5.5 million inhabitants, of which about 3 million
are of employment age (Fink, 2009). The taxes are higher than in most other countries,
and it rains often. The summers are short, and the winters are long. So why do
international students want to stay in Denmark to work after graduation?
Based off of the results from the ASB International Student survey, when asked the
question ‘why did you choose to study in Denmark’ the responses were:
90.00%
79.80%
80.00%
65.90%
70.00%
60.00%
50.00%
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
11.40%
8.20%
4.40%
5%
11%
Series1
0.00%
Other
There are good job
oppertunities …
I have family in Denmark
I could not get my
specialization/study …
The university where I study
has an ….
I have heard that Denmark….
I have a Danish girl/boyfriend
Figure 10 – Survey Question – Why did you choose to study in Denmark?
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65.9% of respondents chose to study in Denmark because they heard it was a good
place to study. 79.8% of respondents chose other, with write-in responses ranging from
to improve my career chances, to liking the flat structure in organizations, to liking life in
a welfare society, to name the most repeated responses.
When asked the question ‘what would make you want to stay in Denmark (choose as
many as needed)’ the responses were:
120.00%
95.30%
100.00%
80.00%
60.00%
40.00%
2.20%
5.40%
Easier integration
7.60%
More structure in the
workplace, ….
20.00%
6.30%
13.20% 11.70%
4.40%
Series1
0.00%
Other
Lower taxes
More job oppertunities in
English
More job oppertunities for
foreigners
A social life with Danish
people
I have a professional
network
Figure 11 – Survey Question – What would make you want to stay in Denmark after graduation?
95.3% of the students chose the response ‘other.’
The majority of those write-in
responses dealt with forming romantic relationships, having boyfriends/girlfriends;
additionally, better weather, family and low salaries back home were also mentioned.
In general, the experience studying at ASB has been pleasant for international students.
Of the 315 respondents, 277, or 87.9% of them said yes, they had a good experience.
9.5% said they did not know, while only 2.6% said they did not have a good experience
while studying in Denmark – the overwhelming response was positive.
One of the most indicative points that came out of the international student survey was
the response to ‘do you intend to stay in Denmark after your studies?’ I chose to
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illustrate the feelings for all of the international students in the region, not just for those
students attending ASB. The reason why this approach was chosen is to illustrate the
feelings are the same for international students across the entire region, not just at ASB.
This highlights to Danish organizations the importance of the number of international
students who have a desire to stay and work in Denmark. The breakdown of responses
per school were:
Do you intend to stay in Denmark after your
studies
80%
70%
60%
% - Aarhus University
50%
% - Aarhus School of Business
40%
% - Aarhus School of Architecture
30%
% - Institute of Business and
Technology, Herning
20%
10%
0%
Yes
No
Maybe
Figure 12 – Survey Question – Do you intend to stay in Denmark after you graduate?
As can be seen from the survey results, the opinions of the students from each
institution is split across the board, in reference to whether or not they want to stay in
Denmark after graduation.
As mentioned previously, the focus group interviews
revealed that an overwhelming majority of the international students actually want to
stay in the country – if they can find employment.
It has been stated that
‘multiculturalism has always been the most important dimension of diversity in Western
countries, where there are a large number of international migrants with diverse cultural
backgrounds’ (Shen, et al, 2009).
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8.1
Results of DJØF survey - international needs, opportunities and barriers
There is becoming a more prevalent need for an international workforce in Denmark.
Rikke B. Orum, the head of HR and Management in Dansk Erhverv, stated that
(translated from Danish) ‘bigger businesses need more employees; several are
international and need international workers, however, smaller companies will also need
to work with diversity in the future, and she believes that one way to increase the focus
on diversity and integration is to formulate a definite policy of diversity. But she also
mentions that having a policy in place would not work alone – it needs to be followed up
with practice’ (Jensen, 2009). Henry Thomassen, head of employment and training at
the Ministry of Integration, has said ‘the challenge in thinking about integration and
diversity in Denmark is still a new concept to many people.’ He says, ‘there has never
been a need previously; but the demographics are changing, and companies need to
recruit more broadly’ (Jensen, 2009).
The progress of the internationalization process in Denmark has been assessed
through four surveys administered by DJØF, in collaboration with Rambøll
Management.
As stated in a foreword for this survey from Finn Borch Andersen,
Association Chairman of the DJØF organization, the results of the survey are most
definitely not encouraging – Denmark is not in any way mentally prepared for
globalization, contrary to what many people believe.
Members of the DJØF organization are predominately of Danish nationality. Less than
1% of members have taken a non-Danish university degree, the majority of which are
Danish-nationals who have taken a Master degree from a foreign university, as
informed by Lior Ron, Analysis Consultant for DJØF. These members have stated that
international skills acquired throughout their career are not given the same importance
in Denmark as they are abroad.
Therefore, Danes abroad are considering staying
abroad. When this happens, the individual, as well as the country of Denmark, is
suffering.
This comparison is parallel to that of current international students in
Denmark. Take, for example, EU citizens. They are allowed to attend ASB at no cost
as a benefit of being a European national (asb.dk, 2009); residents of Denmark are
(indirectly) paying for these students to receive their Bachelor or Master degrees,
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through the payment of their taxes. But Denmark is losing in the end – because of the
lack of international mindset within Danish organizations, there are few jobs for
international students to obtain after graduation.
Consequently, the international
students move home. These Danish organizations, as well as the country of Denmark,
lose valuable skills, influence and knowledge from the international students they have
essentially supported for the previous 2-5 years.
The survey highlights the fact that both Danish organizations and members of DJØF
believe that the potential that lies in international postings is not being fully exploited
(DJØF Survey, 2010). However, when it comes time to leave a position abroad, some
members consider staying abroad as a result of the idea that they will have to take
steps backwards in their career upon arrival in Denmark – as international experience is
not weighted as heavily in Denmark. There is a mentality that ‘the Danish market is big
enough,’ but this mentality could inhibit development of international mindsets within
Danish companies, and possibly inhibit future financial opportunities. While this DJØF
survey may focus on Danish expatriates abroad, the conclusions regarding the lack of
focus on international mindsets is also applicable to international students and foreign
expatriates currently located in Denmark.
Knowledge sharing is a theme that popped up considerably throughout the results of the
survey. The survey revealed that members working abroad are unable to make use of
their international experience in Danish workplaces. These members believe that the
workplace does not prioritize knowledge-sharing within the workplace. There is a strong
reference to the idea that Danish organizations suffer from a sort of ‘tunnel vision’ – and
are potentially not open to ideas and communications from people from other parts of
the world.
However, despite this lack of focus on knowledge sharing (regarding
information gained from international experience, and giving it back to the Danish
organization), which is one of the reasons members of DJØF are considering staying
abroad, they are not worried about taxes.
The high level of Danish taxes is not
inhibiting qualified workers from wanting to return or remain in Denmark.
It should be noted that the results from this survey have portrayed the idea that the
national mindset of Danish enterprises as a whole affects Denmark’s international
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competitive position (DJØF Survey, 2010).
The public and private sectors will be
affected by a lack of focus on international skill sets. In the public sector, it is possible
that organizations will lose influence amongst similar international organizations. In the
private sector, competition is tough on all fronts. Therefore, Danish organizations need
to realize that employees with an international focus and experience will be an important
tool in their success, in relation to foreign competitors.
This survey points out clearly that in regards to strategic development of public and
private sector organizations, more needs to be done (regarding recruitment and
development of international employees) if Denmark is to become a serious player in
the global market.
8.2
Immigrants Can Benefit the Danish Labor Market
Paralleled with the DJØF survey, recent studies have shown that if more immigrants
could gain access to the labor market, the economic benefit to Danish society could
amount to 24 billion kroner annually (cphpost.dk, 2010). These figures were produced
by Nykredit’s chief analyst Jakob Legaard Jakobsen. While the figures focus more on
non-educated workers, the point is relevant because it highlights how difficult it is for an
educated or non-educated, non-Danish worker to break into the labor market. It also
highlights the potential benefits that residents of Denmark could receive if it were easier
for workers of either type to obtain employment.
For example, it was mentioned that every employee in the Danish workforce creates an
average production value of 310,000 kroner annually.
The study showed that if
immigrants were to have the same option of fulltime employment as Danes, it would
increase the labor market by 77,000 people, leading to the aforementioned additional 24
billion kroner annually. Jakobsen was quoted as saying, “Right now we’re suffering
from a very low economic growth and it could be a significant contribution if we got more
immigrants into the labor market.”
In a recent article in the Jyllands-Posten, statistics showed that in a mixture of 6,000
small-, medium- and large-sized companies who were surveyed over the course of ten
years, that firms with less than 100 employees in total (and more than 14% of those
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considered foreign workers) have on average, an 8% lower production rate than their
competitors; additionally, the statistics highlighted that for firms with more than 100
employees with a high level of ethnic diversity, there is no impact, positive or negative,
on productivity levels.
The study, however, fails to distinguish between educated
workers and non-educated workers – the two groups are lumped together as a whole
statistic.
This perception that the two groups are similar is yet another barrier for
educated workers, a sort of general stereotype that in actuality is hurting the
development of Denmark’s economic growth.
In the same article, Dario Pozzoli, PhD from ASB, states that ‘many Danish companies
have a need for qualified, educated foreign workers…but that the Danish companies are
not prepared to integrate such workers.’
‘A diverse workforce implies there are a
multitude of beliefs, understandings, values, ways of viewing the world, and unique
information, all under one roof’ (Shen, et al, 2009, p. 5). It was also highlighted again,
that the linguistic problems are the biggest challenges.
In regards to education levels, Denmark could benefit from the highly-educated
international students who are studying their Bachelor and Master degrees. In dealing
with globalization, it was discovered that ‘one of the main weaknesses of the Danish
economy is the slow progress in human capital formation. Only 86% of the 25-34 year
olds have at least an upper secondary education…which is the lowest level among the
Nordic countries’ (Selmer and Lauring, 2008).
8.3
Integration of Foreigners in Denmark
Foreigners in Denmark make up 9.5% of the total population, which is around 526,000
inhabitants (Fink, 2009). While foreigners in the country on holiday (considered tourists)
often say that Danes are very warm and helpful, the opinion often changes when these
foreigners become residents of Denmark.
According to Danmark Statistik from January 1, 2009, the countries with the largest
population representation are (in order of largest to smallest):
Turkey (58,191),
Germany (30,385), Iraq (28,917), Poland (27,198), Lebanon (23,563), Bosn.-Herc.
(22,093), Pakistan (19,880), ex-Yugoslavia (17,141), Somalia (16,689), and Norway
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(15,956). Nearly 23% of the foreign population comes from Western countries, with a
background similar to that of Denmark; 22% are from the new EU and other European
countries outside the EU. Additionally, nearly 55% of foreigners come from countries
with very different values than Denmark (Fink, 2009). Because more than half of the
foreign population in Denmark come from cultures that have values and traditions that
differ largely from that of the Danes, these large differences are a major part of the
reason why it is hard for foreigners in general to integrate, regardless of where they
come from. It has been said that:
People don’t resist change, they resist being changed (Senge, 1992).
The sudden radical change in demographics is a probable reason why it is harder to
integrate internationals and introduce the English language into organizations with
tenured employees.
When is one considered ‘integrated’? With such a large emphasis placed on personal
life and work-life balance in Denmark, being considered integrated often times means
more than simply having a job in Denmark – it means having a social network with
Danes. Learning the language can be the first step towards social integration; signing
up for sports and other clubs can also be an easy way to begin socializing and
networking with Danes.
Regarding professional integration, again, the topic of
implementing a training program for all employees is relevant to discuss because ‘as
the workforce in various countries becomes increasingly culturally diverse, the need to
train individuals to become effective in dealing with such new complexities increases’
(Landis and Bhagat, 1996).
Historically, Denmark has remained one of the most homogenous societies in the world,
and occasionally, they have even been described as a tribe (Andersen, 2006). ‘There
can be no denying that prejudice and xenophobia do exist in Danish society’ (Selmer
and Lauring, 2008, p. 6, via Quraishy and Connor, 1991).
‘There can also be no
denying that these sentiments can be harmful to the integration of ethnic minorities.
Denmark traditionally has had a (not in all respects well deserved) reputation for its
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openness, tolerance and humanitarian traditions notwithstanding’ (Selmer and Lauring,
2008, p. 6, via Nannestad, 2004a).
Political influence should be considered another reason why integration of foreigners in
Denmark can be considered difficult.
In the last 30-40 years, politics related to
foreigners has focused on refugees and immigrants who come from very different
cultural backgrounds than Denmark – and many have difficulty finding work (Fink,
2009). As a result of this, there was a sense of worry that spread over the nation of
Denmark in regards to whether or not the social welfare system could survive the needs
of this increasing foreign population, who seemingly, were not giving anything back.
But there is evidence of that changing. Focus has been moving towards recruiting more
well-educated workers into the country. And the well-educated foreign workers in the
country have ‘high salaries, pay considerable taxes, thus contributing greatly to the
wealth of Denmark and its welfare system. In other words, they are a benefit, not a
threat. However, changing opinions and attitudes takes time, especially when political
parties stoke fears about foreigners diluting Danish values and weakening the welfare
state’ (Fink, 2009).
It can also be recognized that knowledge of the Danish language, or an effort to learn
the language, will be positively received by most Danes. In order to integrate, it may not
be necessary to speak Danish fluently, but the more language one understands, the
more of the culture they will understand. Additionally, ‘making an effort to speak the
language usually is taken as a positive sign by the host nationals, and the attempts to
use the language will increase their desire to get to know an international as an
individual’ (Gudykunst and Kim, 1992).
8.4
Danish Management Style
It is necessary to discuss the traditional management style in Denmark, as it is possible
the social system can affect a manager’s mentality. Denmark is characterized as being
open-minded while self-sufficient, which is a bit of a paradox. So, ‘the question is how
this general societal paradox of being open-minded while self-sufficient is something
that affects the Danish management style in international encounters’ (Lauring, 2008).
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‘Danish managers may have a hard time dealing with the cultural differences presented
between themselves and foreign employees.
Whether these differences are
represented by language, work-life balance, power distance or work ethics, these
difficulties may be related to the open-minded/self-sufficient paradox’ (Lauring, 2008).
In a study performed by Lauring and Jonasson on challenges to communication
management in multinational teams, a team leader was quoted as saying ‘cultural
differences will keep you focused on the assignment. It is due to not having to talk
about what TV people watch – like if you were just a bunch of Danes. So, personal
discussion doesn’t go very deep’ (2008). While this type of viewpoint may cause some
employees to react aversely, it can be argued that integration of a multinational
workforce can actually increase productivity.
On the other hand, the self-sufficiency of Danish managers is best represented by the
‘social democratic peer pressure’ described by Kuttner (2008) that ‘makes it hard for
Danish managers to deal with employees that do not have sufficient skills or do not feel
a need for empowerment of self-management’ (Lauring, 2008), or perhaps those
employees who are used to extreme levels of power distance, dynamic hierarchies in an
organization, as well as unindividualistic environments. Additionally, a result of a study
completed by Woerkom and de Reuver regarding management performance in an
intercultural context suggested the idea that ‘cultural empathy, open-mindedness and
social initiative were found to have a positive effect on transformational leadership’
(2009).
9.0
Conclusions
This chapter of the thesis will highlight any of the conclusions that have been drawn
thus far from the research, as well as my interpretations and recommendations.
Additionally, recommendations will be made for further research on the topic.
Change is often feared, and employers worry about the complexity, and how it will affect
the current organizational structure – depending on their company’s success, they don’t
want to worry about ’rocking the boat.’ Most changes will require a shift in the mindset
of both employees and leaders simultaneously. Change will affect many aspects of an
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organization, ranging from the daily tasks, to the people, to the processes and daily
culture. Specifically regarding the employees, each individual is going to perceive an
upcoming change situation differently – no two people will take the news and
introduction of change in the same way.
In order to positively affect change,
management must take the time to consider these aspects, and remember that change
is about figuring out what steps to take in order to most easily move from the current
situation to the desired future situation. It should be noted that lack of readiness for
change is a typical threat to the success of a change project (Hildebrandt and Brandi,
2007).
Change leadership is important when introducing the concept of international integration
into an organization.
Managers of all levels need to be prepared and be visibly
available to answer any questions their workers may have regarding the strategy at
hand. More specifically, in regards to leadership, ‘managers need to pay attention to a
wide variety of things: they need to provide a sense of direction to their organization;
they need to communicate the purposes, objectives and ends of internationalization; but
perhaps most importantly, they need to communicate a focus of commitment and
mutual trust, as well as a desire and drive that motivates and promotes independent
input from members of the organization’ (Petersen, 2000).
Regarding the relationship between language and group cohesiveness, based on
results from a study created by Lauring and Selmer, it can be suggested that
‘management of multicultural organizations should focus on creating an environment
supporting consistent English management communication’ – HRM strategies can be
adjusted to implicate this.
As revealed in the focus group interviews, international
students are aware of the Danish language barriers presented to them, albeit in the
classroom or the workplace setting; because of this barrier, they often struggle to
become socially and professionally integrated, and feel left out.
Adrian Favell, a British researcher working at Aarhus University’s Centre for Global and
Regional Studies has said that ‘Denmark faces specific problems in terms of
maintaining a mobile workforce because often people’s qualifications are not recognized
and difficulties related to settling in a small country, like language and a strong sense of
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nationalism, are often hard for outsiders to overcome.’ Language barriers are not the
only obstacles in place for international students in regards to securing employment in
Denmark. It has become clear that Denmark, although there has been a lot of focus on
internationalization in the past 3 years, is lacking an international mindset. Leaders of
the Danish organizations do not appear to be on board with broadening their
recruitment efforts, nor are the prepared to present a common, lingua franca language
(English) in order to allow employees from all nationalities to work together successfully;
coworkers are not ready to accept the internal changes they may have to go through in
order to communicate with someone from another culture.
There are three common things that international students are continuously told to focus
on in order to successfully socially integrate and possibly have professional
success/land a job in Denmark: learn Danish, network, and be proactive. Some of
these international student’s are the top minds in the school, as Jesper Qvistaard stated
regarding the year 2009’s 10 international scholarship students, ‘I can assure you, they
are all doing a satisfactory job so far’ (asb.dk, 2010). It is hard to realize with such
strong, talented minds at hand, that some of these same students revealed in the focus
group interviews that they were prepared to lower their job expectations in Denmark,
and were willing to take a job they normally would not take back home, in order to stay
in the country.
Regarding all of the aforementioned internationalization projects, there is no central
governing body that all of these projects report to. It appears that if this was in place, or
there was some form of general communication going on, progress could be made in a
much more effective and efficient manner. It has been noticed that sometimes the
members of one project are doing work that has already been completed via another
project.
Management and collaboration in this area could be beneficial to the
international population in the region in total.
As the Danish economy continues to grow and evolve, organizations will need the
intellectual benefits of the international students currently studying in Denmark. A lot of
the obstacles international students encounter can be easily fixed by the Danish
government – often times, the obstacle is something as remedial as translating a
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website into English.
In order to deal with the issues of social and professional
integration that would make it easier for skilled, knowledgeable workers to remain in
Denmark, there will need to be a more flexible approach in regards to work permits,
CPR numbers, tax issues, etc. The Danish society needs to quickly begin implementing
some of these changes before the educated international students in the country take
their (often times) free education and turn around and go home.
The Danish language is one of the largest cultural obstacles international students have
to overcome in order to find employment in Denmark, as well as to socially integrate. It
could perhaps be a suggestion to allow full-degree international students the opportunity
to earn ECTS elective points for taking Danish language courses. This can not only
help these students in regards to the job search process and the labor market, but also
in terms of integration into the Danish society – having the ability to read relevant
websites, understand signs at the grocery store, make small talk with their fellow Danish
students (which in turn can help increase their network). It is a win-win situation for all
parties involved.
‘The key to the success or failure in implementing a change project is highly dependent
on leadership. The leader needs to have a clear vision of the direction of the change.
They also need to communicate with all parties involved, consistently. And even more
importantly, they need to remember that ’people, rather than technological and
structural issues – however important they may be – lie at the true heart of change’
(Hildebrandt and Brandi, 2007).
While Denmark is not as international-minded, nor ready or willing to take the steps
towards being more international-minded as many citizens believe, the evidence is
coming to light that from a mere population standpoint alone (there simply are not
enough Danish people in the country to continue supporting businesses with the
forecasted growth rate), the Danish government and leaders need to begin pushing the
idea of internationalization home to the Danish organizations in order to remain
competitive in the world of globalization – or it will be to their financial detriment. But
above all, it is importance to recognize the efforts made thus far towards globalization in
Denmark and making the labor market more international. The shape of the world’s
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economy is changing, and in order to remain a strong economy, Denmark needs to
change with the times. ‘Ninety-eight percent of Novo Nordisk’s market was located
beyond the national borders of Denmark, and according to the top management, this
created on the one hand, a need for a broad knowledge base in the understanding of
the many different local markets, and on the other hand, a need to develop a global
view’ (Lauring, 2009). It has been said that ‘the very ambitious globalization strategy for
Denmark that was recently initiated by the government to strengthen its future
international competitiveness is an indication that there is a political intention to step up
the globalization process’ (Selmer and Lauring, 2008). It appears change is on the
horizon.
9.1
Implication for Further Studies
In order to parallel the findings with the three year long InterResource project, it would
be beneficial to continue running a similar International Student Survey every fall
semester that would include the attitude of the new students who have recently arrived
in Denmark, as well as that of those students who have already been around for longer
than a year.
Regarding this thesis specifically, efforts will remain focused on ASB
international students. Gaining the new, fresh perspective and comparing it to the data
from that of years past would allow us to quickly compare if any changes implemented
as a result of the InterResource project have become successful (regarding practical
issues upon arrival in Denmark, to social integration issues, to employment issues).
Additionally, since the focus of the InterResource project is on the mid-Jutland region,
the questions need to be re-worded to specifically relate to Danish companies in the
mid-Jutland region. As the survey stands at the moment, international students were
asked about their expectations in Denmark, or if they had landed employment in
Denmark, or how strong their Danish network was. In a sense, the survey data was not
really clarifying the main goal of the InterResource project.
Unfortunately, the question was not asked to the current ASB international students if
they perceive their native language and/or knowledge of additional language skills as a
helpful tool in regards to finding a position in the Danish job market.
A question
focusing specifically on the benefits of a student’s native language would have allowed
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us to not only see a potential success rate increase, but also the ability to determine a
little more clearly which languages are predominately spoken in the workplace.
Additionally, regarding the survey questions dissecting language skills of international
students, another option is to further segment the questions into the three main
proficiency areas: speaking ability, reading ability and writing ability; the proficiency
level for each function could be analyzed further.
The structure of the question what are the barriers to finding a job in Denmark (why do
you not have a job) should not have been an open-answer field, allowing the
respondents to write in answers. Instead, there would have been specific answers
given for them to check-off, which would have allowed for a more clean analysis of the
question.
If given the opportunity to examine the alumni respondents further, first and foremost,
regarding the language skills questions, it needs to be clarified that the survey is
requesting information on the study-relevant jobs they managed to land in Denmark – it
was realized that this fact was left out absentmindedly. It would also be interesting to
do a cross-analysis regarding which language skills the alumni predominately use at
work, versus how many languages they are fluent in, versus which language is spoken
in a social atmosphere during down time at work – and whether or not they feel socially
integrated in the workplace. They could be asked: what working level of the Danish
language have they mastered?
Additionally, it should be clearly revealed which
companies these alumni landed jobs in, what the size of the company is, what the goal
of the company is (is there a heavy focus on an internationalization strategy?), as well
as how international they are in their staff employed.
Additionally, it would be insightful to analyze more in-depth the successes and failures
of the international alumni. Individual cases could be highlighted in relation to what
steps these alumni took in order to succeed. The topic of employment could be further
researched:
at what point did the alumni land their first relevant employment in
Denmark? Was it while studying (student job or internship) or after they graduated (full-
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time job)? How was the alumni able to find the job: was it job search databases, their
personal Danish networks, etc?
I strongly believe that uncovering more information from the alumni networks at each
institution can definitely help build a sort of training program for international students in
regards to achieving social and professional success while in Denmark. They can be
advised as to what steps their predecessors have taken in order to succeed, whether it
was academically, professionally, or socially. Steps can then be recommended for the
current international students to take.
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