역사를 통해 본 스웨덴 기업문화의 특징 (Characteristics of the Swedish Business Culture based on historical Perspectives)

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 한국외국어대학교 국제지역연구센터
· 수록지 정보 : 국제지역연구 / 12권 / 4호 / 141 ~ 152페이지
· 저자명 : 노명환

초록

‘스웨덴 모델’로 불리는 스웨덴의 경제와 사회제도를 지탱해 온 기업문화는 어떠한 것일까? 본고에서는 스웨덴의 역사를 개괄하고 스웨덴 인들의 일상의 삶과 깊은 관계에 있는 여름 별장 스투가 (stuga)가 상징하는 바를 분석하면서 스웨덴 기업문화의 기본 전제들과 실제를 조명하고 자 한다. 스웨덴 인이 누구인가를 이해하기 위해서는 그들에게 자리 잡은 ‘중용의 합리성’이라는 개념에 해당할 수 있는 라곰 (lagom)에 대한 이해가 중요하다. 스웨덴 기업문화를 이해하는 데 있어서 자유주의, 개인주의 그리고 공동체주의가 어떻게 합리적 중용을 이루며, 자본주의와 사회주의가 어떻게 사회민주주의로 조화로운 귀결을 이루는지를 파악하는 것이 매우 중요하다. 자본주의 체제 속에서의 대기업들의 발달과 사회민주주의에 의거한 대기업들의 사회헌신 그리고 이를 통한 광범위한 사회복지제도 지원 등은 라곰에 기초한 ‘스웨덴 모델’의 근간이다.

영어초록

Sweden is one of the “three fingers of Scandinavia," located between Norway and
Finland. There are thousands of islands lining the coast, and mountains form much of the
northwest. Sweden is dotted with lakes, and more than half of the country is forested. The
population of Sweden is 8.8 million. At least 85% of the people are ethnic Swedes. A small,
indigenous minority (approximately 15,000), the Sami, lives in the North.
Sweden's late Industrial Revolution in the early 1900s contributed to its swift rise from
poverty to prosperity. The country already established solid educational and transportation
systems that supported industrialization. There was also money for expansion into new
industries because of Sweden's valuable timber and iron that were in great demand in
Europe. Sweden had discovered early that a partnership of private and public interests was
the best combination for both achieving economic success and benefiting as many people as
possible. The evolution into a social democratic system had started.
The six fundamental values of Swedish social democracy: equality, freedom, democracy,
solidarity, security, and efficiency. The form of democracy in Sweden is often called the
“Swedish model" and sometimes “human capitalism," and it relies heavily on the close
collaboration between business, government, and labor.
The Swedish word ‘lagom' is key to understanding the rationale behind social democracy.
‘Lagom' is untranslatable but essentially means “middle way" and “reasonable."
The summer home, stuga is a place to go for solitude and quiet individualism. It brings
into focus most of the important values in Sweden, including equality. The Swedes' love
and respect for nature is a strongly held value.
Swedish companies, especially the larger ones, are able to draw on some extraordinary qualities of leadership: For example, Peter Gyllenhammer of Volvo, Ingvar Kamprad of IKEA, Percy Barnevik of Asea Brown Boveri, Bjorn Svedberg of L. M. Ericsson, Jan Carlzon of SAS, Allan Larson of the Labor Market Board, Bo Ekman of the aptly named Holen Group, Antonin Johnson of A. Johnson, Curt Nicolin, head of the Employer's Federation, and many others.
Swedish leaders are extremely broad in their interests and their education. Their vital contribution of business to Swedish society is at the top of their agendas, and this contribution goes far beyond economics. One important test of leadership is readiness to delegate. For Swedes, the information necessary to improving the work process is widely distributed through group. We see again how Swedes identify their work with the highest cultural institutions in the land and feel themselves part of these.

참고자료

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