Finnish Business Tips

Tip 1
Perseverance and stubbornness (sisu) are widely viewed as being key characteristics.

Tip 2
Finns tend less towards consensus than their Nordic cousins, expecting individuals to take responsibility for decisions which fall within the perimeters of their responsibilities.

Tip 3
Industrial relations in Finland have been characterised by co-operation and calm, with all elements in the organisation working for the good of the greater whole.

Tip 4
Finnish companies can be quite paternalistic in their approach to the wider community, seeing the company as having a social obligation to fulfil.

Tip 5
Engineering and engineers are held in great esteem and managers from this discipline very often dominate companies.

Tip 6
Management places great emphasis on the development of orderly procedures and processes, which will enable everybody to perform their tasks efficiently.

Tip 7
Major decisions tend to be taken in a collegiate style by a small group of senior managers. These major decisions can be a long time in the making.

Tip 8
Finns are uncomfortable with a hard sell approach. It is better to be understated and somewhat self-deprecating in manner.

Tip 9
Meetings are very often used for the dissemination of information rather than as debating chambers.

Tip 10
Meetings tend to be highly structured and interruptions and diversions are frowned upon.

Tip 11
Punctuality is important but less so than in Sweden.

Tip 12
Do not feel the need to speak during a meeting merely for the sake of saying something. Finns respect those who interject in a timely, succinct and appropriate way.

Tip 13
Being overly enthusiastic about a proposal can backfire on you. It is necessary to look at the possible downsides before succumbing to optimism.

Tip 14
Teams consist of groups of individuals who like to be given tangible tasks and then allowed to perform them with relatively little interference.

Tip 15
Silence is golden in Finland. Do not feel the need to fill every silence that occurs in a meeting.

Tip 16
Body language and feedback are limited and difficult to read. Do not be too disheartened if your presentation does not meet with the rapturous applause you had anticipated.

Tip 17
Humour is acceptable in many business situations and Finns appreciate dry, sardonic wit.

Tip 18
Finns are good linguists and often speak several languages to a good level. Fear of making mistakes can make Finns reticent to show their level of fluency.

Tip 19
Work and private life are largely separated, with inter-company social functions being formally organised affairs. The Scandinavian hard-drinking reputation of days gone by still exists to a certain extent and business dinners can occasionally prove exhausting.

Tip 20
If travelling to Finland in the winter, be prepared for the worst. Take lots of layers of warm clothing as well as a hat, scarf and gloves.

Author

This country-specific business culture profile was written by Keith Warburton who is the founder of the cultural awareness training consultancy Global Business Culture.  Global Business culture is a leading training provider in the fields of cross-cultural communication and global virtual team working.  We provide training to global corporations in live classroom-based formats, through webinars and also through our cultural awareness digital learning hub, Global Business Compass.

This World Business Culture profile is designed as an introduction to business culture in Australia only and a more detailed understanding needs a more in-depth exploration which we can provide through our training and consultancy services.

Author

This country-specific business culture profile was written by Keith Warburton who is the founder of the cultural awareness training consultancy Global Business Culture. 

Global Business culture is a leading training provider in the fields of cross-cultural communication and global virtual team working.  We provide training to global corporations in live classroom-based formats, through webinars and also through our cultural awareness digital learning hub, Global Business Compass.

This World Business Culture profile is designed as an introduction to business culture in Finland only and a more detailed understanding needs a more in-depth exploration which we can provide through our training and consultancy services.