Matias Pollmann-Larsen

Vores forudindtagede – og ofte ubevidste – holdninger til, hvad og hvordan en leder er, forhindrer os i at få kønsbalance på ledelsesgangene, og forhindrer os i at skabe samfundsmæssig værdi. Vi mangler en erkendelse af, at vi har pålagt os selv – og accepteret – nogle begrænsninger, som har rod i forældede forestillinger om køn og normer. Disse forestillinger begrænser os, både som mennesker i et samfund, der ønsker vækst og udvikling, og som forældre til børn, vi ønsker at give ubegrænsede… Vis mere

Vores forudindtagede – og ofte ubevidste – holdninger til, hvad og hvordan en leder er, forhindrer os i at få kønsbalance på ledelsesgangene, og forhindrer os i at skabe samfundsmæssig værdi. Vi mangler en erkendelse af, at vi har pålagt os selv – og accepteret – nogle begrænsninger, som har rod i forældede forestillinger om køn og normer. Disse forestillinger begrænser os, både som mennesker i et samfund, der ønsker vækst og udvikling, og som forældre til børn, vi ønsker at give ubegrænsede muligheder. Den eneste måde at gøre op med dem på er gennem en 360 graders intervention. Et dybt spadestik, der rækker ned og når hele vejen rundt om roden, og som kan trække forestillingerne frem i lyset og lægge dem til skue til revurdering.

Bogen giver et modigt og let provokerende billede af virkeligheden i Danmark. Det går slet ikke så godt, som vi går og tror! Ved at sætte fokus på kønsdiversitet håber forfatterne at skubbe på en større grad af inklusion, fordi det er uundgåeligt at komme ind på andre diversitetsaspekter, når vi ser på de feminine og maskuline egenskaber, som både mænd og kvinder har. Bogen handler ikke om køn som sådan men om den diversitet, der opstår ved at have en øget bevidsthed om de feminine og maskuline egenskaber hos begge køn.

Vores forestilling om, hvad der er maskulint, og hvad der er feminint, står i vejen for muligheder og perspektiver, vi ikke kan forestille os. I kvindekampen har vi overset, at mænds og kvinders vilkår hænger sammen. Så længe vi sammen skaber familier og danner relationer, vil vores handlinger og valg påvirke hinanden. Det er altså ikke nok bare at tale om, hvad kvinder skal gøre anderledes, eller hvad mænd skal gøre anderledes. Det er ikke længere en kvindekamp – det er et fælles anliggende.

Forord af Per Holten-Andersen, tidligere rektor på Copenhagen Business School. Vis mindre

A Spotlight on the Nordics

Climate change. Income inequality. Human rights abuses. Society today faces massive challenges that, left unaddressed, will have dire consequences. No doubt there is significant global effort aimed at tackling these challenges, most notably through the drive by UN member countries to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To achieve real progress, however, the private sector must also take significant action.

The good news: society’s most… Vis mere

A Spotlight on the Nordics

Climate change. Income inequality. Human rights abuses. Society today faces massive challenges that, left unaddressed, will have dire consequences. No doubt there is significant global effort aimed at tackling these challenges, most notably through the drive by UN member countries to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To achieve real progress, however, the private sector must also take significant action.

The good news: society’s most pressing issues present massive business opportunities. A study Boston Consulting Group conducted in 2017 found that companies that do well in delivering total societal impact (TSI)—the aggregate of their impact on society—boast higher margins and valuations. We have zeroed in on some of the leaders to understand what distinguishes those star performers. That work has revealed that when it comes to creating positive societal impact, companies that are located in one part of the world—the Nordic countries—consistently outperform companies in other regions.

To understand why Nordic companies excel—and what others can learn from them—we conducted an in-depth study of TSI in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden that included data analysis and extensive interviews with Nordic companies, investors, and other key stakeholders.

This study revealed that Nordic companies excel at a critical subset of those factors, embracing best practices in three ways:

- Exhibiting strong leadership and collaboration to maximize societal impact
- Embedding TSI in the core business
- Ensuring that their ESG reporting is clear and sophisticated

All companies, regardless of where they operate, can learn from and adapt the Nordic best practices to their own environment. By doing so, they can not only enhance their business performance but also help move the needle toward overcoming some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Vis mindre

For business leaders committed to changing the diversity agenda, Denmark is at a turning point. Now is the time to break the cycle that limits the ability of companies and society as a whole to profit from the full talent pool of a highly educated population. Companies that build diverse leadership teams and maintain an inclusive culture will be positioned to make better and more nuanced business decisions that drive value creation and growth.

Denmark: Trailing Its Peers
Despite… Vis mere

For business leaders committed to changing the diversity agenda, Denmark is at a turning point. Now is the time to break the cycle that limits the ability of companies and society as a whole to profit from the full talent pool of a highly educated population. Companies that build diverse leadership teams and maintain an inclusive culture will be positioned to make better and more nuanced business decisions that drive value creation and growth.

Denmark: Trailing Its Peers
Despite Denmark’s history as a global front-runner with policies that boost gender equality and balance and companies that keep gender diversity high on their strategic agendas, the share of females in leadership teams has only marginally increased over the past ten years, according to the World Economic Forum. Ranked 13th globally, Denmark lags far behind its Nordic peers, which are ranked at the top of the list. In terms of women’s share in leadership positions, Denmark’s rank is 95.

Time to Wake Up
A recent BCG survey that included 16,500 respondents worldwide, revealed that Danish men, highly represented in leadership, do not believe that gender bias exists in Denmark, and Danes, both women and men are unaware of the problem..
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The scale of the problem is staggering. Each year, 1.6 billion tons of food worth about $1.2 trillion go to waste—one-third of the total amount of food produced globally. To put the figure in perspective, that is ten times the mass of the island of Manhattan. And the problem is only growing: by 2030 BCG estimates annual food waste will hit 2.1 billion tons worth $1.5 trillion.

This massive misuse of resources is emerging as a critical global issue, with the UN’s Sustainable Development… Vis mere

The scale of the problem is staggering. Each year, 1.6 billion tons of food worth about $1.2 trillion go to waste—one-third of the total amount of food produced globally. To put the figure in perspective, that is ten times the mass of the island of Manhattan. And the problem is only growing: by 2030 BCG estimates annual food waste will hit 2.1 billion tons worth $1.5 trillion.

This massive misuse of resources is emerging as a critical global issue, with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals setting a target of halving food waste by 2030. The urgency reflects the fact that the food waste disaster has far-reaching implications. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Resources Institute, it accounts for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. And it is difficult to imagine solving the hunger problem—some 870 million people around the world are undernourished—when so much of the global food supply is lost between the farm and the table.

The challenge is enormous, but there is a clear way forward. On the basis of an extensive analysis of the food value chain from production through retail and consumption, BCG has identified five drivers of the problem, issues that—if addressed—could reduce the dollar value of annual waste by nearly $700 billion and create major progress toward hitting the SDG target. Certainly no one group, government, or company can make this happen. Rather, real headway will require commitment and coordinated action from governments, NGOs, companies, and consumers.

Companies that play a major role in the food value chain in particular can be catalysts for change. Through our research, we have identified 13 concrete initiatives companies can take to address those five drivers and help slash the amount of food wasted every year. This is not only a chance to help the world—it is a compelling business opportunity. Vis mindre

Denmark could add 75 billion Danish kroner (DKK) to the economy by attaining full integration, with employment being the main value driver. The predicted need for an additional 70,000 workers in 2025 provides Denmark with a golden opportunity to meet labor market demand by closing the employment gap between immigrants and Danes. Yet current efforts are fragmented and Denmark needs new ways to deliver these results and the associated positive social impact.

Action is needed now
The… Vis mere

Denmark could add 75 billion Danish kroner (DKK) to the economy by attaining full integration, with employment being the main value driver. The predicted need for an additional 70,000 workers in 2025 provides Denmark with a golden opportunity to meet labor market demand by closing the employment gap between immigrants and Danes. Yet current efforts are fragmented and Denmark needs new ways to deliver these results and the associated positive social impact.

Action is needed now
The Danish economy is on an upswing with around 2% growth and 4% unemployment. Industries such as construction and transportation lack low-skilled staff. At the same time, raising employment rates for immigrants to match the one of ethnic Danes would require moving nearly 100,000 more immigrants into jobs.

Denmark needs a transformation effort to address this
The job centers in Denmark play an important role, yet new technologies should be deployed to optimize job matching. Data-driven formulas can provide the large-scale cross-cutting solutions needed to provide companies with sufficiently qualified labor. Efforts should be targeted at all immigrants and could be funded via novel ways of financing social impact Vis mindre

Denmark is at a turning point for business leaders committed to changing the diversity agenda. Now is the time to break the cycle that limits companies and society from profiting from the larger talent pool of highly educated women and men.
Companies building diverse leadership teams with an inclusive culture will be able to make better and more nuanced business decisions that will drive growth.

In the past decade, Denmark has fallen behind peers
Despite many policies in Denmark… Vis mere

Denmark is at a turning point for business leaders committed to changing the diversity agenda. Now is the time to break the cycle that limits companies and society from profiting from the larger talent pool of highly educated women and men.
Companies building diverse leadership teams with an inclusive culture will be able to make better and more nuanced business decisions that will drive growth.

In the past decade, Denmark has fallen behind peers
Despite many policies in Denmark being on par with Nordic peers, and gender diversity being high on companies’ strategic agendas, the share of females in leadership teams barely increased over the last ten years. Denmark is falling behind globally and is far behind its Nordic peers. We need to strengthen the female talent pipeline, from education to executive management, by acting on both the organizational and societal level to enable gender diversity.

Leaders must act to retain and promote women through policy
Policy makers must change Denmark’s societal framework to advance gender diversity. While change is needed on every level and at every stage, policy changes can make the biggest difference when they affect the time period of career progression and family expansion.
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Denmark is at a turning point for business leaders committed to changing the
diversity agenda. Now is the time to break the cycle that limits companies and
society from profiting from the larger talent pool of highly educated women and
men. Companies building diverse leadership teams with an inclusive culture will be
able to make better and more nuanced business decisions that will drive growth.

In the past decade, Denmark has fallen behind peers
Despite many policies in… Vis mere

Denmark is at a turning point for business leaders committed to changing the
diversity agenda. Now is the time to break the cycle that limits companies and
society from profiting from the larger talent pool of highly educated women and
men. Companies building diverse leadership teams with an inclusive culture will be
able to make better and more nuanced business decisions that will drive growth.

In the past decade, Denmark has fallen behind peers
Despite many policies in Denmark being on par with Nordic peers, and gender
diversity being high on companies’ strategic agendas, the share of females in
leadership teams barely increased over the last ten years. Denmark is falling
behind globally and is far behind its Nordic peers. We need to strengthen the
gender diversity talent pipeline, from education to executive management, by
acting on both the organizational and societal level to enable gender diversity.

Leaders must act to retain and promote women throughout pipeline
Danish companies must learn which initiatives can help drive gender diversity and
how to successfully implement them. They must offer flexible careers and career
support, while creating an inclusive culture to tackle unconscious bias. To ensure
sustainable results, companies need a rigorous implementation approach Vis mindre

Gender diversity in leadership starts early
Females today constitute 56% of students in Denmark across the advanced educational system, so a relatively even gender split could be expected at the top-leader level. However, today’s leaders are mined from a narrow set of specializations such as economics, business administration, and engineering. These programs consisted of only around 30% women in 2016, which, if nothing changes, will significantly affect the female share of the next… Vis mere

Gender diversity in leadership starts early
Females today constitute 56% of students in Denmark across the advanced educational system, so a relatively even gender split could be expected at the top-leader level. However, today’s leaders are mined from a narrow set of specializations such as economics, business administration, and engineering. These programs consisted of only around 30% women in 2016, which, if nothing changes, will significantly affect the female share of the next generation of leaders. Addressing the gender diversity issue can therefore not be focused solely on the labor market – the educational system is part of both the problem and the solution.
Improving gender diversity in the talent pipeline is centered on two actions: Increasing gender diversity in (1) today’s leader-generating fields of study and (2) in entry-level jobs leading to leadership positions.
The first requires high schools to teach gender diversity and strengthen their career planning efforts, while universities should inspire informed study choices and promote diversity through their marketing efforts. For the second focus area universities should help students translate their ambition into career paths and help strengthen their student profile in job searches, while companies should align their value proposition to students, invest in female recruiting and expand their talent.
This will help shape tomorrow’s leadership.

The student pipeline is the foundation for gender diversity in leadership
To advance gender diversity in Danish leadership, educational institutions and companies should work together. Their focus should be to increase the share of females in both leader-generating study programs and leader-generating entry-level jobs to establish a strong pipeline of future female leaders. The next step is then to address the barriers limiting female advancement in organizations while empowering females to climb the ladder to the executive teams in Denmark Vis mindre

Leading change is a challenge undertaken by many managers and leader. Leading change in a Vietnamese partnership context may present its unique challenges and difficulties, deriving from the unique professional culture in Vietnam. The Marxist ideology poses great influence in the values of organizations and managers, and classic change management models fail in their basic assumptions. The Doi Moi reform initiated in 1986 triggered a process of privatization and market orientation in Vietnam… Vis mere

Leading change is a challenge undertaken by many managers and leader. Leading change in a Vietnamese partnership context may present its unique challenges and difficulties, deriving from the unique professional culture in Vietnam. The Marxist ideology poses great influence in the values of organizations and managers, and classic change management models fail in their basic assumptions. The Doi Moi reform initiated in 1986 triggered a process of privatization and market orientation in Vietnam, shifting the organizations' attention on performance and productivity. Multinational partners still pressure Vietnamese counterpart in enhancing productivity and production quality, demanding a shift in the production paradigm.This book analyses the change process undergone between a western and a Vietnamese company in their production setup - Vestergaard Frandsen and Det10/10 - and analyzes the successes of management tools used in leading change. Problematizing correctly the change process and adapting and adopting specific tools are part of the "art" that needs to be mastered by a change leader in order to succeed Vis mindre

By adopting similar strategies, rethinking how they operate, and working in partnership with MIC governments, international aid agencies can achieve far greater scale and impact - and play a far more meaningful role in the global fight against poverty