With 25 countries being members of the European Union, travelling and working in other countries has become significantly easier. But what happens when one culture meets another one in a work situation? More specifically, what happens when French and Swedish cultures meet? Would a Swedish manager lead his team in the same way as a French one would?

My question is: What is management philosophy like in Sweden and France? Do the two philosophies resemble? And if not, in what ways do they differ?

The purpose of this essay is to find out, by looking at the material used at management courses, what the Swedish management philosophy really is. And then look at whether there are any similarities between this philosophy and the French one. The idea is to examine how management is being taught in both countries, by looking at what management litterature is used at some of the highest ranked management schools in Sweden and France.

There have been numerous ethnological studies concerning nationality and cultural behaviour, one of the most important ones is the study done by Hofstede. According to him, Sweden and France should be on opposite ends of his scale concerning power distance and uncertainty avoidance. My essay is therefore focused on these two phenomenon, and the way they are described in management literature used in Sweden and France. With Hofstedes studies in mind, my hypothesis was that I would encounter big differences between the management literatures in the two countries.

My results imply that there are few differences between French and Swedish literature, concerning power distance and uncertainty avoidance. For instance, both countries literature brings up delegation and flat organisations, pointing out their importance in order to have a well functioning team. The litterature is also encouraging a great level of independence and good communication with in the team.