ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses HRD in the Nordic countries, which include the Scandinavian countries and Iceland. These countries form a specific cluster, not only because of their geographic location in the north of Europe but also due to common political, cultural, demographic, and economic factors (Olofsson and Wadensjö, 2012). The Nordic countries are represented in the Nordic Council, which ties them together into common educational and labor market policies. What this means is that whereas each country has its own legislation, the political decisions of one directly affects the HRD developments in the others. Furthermore, the Nordic countries all have relatively small economies and small populations (Eurostat, 2015). Compared to European countries, people in the Nordic countries have a more ‘feminine culture’, where competition and winning is less important than quality of life and enjoying what they are doing (The Hofstede Centre, 2015). All of these indicators impact on HRD, and hence it makes sense to review the situation of HRD in these countries as a group. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss both the contextual influences on HRD at a macrolevel as well as at the organizational level. In examining the similarities and differences between the Nordic countries, this chapter aims to show that there is a common Nordic model of HRD.
