The notion that Denmark has no natural resources is a fallacy.

In addition to its gas and oil fi elds in the North Sea, Denmark has vast amounts of the only natural resource that really matters in a global world – people. With virtually no physical natural resources, the Danes discovered pretty early on that they had to develop their people resources if they were to prosper.

What, then, has been the outcome of this exercise? Although stating that no such thing as “typically Danish” exists is a typically Danish habit, certain common traits, shared experiences and collective perspectives can be discerned.

The development of this collective experience starts very early in Denmark. Because the vast majority of women work outside the home, almost all Danish children enter the kindergarten system if not at the age of one year then at least by 18 months of age.
      It can be argued that the resultant high level of interaction with other youngsters from such an early stage later contributes to the Danes’ abilities to co-oper ate and work in teams.

As a group, Denmark’s schools are not really up there in the Ivy League. Only three Danish universities are ranked in the list of the world’s top 150 colleges. But yet the Danish universities manage to achieve admirable results – bright young people with good language skills, who are both team players and individualists and who are curious and good at devising practical solutions to many problems.

Danes are eager to learn and keen to be involved in life-long education. Denmark spends more money per person on adult education than any other country in the world. This policy is designed to ensure that the skills of the workforce are constantly upgraded to meet changed requirements.

Denmark also has a very long tradition of vocational training. And some of the world’s best craftsmen are the young Danes who are not interested in an academic career. Another unusual feature of Danish education is the fact that young people frequently enter a trade before taking a university degree. But although this practice is dying out as market and economic dynamics demand that students complete their courses faster, it is still not unusual to meet a Danish engineer who fi rst trained as a plumber or an architect who’s also a fully qualifi ed carpenter or bricklayer.

Regardless of the career path a Danish student takes, it will be funded by state grants and various scholarships and supplemented by the students’ own earnings from part time jobs.

Most students are debt free when they graduate from university and most have not had to rely on help from their parents.
      Denmark is a very small and homogeneous society. A place where everybody knows everybody and equality rules. There is no sense of educational elitism, no Oxbridge mafi a, no Hautes Écoles haughtiness.
Even the royal family here is very down to earth. The Danes are extremely supportive of their constitutional monarchy and although there is a certain level of respect for the monarch and other members of the royal family, the relationship between crown and town is far closer than in most other countries.

With a few honourable exceptions including Niels Bohr, Søren Kirkegaard and Hans Christian Andersen, the list of world famous Danes is not very long. However, a great many other Danes are very well known in more restricted circles, be it the arts, politics or humanitarian fi elds. This is paralleled in the make-up of Danish companies – only a handful is world famous but a great many are renowned in their particular fields.

Danes have always been very adventurous. You will find Danes and Danish entrepreneurs in most corners of the world. Larsen & Toubro in India, Bech Nielsen (the founder of Aarhus United which was previously known as United Plantations) in Malaysia as well as Hans Michael Jebsen in Hong Kong.
      Other enterprising spirits of past and present include Lars Erik Nielsen, who in 1993 founded Maldivian Air Taxi service which connects the islands of the Maldives; Jan Bonde Nielsen, who started out as an entrepreneur in Italy when he was 25 years of age, led a consortium that acquired Wembley Stadium in London in the 1980s and now owns an oil terminal in Batum, Georgia; Big Bill Knudsen, who was president of General Motors between 1937 and 1940 and also served as a US army general.

Because Danes have short working weeks and enjoy long holidays some foreigners fi nd them lazy. And yes, our relaxed style might sometimes add to this appearance of slothfulness. But judged on an output criterion and measuring productivity rather than just the hours spent on the job, one fi nds that Danes are far from lazy. A study of Denmark’s preparedness for globalisation published by the confederation of Danish industries in 2006 placed Denmark in the top 10 of the world’s most productive economies. Such a result can only be achieved by workers who are conscientious and committed to the task at hand.

The egalitarian essence of Danish society is obvious right across every area of the workforce. This is evident in attitudes – the way people treat each other and the manner in which they expect to be treated in return. A Danish waiter, for example, would be shocked to be treated as a humble servant. Top business leaders and politicians wait in turn like everybody else everywhere from taxi queues to the royal opera. No preferential treatment is expected. And none is given.

The essence of Denmark’s human capital can be captured in a few short words: individuality, co-operativeness, conscientiousness, curiosity, egalitarianism and an adventurous spirit. By nurturing these qualities we can ensure that Denmark will survive and thrive for many generations to come.

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