Is the Scandinavian way of organizing challenged by the growing Chinese economy?

Abstract

The institutional order of organizing in working life is very different in Scandinavia and China. When Scandinavian and Chinese managers and employees meet in concrete work relations they not only work together on a product they also become engaged in institutional work dealing with the inconsistencies between the institutional orders of organizing. This in turn may affect the institutional orders by maintaining or transforming them. We don’t know what is going to happen as it depends on the awareness, skill and reflexivity of Scandinavian and Chinese institutional actors in the sense that these actors are able to work with institutionally defined orders.