A cultural analysis of Norway

Fjords, mountains, waterfalls, beaches and rich people who are friendly at the same time. That is how one would probably imagine paradise or Norway. The typical Norwegian is usually described as being calm, casual and pessimistic. The main problem here is that Austrian people in general tend to believe to know enough about the Norwegian culture and that its values and basic attitudes are very similar to the Austrian ones. But in reality the Nordic countries and Norway in particular feature a remarkable diversity, because the North is more varied and sometimes even more contradictory than it is commonly perceived in Central Europe. Not only in everyday life but also in business life it is important to be cautious or even to know what kind of person one meets for a scheduled meeting. In case the person has a different cultural background, it is even more important and helpful to be informed about cultural peculiarities in order to avoid misunderstandings and to ensure respectful dealings with each other.