Danfoss Trata
Danfoss Trata: Slovene case study
WORKING PAPER – NOT FOR QUATATION
Authors:
Matevž Rašković, PhD candidate
Marko Jaklič, PhD
Hugo Zagoršek, PhD
Aljaž Hribernik, MSc
1. INTRODUCTION
Coming to Trata and talking to the employees, one is surprised by the fact they are all saying “We are Danfoss”. Going against common beliefs of untrusting and closed
Slovenes, there is not a sense of “us” or “them” at Trata. There is only “we”. Exploring the story of Trata - its past, its present within Danfoss and its future - the idea of transnational learning may be seen at its finest. Perhaps not thought to be all that unusual to a pragmatist Dane, this marks a new experience for Slovene companies. A collaboration of equals. To a Dane living in the Danish flatlands and islands, surrounded by the sea, the entire world is seen as a marketplace, offering limitless possibilities for learning and sharing. To a Slovene, nestled cozily and safely in his valley, the neighboring hill is perceived to be an already distant world. Exploring the paths of
Danfoss and Trata, sketches examples of the power of transnational learning – when the
Danish flatlands meet the Slovene valley mentality and shows the potential of the
Slovene institutional environment from a transnational perspective. It furthermore challenges certain common misconceptions of the Slovene environment and its institutional contexts (e.g. the Slovene labour market and its flexibility), providing good examples of the power of harvesting Slovene specifics through pragmatic Danish organizational levers. In this context, the main hypothesis of our case is thus based on the belief that the key to Trata’s success lays in its transnational approach to using allegedly unfavorable and rigid specifics of the Slovene environment, leveraging them in ways that help drive their success not hinder it. Having said this, the aim of the case is to identify and explore some of these key levers, since many of them at the
WORKING PAPER – NOT FOR QUATATION
Authors:
Matevž Rašković, PhD candidate
Marko Jaklič, PhD
Hugo Zagoršek, PhD
Aljaž Hribernik, MSc
1. INTRODUCTION
Coming to Trata and talking to the employees, one is surprised by the fact they are all saying “We are Danfoss”. Going against common beliefs of untrusting and closed
Slovenes, there is not a sense of “us” or “them” at Trata. There is only “we”. Exploring the story of Trata - its past, its present within Danfoss and its future - the idea of transnational learning may be seen at its finest. Perhaps not thought to be all that unusual to a pragmatist Dane, this marks a new experience for Slovene companies. A collaboration of equals. To a Dane living in the Danish flatlands and islands, surrounded by the sea, the entire world is seen as a marketplace, offering limitless possibilities for learning and sharing. To a Slovene, nestled cozily and safely in his valley, the neighboring hill is perceived to be an already distant world. Exploring the paths of
Danfoss and Trata, sketches examples of the power of transnational learning – when the
Danish flatlands meet the Slovene valley mentality and shows the potential of the
Slovene institutional environment from a transnational perspective. It furthermore challenges certain common misconceptions of the Slovene environment and its institutional contexts (e.g. the Slovene labour market and its flexibility), providing good examples of the power of harvesting Slovene specifics through pragmatic Danish organizational levers. In this context, the main hypothesis of our case is thus based on the belief that the key to Trata’s success lays in its transnational approach to using allegedly unfavorable and rigid specifics of the Slovene environment, leveraging them in ways that help drive their success not hinder it. Having said this, the aim of the case is to identify and explore some of these key levers, since many of them at the
References: 1. Bartlett, C.A.; Ghoshal, S. (1989). Managing across borders: the transnational solution 2. Danfoss annual report (2005). 3. European Comission (2004). Industrial relations in Europe 2004. 4. Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture 's Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions and Organizations Across Nations 5. Ignjatović, M. and Kramberger, A. (2000) Fleksibilizacija slovenskega trga dela, Statistična omrežna sodelovanja za večjo evropsko usklajenost in kakovostno 6. Jaklič, Marko (2004). Symbolic interactionism approach to study socio-economic development in Slovenia 7. Kristensen, P.H., Jaklič, M. (1997). ATLANTIS VALLEYS: Local Continuity and Industrialization in Slovenia Contrasted with West Jutland, Denmark, and Third 8. Stanojevič, Miroslav. (2006). Slovenia: Rigidity or Negotiated ‘Flexibility’? Working text. 9. Stanojevič, Miroslav; Vehovar, Urban. (2005). Strong Labour and Gradual Transition to Market Economy: The Case of Slovenia