I have had an amazing first week so far in Stockholm, Sweden! The weather has been beautiful and the city is absolutely gorgeous as well!
Working in PR in Sweden has both many similarities and differences to the US. The typical competencies in writing, communication, and working with others are just as important. Since Sweden is, of course, a foreign country, having awareness of cultural differences is especially important in Public Relations.
Overall, Sweden’s work culture is much more laid-back compared to the US. First names are used for everyone from boss to intern, and Swedes tend to take longer breaks for lunch and coffee. Since I’m working with a startup, I’ve also learned about how Swedish and European investors tend to take longer to decide to fund or invest in a startup. This type of culture heavily affects the pace that PR work tends to go, focusing on longer-term plans rather than snap decisions.
European and Swedish politics also add a layer of complexity to PR work. PR heads and consultants have to potentially navigate beneficial and unfavorable laws and navigate the consequences and potential statements they would have to make related to them. Although politics plays a role in PR in the United States, it’s certainly more complicated in the European Union because of the additional layers of laws.
These differences overall lead to several additional skills that would be useful in a Swedish context. First is the ability to take the time to assess a situation. Doing research and understanding the full picture is important in the US, but more so in Sweden. Slower-paced understanding is favored in Sweden, while snap-decisions may be seen as hasty or unwise.
Another important skill is deep cultural understanding. This is something often overlooked in America by Americans, because we don’t necessarily need to learn another culture – we were already raised in it. In Sweden or any other foreign country, learning the culture is incredibly important in PR to work effectively any avoid any social faux-pas.
Overall, the culture of PR in Sweden greatly reflect the overall culture of the country. It’s been fascinating to see how PR and culture intersect in my work.