It’s hard to understand the Danish style of working without understand the kvajebajer. This is a word that translates roughly to “failure beer.”
It dates all the way back to the Vikings, those seafaring people who lived in Scandinavia from the 9th to 11th centuries.
A failure beer is something you provide to all your colleagues when they’ve just seen you make a foolish or avoidable mistake.
The Danish way, if you’ve made a mistake, is to admit it, analyze what went wrong, plan to do it differently next time and, if time allows, buy everyone on your team a kvajebajer – a failure beer.
But this approach can be hard for internationals working in Denmark to handle.
If you come from a very litigious society, like the USA, admitting that you made a mistake can make you feel like you’ll be the target of a lawsuit. Better to find someone else to blame.
Or if you come from an honor-based society, like China or Pakistan, you may feel that to admit you’ve made a mistake is a loss of face, a humiliation, a loss of honor.
But honor is not a big part of Danish culture.
Surveys show that Denmark has the world’s lowest rate of gelotophobia, that is, fear of being laughed at. Everyone is expected to be able to laugh at themselves.
If it’s in the middle of the work day or you have non-drinkers in your circle, you might opt for a kvajekage – a failure cake – instead.
For example, I had a client, a small tech firm, that was three days late with an important delivery. When they brought the delivery, they brought a failure cake along too.
Failure cake or failure beer is about an acceptance of human frailty.
And it’s rooted in the Danish passion for equality. We’re all human, we all make mistakes, so let’s have a beer.
If you’d like to learn more about Danish working culture, order Kay Xander Mellish’s classic book “How to Work in Denmark: Tips on Finding a job, succeeding at work, and understanding your Danish boss.”
Working in Denmark comes with a lot of benefits – but a lot of unwritten rules, too. Why is it so important in Danish working culture to take a break and eat cake with your colleagues?
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Is learning to speak Danish necessary? Can you succeed in your career without it?
What’s the secret to understanding Danish humor?
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Cultural trainer Kay Xander Mellish is a US-Danish dual citizen who has worked for Fortune 500 companies in both countries.
Her How to Live in Denmark podcast has been running since 2013.
Kay is the author of the books How to Live in Denmark and How to Work in Denmark, and she is a popular keynote speaker and cultural trainer for business teams.
She lives in Copenhagen with her family.
Contact Kay to book an in-person presentation or virtual presentation about Danish working culture.
Kay Xander Mellish 2020Doing business in Denmark: Six top tips