10 years of Danish management

- Professor Erik Johnsen has written a new book, which gives an account of management in Denmark

It is ten years since a number of top executives said goodbye to their prestigious positions in the private and the public sector. Instead of retiring they decided to establish the Center for Applied Management Studies and study Danish management.

Through all the years the question has been: What do we really do in Denmark, when we say that we practise management?

The answer comes in the form of an anniversary book in which Professor Erik Johnsen has collected all publications from the centre from the beginning and up to now.

The whole idea behind the centre is that former directors must pass on their management experience to the next generations.

- It is difficult to get current top executives to be completely honest about management strategies. The stakes are simply too high. Directors who have said goodbye to their executive positions can say just about anything without having to worry about a board of directors or other stakeholders, says Erik Johnsen.

Established a new research centre at the age of 70

The professor, who is often referred to as the international management guru of Denmark, is not only going to celebrate the anniversary. He is also turning 80. In 1998, when he reached the age of retirement in the public sector, he did not intend to slow down and live quietly in retirement. Quite the contrary. When he was 70, he worked up the new centre, and CAMS’s research has up to now resulted in 14 books about management within the media, voluntary organisations, and the army – to mention a few.

What is management really?

To mark the anniversary of the centre, Erik Johnsen is going to publish the book “Lederi på dansk” (“Lederi in Danish”).

Erik Johnsen describes the self-invented term ’lederi’ as the kind of management you would practise without fully understanding what it is. The concept is not used in a derogatory sense. Johnsen is merely pointing out that a recognised definition of the Danish word 'ledelse’(management) does not exist.

The purpose of the anniversary book is to discover a little bit more about Danish management and find out what we actually do in Denmark, when we practise management.

Contact

Professor Erik Johnsen, tel.+45 45 81 21 41

Center for Applied Management Studies – CAMS Copenhagen

The centre was established in 1998 and is a part of CBS. CAMS Copenhagen is engaged in applied management research. Approximately 90 senior researchers are affiliated to the centre. The researchers are former top executives from the Danish corporate sector and public sector.

The ten year anniversary is celebrated with the publication of Erik Johnsen's bog “Lederi på dansk” and a birthday lecture by Professor Erik Johnsen followed by a reception. This event takes place on 14 November 2008 at 14:00 at Copenhagen Business School.