Culture under pressure
Culture is "the way we do things". It is not a fixed size, but is constantly changing in different directions under the influence of ourselves and the outside world. There is an English saying that culture eats strategy for breakfast. That is precisely why it is so important that we are aware of our culture and that we try to create a culture which helps us to have a productive working life in good interaction with colleagues and with our surroundings.
Culture is about more than the way we work. It is also about good behavior and respect for others. We owe our colleagues interest, care and respect. Of course, this is a challenge with the frequent replacement of staff and guests. We are in a completely different situation now than we were 20 years ago. We have become globalized and this requires new structures, but we also need to consider our culture. We meet colleagues with different cultural backgrounds and other cultural norms. It requires mutual understanding and respect.
Coffee breaks are a particularly important time where attention, recognition and respect is essential for us all to feel at home. With the many different cultures, there is a risk of being misunderstood. There is also a risk of offending others, even if it was not the intention at all. Consciously offensive behavior is of course totally unacceptable, but unconscious violations can be equally harmful.
We are an international workplace with colleagues from all over the world, and we must be aware of this in our daily activities. Be aware that your humor may not be understood in the same way by all your colleagues. Danish humor can be subtle and sarcastic, and in many situations, it will not be understood the way it was intended. Therefore, be careful about how humor is used; it can be perceived as offensive. Also, please help colleagues correct this and think about how speech can be perceived. It is important that we all feel at home at work.
Good behavior and respect are not only crucial internally in the institute and the university. Of course, this also applies in our external communication and in the dialogue with our partners. At the same time, we need to keep a professional distance to our partners. This is especially important in our electronic communication. Remember that all our mails in and out of the house are subject to possible access to documents. Anything that may look like companionship with collaborators, especially outside the research world, will be viewed with great (and not friendly) interest by all kinds of media. Emails with partners must therefore always have a neutral tone.
AGRO has been, is and must be characterized by team spirit. Our sense of community and unity is crucial for us, so we can solve the great societal challenges that land on our desks. It requires a team effort, but it also requires that we recognize the individual's efforts. It is especially important that we do keep to ourselves in each section. There is much to be gained from multidisciplinary collaboration. It is something that must be worked on internationally, nationally, at the university and internally at the institute. It requires openness, understanding and respect for other professions. So it's also about culture - the good kind.
It is more important now than ever before that we show professional strength and credibility. It not only makes us respected in the eyes of the outside world, but also in our own. Strength comes especially through our culture and togetherness. I for my part will do what I can to continue to strengthen the good culture of AGRO. I hope and trust that all employees are on board the journey with me.