What Your Scandinavian Business Instincts Won’t Tell You About Doing Business in Indonesia
Held on 16 April 2026
Kawisari Café & Eatery, Menteng, Jakarta
Organized by SwedCham Indonesia in collaboration with DanCham Indonesia and the Indonesia Norway Business Council (INBC).
Event Summary
SwedCham Indonesia hosted a seminar exploring the human and cultural dimensions of doing business in Indonesia. While legal, regulatory, and technical issues are often well documented, many business challenges arise from differences in communication styles, expectations, decision-making processes, hierarchy, trust, and relationship-building.
The seminar brought together experienced business leaders with extensive experience working across Scandinavian and Indonesian business environments. Through practical examples and discussion, participants explored how cultural assumptions can influence business interactions and how greater awareness of local business practices can strengthen cooperation, reduce misunderstandings, and improve long-term business outcomes.
The session focused on the realities of managing Indonesian teams, working with local partners, and navigating the often-unwritten aspects of business culture that influence daily operations and strategic decisions.
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Key Topics Covered
- Communication styles in Indonesian and Scandinavian business environments
- Different approaches to hierarchy and decision-making
- Building trust and long-term business relationships
- Managing expectations in partnerships and negotiations
- Leadership styles and employee engagement
- Understanding indirect communication and consensus-building
- Common misunderstandings between Scandinavian and Indonesian professionals
- Practical lessons from experienced executives working in Indonesia
About the Seminar
The most common challenges in international business rarely arise from legal or technical issues. More often, they stem from differences in expectations, communication, leadership, and business culture.
For Scandinavian companies operating in Indonesia, understanding these cultural dynamics can be critical to building successful partnerships, leading local teams, and achieving long-term business objectives. This seminar was designed to provide practical insights into how Indonesian counterparts interpret communication, leadership, and intent, and how Scandinavian business habits may sometimes create unintended friction.
By exploring these differences openly and constructively, participants gained a deeper understanding of the local business environment and the interpersonal factors that often determine whether business relationships flourish or struggle.
One additional improvement would be to include the names of the speakers (for example, Terje Nilsen and Veve Hitipeuw) in a separate Speakers section. That gives the archived event page more credibility and improves searchability on the website.
