by Dan Vermeer, Associate Professor of the Practice and Executive Director, EDGE
I’ve just returned from leading a new course on “Climate and Sustainability in the Nordic Countries” in Copenhagen, Denmark and in the Norwegian cities of Tromsø and Oslo. The 23 participating graduate students from Fuqua School of Business and Nicholas School of the Environment attended six preparatory sessions in Durham, before meeting in Copenhagen to begin our journey together. Over 11 days, we met with experts, academics, policy makers, executives, and entrepreneurs, to explore Nordic approaches to environmental challenges.
I became interested in the Nordic region due to its global leadership on climate, sustainability, and oceans, as well as its distinctive “Nordic Model” approach to social welfare, human rights, and justice issues. The region seemed an ideal context for exploring the state of the art public and private approaches to climate and sustainability challenges. However, the region is no panacea as it deals with its own unique gaps, dilemmas, and barriers that stand in the way of concerted action. In the class, we discussed this tension between “Nordic dreams” on one hand, and “Nordic dilemmas” on the other.
While I was enthusiastic about creating a travel-based course, I had some ambivalence about the carbon footprint involved in bringing so many students to Europe for this study course. I decided that this course would be worth the time, expense, and climate impact only if it was a truly transformative learning experience for my students. I have been a life-long fan of travel because I know it can deeply change perceptions about the world, build new relationships and networks, and spark new possibilities. My goal was to organize an experience that could shift my students’ awareness, motivations, and career plans in meaningful ways. From this experience, I too have learned a lot about facilitating immersive learning experiences that will inform my teaching and research.
What makes an educational experience transformative? Reflecting on our experience in the Nordic GATE course, I can identify several factors that created the greatest impact for my students.
Engage with professionals with deep expertise: As one example from our trip: Patrick Moloney is a strategy consultant with Ramboll Consulting in Copenhagen. Over the last several months, Patrick has been intensively studying the EU’s ambitious regulatory efforts on sustainability reporting, environmental and human rights due diligence, and sustainable business criteria, which will have profound implications for companies in the EU and globally. Patrick’s deep analysis of emerging trends provided students with a unique opportunity to learn about the emerging needs and gaps facing companies in a world of increased transparency and accountability.
Participate in immersive experiences: In the preparation for the course, we studied a case study on how biking culture has evolved in Copenhagen over the last several decades. While biking has always been popular in Denmark, it was not always obvious that the city would invest in a robust urban biking infrastructure. In fact, Denmark was tempted by the low-density, car-based culture of the U.S. after the Second World War, and only began to focus on biking as a policy priority after the oil crisis in the early 1970s. Currently, around 62% of Copenhagen residents commute by bicycle to work or study each day, almost as many bicycle commuters as in the entire U.S. On our trip, we encouraged students to rent bicycles and use public transportation to get around the city, so they could have first-hand experience of a city organized around bikes instead of cars.
Invite a diverse learning community: Since this was the first year of the Nordic GATE course, we initially signed up 15 Daytime MBA students, slightly below the ideal number of students for the course. To expand registration, we decided to open up the course to Fuqua Executive MBA students, as well as Duke Master of Environmental Management students, raising our number to 23. One of the clear learnings from the trip was that mixing students from different schools and programs across Duke noticeably improved the learning experience for all participants. As they got to know each other, they learned from the different perspectives of their peers, and this was reflected in the range of questions that emerged in our conversations with experts.
Create alternative narratives: Another highlight of the trip was a day-long trip to a family-owned seafood business in remote Senja Island in Arctic Northern Norway. The company, called Brothers Karlsen, was founded in the 1930s and had grown to operate both wild-caught and farm-raised operations for salmon, cod, and other whitefish. The visit was compelling in several ways, most notably because it presented a model of business success that is different from the one we typically teach in business school. Company leaders told us that they did not intend to grow the scale of their business. They already provide around half of the organic salmon to the Norwegian market, and ship their products to many global markets. They recognize that it is not possible to grow infinitely within the ecological and social boundaries of their current business. This was not a political or philosophical position; rather, it was a recognition that they could only maintain a healthy business long-term if they didn’t overshoot the constraints of their local context. This simple point was a profound insight, and one that had a lasting impact on the students.
Get close to the action: In the last phase of our trip, we visited Norway’s capital of Oslo, which included a unique visit the Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM) offices, where we met with the executives responsible for managing Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the largest in the world. With more than $1.6 trillion in assets under management, the fund owns stock in roughly 1.5% (or over 9,000) of all listed companies worldwide. On our visit to NBIM, our hosts walked us through layers of security to arrive at an internal conference room for our briefing. The NBIM speakers described the rigorous process the company uses to evaluate the environmental and social performance of the companies they invest in, and the ways that they engage those companies around these factors. While the conversations were enlightening, I think the dominant impression of the visit for the students must be the proximity they gained to one of the most important financial players in the global economy. The impact of this organization cannot be overstated, so being inside the bank, talking with decision makers, and asking questions about their approach was a uniquely memorable experience.
Spark new ideas: On our second day in Oslo, we explored possible futures of the Norwegian economy by visiting Katapult Ocean, a startup accelerator that supports ocean-related startup companies. Instead of listening to presentations, we organized the students into teams who worked with select startup companies tackling microplastic reduction, electric boating, seaweed production, and ocean data. Working with the entrepreneurs, students explored each company’s value proposition, addressable market, segmentation, funding strategy, and market barriers. The consultative engagement with the startups provided students with a unique opportunity to assess the potential for new market solutions, but also grapple with the challenges of scaling good ideas in still-forming markets.
Put yourself into the scene: Finally, we wrapped up our tour in Oslo on May 17 by celebrating Norway’s National Constitution Day. On Norway’s largest national holiday, the city is crowded with locals in traditional Norwegian costumes, and the roads are filled with groups of children from local clubs and marching bands. The weather was perfect, with blue skies and a soft breeze. It was a fitting way to end our journey, fully immersed in the local culture, and celebrating all of the things that the Nordic countries have to offer the rest of the world.
—