Next week my new course is starting, and one of the things I want to do, is show how important #context is for when you manage people. One aspect is #culture. What works well in one culture, is not the way to do it in another. This week I had a fun talk with a Lebanese interviewee for my #research, and he commented on the less formal dress code here in Denmark - we were both sitting there in the Teams meeting in our hoodies :) Do you have any examples of how culture influences the workplace? #HR

Remember, the Holocaust didn’t start with gas chambers in Auschwitz.

It started with politicians dividing the people with “us vs. them”.

It started with intolerance and hate speech.

It started when people stopped caring, became desensitized, and turned a blind eye.

Remember.

Even though we know that #mentoring works and is a great way to #develop future organisational leaders, many #organisations are not using it fully for (all) their #expatriates. This newly published book chapter reviews the role of mentoring in developing expatriates, with unique challenges such as #cultural differences, #language barriers, and geographical distance.

https://www.intersango.dk/how-can-we-develop-expats-through-mentoring/

The University of Southern Denmark is developing its own cloud platform for teaching, open source. It reminds me to continue my journey of getting more ‘European’ with regard to the #tech I use. I am now figuring out #protonmail and Proton Drive, as alternative for #dropbox.

https://www.computerworld.dk/art/294176/syddansk-universitet-dropper-azure-og-aws-bygger-egen-softwarefabrik-til-undervisning-i-avanceret-it

Do we want to work for Google for free?

I feared this day was coming — this is the first site I see closing down, because Google has stolen their content.

The owners of this cycling inspiration site asks: What is the reason to continue creating content, when Google just steals it and serves it as AI answers to keep all the traffic to itself?

It seems our EU politicians are soundly asleep at the bike handlebar.

https://www.holland-cycling.com/blog/321-holland-cycling-com-stops-in-2026

Via @saarmuller.

This week I started my new course in #communication and team dynamics, and I used a fun #activity to illustrate that communication is more than just verbal communication. The students had to draw a house, tree and dog together, while holding one pen, and not being allowed to speak. It's also fun to see the different #perspectives that shine through these #drawings - what does a house or tree look like to you?

#experientiallearning #culture

I had never heard of ‘hope #scrolling but I do get Fix the News, a newsletter with #positive #news. The latest edition pointed me to this project of a professor which had quite the impact on the #students. Not much outside engagement with the posts, but the students themselves were starting to feel better by sharing positive news stories with each other. Isn’t that wonderful?

https://www.zocalopublicsquare.org/what-happens-when-you-trade-doomscrolling-for-hopescrolling/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

#phones #socialmedia #doomscrolling

Have you heard yet about Lumo? It's an AI assistant that is built responsibly, where every conversation is confidential. I'm going to try it out!

https://proton.me/blog/lumo-ai

#ai #privacy #Lumo

I'm preparing my teaching in Communication and Teams at the Technical University of Denmark next week, and am having fun creating a Crossing the Line exercise as a way to get to know each other. I'm curious how it will go!

#teaching #communication #team #teams #classroom

Non-native speakers of #English face quite a few #language barriers in the #academic world: it takes much more time to read and write a paper in English than it does for native speakers, and often is a proofread needed.

“The scientific community urgently needs to address language barriers so that future generations of non-native English speakers can proudly contribute to science. Only then can we all enjoy the full breadth of #knowledge generated across the globe.”

https://theconversation.com/non-native-english-speaking-scientists-work-much-harder-just-to-keep-up-global-research-reveals-208750

I love this new movement Positive Academia, which suggests to re-imagine our academic values, for example by putting more emphasis on the quality of #research (not the quantity), and to have more attention for positive impact on stakeholders (and not our individual achievements). It is also a strong call for #action because it is up to all of us to transform academia: “No matter who you are, where you are, or what you do in #academia you can contribute.”

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/positive-academia_our-positive-academia-manifesto-activity-7352970638598250496-E_qI?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAABehGgB-N3nzhS7Ou6KxpRoE15MPuV_JlU

Interesting article on how 'digital twins' are making #remote work possible for technicians, doctors and nurses. I also love how he 'engineers serendipity' to make sure that people make diverse connections - otherwise people tend to mainly socialize with others that are similar to themselves, what I also recognize in my own research on the expat bubble!

https://time.com/charter/7278900/how-digital-twins-are-unlocking-remote-work-for-blue-collar-workers/

#remotejobs #workfromhome #technology #workfromanywhere #hybridwork #remotework #digital

In #Nederland komen de #verkiezingen eraan. Ben jij als Nederlander in het buitenland geregistreerd om te kunnen stemmen?

Lees meer hier: https://www.nederlandwereldwijd.nl/stemmen-buitenland/registreren

#expat #expatriate #stemmen #politiek

Time to introduce my book "Breaking out of the Expat Bubble: How to Make Intercultural Connections and Friends" here on Mastodon! It came out last year and collects twenty years of research on the contact between expats and locals both within and outside of the workplace, for example how to encourage this contact through buddy systems. Check it out here:

https://routledge.pub/Breaking-out-of-the-Expat-Bubble

#books #intercultural #friends #research #buddy #globalmobility #expat #HR

Happy to keep supporting 100weeks! A group of women in extreme poverty receives unconditional cash for 100 weeks - they know best what to use the money for. The results are great, 82% of women are still out of extreme poverty 4 years later! Will you help get the next group started? https://100weeks.org/ #poverty #cash #women

‘It’s beautiful, don’t you think?’ The urban miners unearthing treasure in Belgium’s homes and garages https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/mar/19/its-beautiful-dont-you-think-the-urban-miners-unearthing-treasure-in-belgiums-homes-and-garages #Greenhousegasemissions #Ethicalandgreenliving #Constructionindustry #Greenbuilding #Lifeandstyle #Greeneconomy #Environment #Greencities #Recycling #Greenjobs #Business #Belgium #Europe #Cities #Waste

Yesterday I watched this Danish documentary about how IKEA loves wood yet turns out not to manage their woods in Romania as sustainably as they claim. Was also a bit shocked to learn about how low FSC standards can sometimes go. There is a lot of greenwashing going on there...

#ikea #greenwashing #sustainability #wood #romania

https://www.dr.dk/drtv/program/ikea-elsker-trae_492719

The fediverse is an ecosystem where you - not some incellionaire obsessed with eugenics - own your digital identity.

Where your social graph belongs to you, not an algorithm’s shifting fucking whims.

Where moving from one service to another doesn’t mean losing everything you’ve built and everything you’ve ever said.
https://www.joanwestenberg.com/the-fediverse-isnt-the-future-its-the-present-weve-been-denied/

Very interesting article about a Danish hospital where they are making a great effort to make good, healthy and delicious meals for their patients while also reducing the amount of meat. And with good results and satisfied patients! #dkgreen #vegetarian #hospital

https://www.verdensmaal.org/nyheder/mere-miso-og-f%C3%A6rre-frostfrikadeller-i-det-store-ho

“As the United States declares war on the economies and people that were once its closest friends, it’s time for its global power and influence to be reined in once and for all. Instead of allowing the US government to continue to bully and threaten countries around the world, its Western allies must team up with friends in the Global South not just to force the United States into line, but to tackle the power of its out-of-control tech industry once and for all.”

https://www.disconnect.blog/p/we-need-an-international-alliance