Nordic Working Life Development Programs and the Tricky Problem of Scaling-up

Abstract

This paper examines Nordic working life development programs as agents of change and thepossibility of working life change through such programs in general. It first constructs narrativesof Norwegian and Finnish program histories based on a literature review. The narratives form the basis for a summary of the main successes, limitations, and problems of the programs. The Norwegian and Finnish experiences act as an introduction to a discussion on the shortcomings of research-aided efforts toward reforming working life more generally.The paper suggests that Transition Management, an approach widely utilized in transition and innovation studies, could also be helpful in increasing understanding about preconditions for working life change and dealing with some of these shortcomings.