One word to describe the company culture is 'open'. I've always felt that tackling problems from different angles/approaches is very appreciated here. We also have great employee groups such as EQUAL! (Nokia's LGBT+ Employee Resource Group) and StrongHer (Nokia's employee network to promote gender diversity).

01 February, 2019 20:51

Dear Xiaowei, Nokia values(Respect, Achievement, Renewal, Challenge) are the enablers for growth and business performance. They constitute a shared foundation that allows us to build one company, work together and make good decisions. They are guiding principles for all our decision-making. Guided by its four values, Nokia is building a common culture of high performance and high integrity.

Nokia Way and Drive, Dare, Care are about the everyday practical demonstration and application of the values in how we work together and how we encounter colleagues and customers as individuals and teams.

So from my personal perspective, company value is more related to the foundations and guidelines, culture is more linked to daily behaviour in practice.

11 February, 2019 08:56

From my perspective, Nokia has a very open, and direct culture. Respect is always in place, and employees can feel comfortable by expressing their thoughts. If there is a situation where you don´t feel comfortable, there are plenty of tools you can use to ask for support. Either personal or professional. In terms of training, as a Nokia employee, you can use a wide extension of specialized contents, ebooks, recordings, e-catalogs. Remember that you own your development and don´t need special approvals to access these resources! Regards,

30 August, 2019 15:28

Thank you Catalina.

31 August, 2019 15:35

Hi Xiaowen,

In my experience, the 4 values we have at Nokia (Respect, Achievement, Challenge and Renewal) are a pretty good reflection of character traits we as colleagues already possess. It creates a very natural working culture that inspires people to focus on results and collaborate with each other.

And one can really experience this on a daily basis. For instance, when I first joined Nokia I immediately felt my opinions and ideas were listened to and respected, even though my work experience was in a totally different area. I realized quickly that I don't need to have all the solutions (or not right away) to challenging questions & assignments. Instead, it's always a team effort and everyone is more than willing to offer support.

I'm still surprised at how so many seemingly different people with various life backgrounds can share similar attitude. But that's what makes Nokia's culture unique and motivating to work in.

01 October, 2019 08:45

Hello, Nokia works very hard on Diversity & Inclusion globally. We take this topic very seriously, and we have been recognized by this. We value the power of Inclusion, and we believe that having more diverse teams make us stronger. For specific examples, I invite you to take a look at our Diversity & Inclusion page on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/company/nokia/life/inclusionanddiversity/

Regards,

08 November, 2019 16:49

My role and the fact I built it almost myself demonstrates that Nokia values employee initiatives and bottom-up innovation.

03 December, 2019 06:53

So culturally we have 4 core values: Respect, Achievement, Renewal and Challenge. in short in means that we aim to treat each other kindly and invest in people's growth and innovation. At the same time it means we push the boundaries of performance. Most importantly, everybody is allowed to say openly if something is not working and challenge the way we do things. I would say that we meet those values rather well - maybe I could summarise it like this. You are free to be exactly who you are and speak openly about anything, even the bad things. In return high performance and new ideas is expected of you. Fair enough :)

05 December, 2019 10:44

Well as you may know Nokia as a company has been born in Finland over 150 years ago. This means that even though we are a super-international company right now, we still have very strong Finnish roots in our business culture. Some of the best things about the Finnish business culture still at Nokia is the "to-the-point" way of doing business. It means we try to avoid vagueness and politics in all forms. If there is a problem it's with an issue not with the person. Finns never get personal when it comes to problems in the workplace.
The less positive aspect is that the Finnish working culture lacks a really strong sense of community and openness. Finns are not the most social people out there and quite shy. So sometimes in Nokia, you have to work hard at having a really passionate, dynamic work community. That sense of community and team spirit is a bit further below the surface than in some other cultures.

09 December, 2019 16:01

Hi,

Nokia and Finland go way back together. In fact, Nokia was founded much earlier than the day Finland gained independence (52 years earlier, to be exact). The rapid growth of Nokia had an impact on the whole country - at its peak Nokia accounted for a large part of the whole economy (4% of GDP and 70& of Helsinki's stock exchange).

That cannot go unnoticed. Even now every Finnish citizen would still have someone in his circle who either worked at Nokia or still works in/for Nokia.

The Finnish business culture is both strict and relaxed at the same time. Finns tend to plan in advance and are diligent in completing tasks and following deadlines/schedules. At he same time, though, they are calm, protect their private time, put a high priority on work-life balance and, in general, don't like to waste time.

And you can really feel that across all Nokia organization - not only in Finland. Especially it's visible in the day-to-day communication, the flexibility colleagues enjoy (teleworking, 'relaxed' dress-code, etc.), the way objectives are set and how meetings are organized and led. That creates a very reliable atmosphere and motivates to deal with challenges head on. In fact, our values (respect, achievement, renewal, challenge) very well reflect that culture as well.

20 December, 2019 12:00

Hi Hamed, in Bell Labs we share values and postures that enable innovation. Let me give you a few that I believe are essential: be curious, be openminded, work alone along with working as a team, be proactive while being responsible. become "crazy" about ideas while being serious in undertaking them.

07 January, 2020 11:21

Hi Precious, you can find some good discussion around this topic in an earlier thread. Found here : https://nokia.career-inspiration.com/app/discussions/view/63948/how-would-you-describe-the-company-s-culture-and-values?utm_medium=sharingbox&utm_source=sharing-copylink

10 September, 2020 12:42

Like all companies, we have a set of rules of conduct. We are a global company and so we follow the rules of the countries that we operate. We strive to be honest and fair. We have a culture of integrity. We hold each other accountable. Sorry to reply with the standard company message, but these are the principles of our code of conduct. Personally, I have experienced examples of all 4.

07 October, 2020 11:26

Thank you for the question. At Nokia, in the words of our chief executive Pekka Lundmark, "In those areas we choose to compete, we will play to win". Our winning attitude is guided by a culture that emphasizes integrity, inclusiveness, and innovation. Nokia’s multi-cultural teams working closely together to achieve its business goals. At Nokia employees communicate freely and effectively within and across teams, groups, organizations, and regions – employees are encouraged to speak up regardless of their job level. Integrity, ethics, and compliance are very important at Nokia; they represent how we view ourselves and our interactions with colleagues and customers.

02 November, 2020 15:49

One of the main aspects of our culture that I think shines through the most is transparency. Throughout my time at Nokia I've always felt that there's been a safe environment to talk openly, to challenge and to ask for help when I needed it. It's the people that make the company great and that's certainly true of Nokia. People treat each other with respect, and you can see that through the way in which we work and collaborate together to achieve the best outcome.

09 December, 2020 09:49

Our company values transparency, it's people, diversity of thought and ideas, quality products, and serving our customers and communities well. It has been a fantastic place to work for me, now celebrating 36 years!!

02 March, 2021 22:51

I work in Dallas, TX , but have visited our Finnish location in Oulu, and loved it! Interestingly, here in Dallas, we have a Finnish receptionist, a Finnish library, and Finnish snacks, as well as Finnish style breakout rooms that help to infuse into our location the spirit of the Finnish culture. It is not forgotten on me, and I love that they take time to promote the Finnish culture in varying and unique ways.

02 March, 2021 22:57

While the above answers are great, let me add more (as the previous responses have been posted some time ago already). At Nokia, we call our values as Nokia Essentials. They include being open, fearless and empowered. I am really happy and proud to share that they are lived every day by all around me.

Since I joined Nokia decades back, I felt it is being followed everywhere. Collaborating with colleagues across global locations is so easy, sharing views and respecting opinions comes naturally. We are very diverse and inclusive and the contribution from everyone is deeply valued. All leadership levels are easily approachable and there is maximum transparency and regular communication. As a personal example, when I joined Nokia in Finland (being an Indian), I felt so welcome and was accepted instantly. This helped me to focus on being creative, working with passion and achieving more together. I could share my vulnerabilities and get helped easily. We call each other by first name, everyone can put across their views fearlessly and it is a very empowering environment.

I am sure you would love our company culture. Hope to see you with us. All the very best.

25 January, 2022 12:52

Hi Theo

Like all companies, we have a set of rules of conduct. We are a global company and so we follow the rules of the countries in which we operate. We strive to be honest and fair. We have a culture of integrity. We hold each other accountable. Nokia encourages its employee to be Open, Fearless and Empowered in everything they do at work to bring their best.

07 April, 2022 12:21

Thank you so much for your question Theophilus, I like Karan's response a lot. We value fairness, integrity, diversity, openness, and accountability. Beyond the same and closer to your Project Manager role, Nokia would value your customer serving attitude, problem-solving skills, time & risk management capabilities, and negotiation skills while taking full ownership of the project. I wish you the very best, please feel free to ask more.

11 April, 2022 10:33

I would say, be your authentic self at work. Be open and honest so that people know how they can help you do your best work. Be intentional about connecting with colleagues so that you build networks that can support you, both professionally and personally. Bring your energy and passion - that's what makes Nokia a great place to work! Best of luck with your application!

12 April, 2022 15:44

Thanks for forwarding this question. I do agree with my colleagues’ answers.

Also, I would like to add that current Nokia values, defined as per our essentials (open, fearless, empowered) are the pillars of Nokia’s culture.

Being open allows us to hear everyone’s voice and get diverse points of view to any discussion, which in turn allows us to find the best solutions.

Being fearless means that we do not hold back and are willing to try innovative options to address any task or issue within each of our functions.

Being empowered brings efficiency to our work, as we can make decisions and meet our customer and business needs with agility.

Good luck with your application!

18 April, 2022 10:36

Hi Theo,
I like the answers of my colleagues. I would just add a person’s own attitude to this. I believe that companies value people who have a positive attitude towards working and learning something new. So bring out your skills and if you don’t know something, be ready to learn. In many cases attitude counts. No one was born a master.
Good luck with your job application!

25 April, 2022 11:47

Hi Shan – Thank you for this question. In my opinion, Nokia provides a best-in-class environment within which to grow both personally and professionally. For example, Nokia’s employee culture welcomes and embraces people as their true selves. Nokia embraces the value of diversity for business success and supports the needs of all its employees - including a focus on gender and on its minority populations. Inclusion, ethics, integrity, and respect for others are important at Nokia; they represent how we view ourselves and help guide our interactions with colleagues and customers. Nokia’s culture and ethical standards set clear expectations on how we treat people, collaborate, and conduct business with all our customers, partners, and employees. Nokians do not tolerate unethical behavior. If we observe what we believe to be an unethical practice, we are supported to voice our concerns, without fear of retaliation. Nokia’s Code of Conduct expresses our individual and collective commitment to ethical behavior – as part of our work, and for everything we do. As a global corporation, we are aware of cultural differences among employees, we understand that our priority is to support in common the business goals of Nokia, and we grow and learn from working with colleagues who may have different backgrounds than our own.

Nokia’s multi-cultural teams work closely together to achieve its business goals. Nokia focuses on the most important environmental (e.g., instructions, tools, relevant and frequent supervisor feedback, incentives, etc.) and individual factors (e.g., training, professional development opportunities, mandated frequent one-on-one meetings between employees and line manager) to help assure its employees’ individual and collective workplace success. As an example of Nokia’s commitment to ethics, from the beginning, newly hired employees are instructed that conducting work ethically and in compliance with the law and company policies is essential. New employees at Nokia are expected to bookmark Nokia’s Ethics & Compliance website, read the Nokia Code of Conduct, complete Nokia’s Ethical Business Training course (and other compliance training applicable to the employee’s job role), discuss applicable Nokia policies and procedures with their manager, review the ethics & compliance policies and standard operating procedures & processes applicable to the employee’s job role, and to learn where and how to report ethics and compliance concerns. Nokia additionally provides a large library of ethics training titles through Nokia Learning (its premier learning and development organization).

As a minority employee, I’ve lived Nokia’s unique commitment to the role of diversity in business success and respect its unwavering support of the needs of every Nokian – geography, ethnicity, and gender notwithstanding. Nokia was recognized as a “Best Places to Work” 2021 Corporate Equality Index 100% Score and 2021 Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality. It is uplifting to me that Nokia, as a global company with multi-cultural teams working closely together, supports the specific needs of its employees and helps Nokia’s efforts to build and maintain more equal and inclusive work environments. For example, Nokia partners with its employee organizations such as StrongHer US Women’s Leadership Network, HISPA (Hispanic Association of Nokia Employees), ABLE (Advancing Black Leadership and Excellence), IDEAL (Individuals Dedicated to Enabling Accessibility in Life), 4A (Asian/Pacific American Association for Advancement), and others such as EQUAL! (supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer employees and their friends and family), LUNA (United Native Americans of Nokia), and VALOR (supporting U.S. military veterans and those currently serving).

In summary, at Nokia, we’re open, fearless, and empowered. All Nokia employees, regardless of job level, are encouraged to speak up – where the voice of every Nokia employee is important. In the words of our chief executive Pekka Lundmark, "In those areas we choose to compete, we will play to win,". Nokia’s winning attitude is guided by its culture, which emphasizes integrity, inclusiveness, and innovation.

Thank you again for the question. I hope that you found my response helpful.

28 June, 2022 14:29

Yes, sure. Nokia values Integrity, Innovation, and Inclusion. Beyond these 3 I's, there are many important attributes like problem-solving, active listening, accountability, curiosity, creativity, possessing leadership qualities, and communication skills beyond the technical skills required for the role. Our employees are expected to be open, fearless, and empowered while driving technology leadership and digital transformation. We are very proud of this environment and culture.
Hope this was useful, happy to share more if necessary.

21 September, 2022 06:41

Hi Prashant,

Glad to connect virtually!

Nokia has received the following recognitions for its commitment to inclusion & equality:

One of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere
Gender-Equality Index by Bloomberg
Workplace Pride Global Benchmark
LGBT+ equality & best place to work by HRC Foundation

At Nokia, we act inclusively and respect the uniqueness of people.

Nokia’s employment decisions are made regardless of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law.

We are committed to a culture of inclusion built upon our core value of respect.

At Nokia, we call our values as Nokia Essentials. They include being Open, Fearless, and Empowered. Also, (Respect, Achievement, Challenge, and Renewal) are a pretty good reflection of character traits we as colleagues already possess. It creates a very natural working culture that inspires people to focus on results and collaborate with each other.

Join us and be part of a company where you will feel included and empowered to succeed.

Best,
Priyanshul Gupta.

11 January, 2023 09:14

Thanks for the question.
Our purpose at Nokia Bell Labs is to solve human needs through the power of human intellect. We deliver through creating technologies that transform the way we live our lives. Throughout our 100-year history, Nokia Bell Labs has overcome some of the world's biggest scientific challenges by bringing together the brightest minds in mathematics, physics, computing, and engineering. We identify a problem and then commit our best people to find a solution. As an industrial research lab, we innovate with purpose, pursuing responsible, sustainable technologies that will have a demonstrable impact on society. We believe the best research is done in an inclusive, collaborative manner, taking multiple diverse points of view into account. Our research has resulted in ten Nobel Prizes, five Turing Awards, five Draper prizes, a plethora of US National Medals, three Japan Prizes, three Emmys, two Grammys, and an Oscar. In addition to these awards, Nokia Bell Labs has received 22 IEEE Medals of Honor and three Kyoto prizes.
Our research focuses on four key areas transforming the way we live our lives through technology.
" Network Fundamentals - Just as Bell Labs pioneered the first 100 years in the field of communications, we are preparing to lead the next 100 years of networking innovation. As we move into the 6G era, the network is becoming more than a mechanism for transmitting information. It is becoming a means of instilling the capabilities of sense, understanding, and action into the technologies we use in everyday life.
" Automation - We are changing the way industry thinks about automation. The future of industry is in automation, but not in the sense that human beings are removed from the equation. Bell Labs is developing cognitive autonomous systems that interact, collaborate and co-exist with workers, achieving new levels of efficiency and opening up new business models in the process. We are building the systems that will fuse the digital and physical worlds and lay the foundation for the industrial metaverse. These technologies will augment our daily lives, giving us greater agency in how we comprehend and engage with our surroundings.
" Semiconductors and Devices - The smallest things can have the biggest impact. Bell Labs' invention of the transistor was just the beginning. Our Semiconductors & Devices research approaches device innovation in two ways. First, we conduct foundational research on the next generation of optoelectronic and nano-electronic semiconductor devices, as well as practical quantum computing concepts. This research will potentially endow future systems with unimagined capabilities in the most energy-efficient way. Second, we re-envision the end-user device, creating innovative prototype hardware and intelligent software systems that will allow us to interact with the digital, physical and human worlds in new ways.
" AI and Software Systems - People shouldn't just use technology, they should understand what technology does. Software, artificial intelligence and machine learning will be the critical bridge that connects the physical, digital, and human worlds. Bell Labs AI & Software Systems research is creating a new generation of algorithms and intelligent software and data systems that will solve real-world problems while becoming fully accountable to its users. By developing responsible AI and identifying disruptive software trends, we are delivering not only competitive, sustainable technologies but also technologies that are extraordinarily useful to industries, enterprises, and people from every walk of life.
We are pioneering the scientific frontier of quantum computing with our world-leading experimental topological quantum computing program and cryogenic computing research. Collaboration is central to our research. e.g. In2023: Nokia Bell Labs and Aramco sign MoU announcing R&D collaboration to innovate industrial digital solutions enabled by 5G and 6G. Use cases and solutions will include different industrial sectors: oil and gas, utilities, mining, manufacturing, and logistics. Nokia Bell Labs and Bosch set a new bar for 5G positioning and look ahead to 6G. By continuing the Bell Labs heritage of innovation, Bell Labs Consulting experts enable our clients to make bold technology strategic decisions, shaping the future of industries that help the world act together. We work with both CSPs and industries to solve difficult network and operations strategies. Whether a CSP or a mining company is struggling with reliability and outages, or if they are uncertain about how to decrease their OPEX costs, Bell Labs Consulting works hand in hand with them in solving these pressing needs.
A few customers ask for support to get their transformation initiated. Bell Labs Consulting can detail these recommendations into more actionable plans so they can meet their business objectives while solving their complex problems.
For 6G, Nokia Bell Labs has identified and is researching six key technologies that will be vital components of future 6G networks:
- Spectrum technologies, AI native air interface, Network as a sensor, Extreme connectivity, Cognitive, automated, and specialized architectures, and Security, trust, and privacy. I hope this gives you enough flavor about the research culture at Bell Labs.

30 January, 2024 06:00

Hi Abdullah,
Interns in software development at Nokia join a Dev team and usually get paired with a mentor. They might start with training on specific technologies or a small task to familiarize themselves with the code and product. Tasks vary based on the team you work for and the product being developed. The technology stack used for your role is usually mentioned in the job role description when co-op/intern job positions are published.

Nokia's work culture stands out for its inclusivity, positivity, and uplifting atmosphere. Encouraging learning, upskilling, and growth is a core part of the culture too. As Nokia employees, we can plan our learning goals and utilize various learning resources and hands-on projects to achieve those goals.

Beyond technical endeavors, we also get to engage in impactful employee resource groups, such as StrongHer, ShareToCare, and EQUAL, which are vibrant volunteer-led communities. These communities significantly contribute to fostering an open, fearless, and empowered culture at Nokia. I hope this information helps in making your decision to pursue an internship at Nokia.

30 January, 2024 16:57

Hi Xiaowen,
Our culture is guided by our purpose, strategic commitments, and essentials, which are fundamental facets of the Nokia culture.
Through our people and culture, 'we create technology to help the world act together'. We continuously work on building an inclusive company culture and ensure our people are empowered and enabled to deliver on our company purpose and commitments. As mentioned by my colleagues, the guiding principles for our ways of working are our essentials. Let me open them up a bit more. The Nokia essentials were developed in collaboration with our people and customers. They reflect what we all want to experience working with and for Nokia: being open, fearless, and empowered. 1/ Being open in mindset means being open to opportunity, to the future, to new approaches, to collaboration, and to evolving market needs. 2/ Being fearless means bringing an authentic self to work, sharing ideas and opinions, and knowing mistakes are ok as long as we can learn from them. 3/ Being empowered, and supported to make decisions. These essentials help us create work environments for each person to thrive.

20 February, 2024 08:41

Rita L. Assistant Professor

Hi,
As my colleagues said Nokia's values (Respect, Achievement, Challenge, and Renewal) are the baseline for our culture and for the way we want to improve and set operations in this company. When in some situations, they are not exactly being followed then the goal is to create mechanisms to ensure it, always having in mind that we want to be better and grow the company but also as individuals.
Hope I could help you!

27 February, 2024 11:39

Hi,
I could not agree more with prior responses. I want to share that I see our culture at Nokia as open, innovative, and respectful. These values are empowered daily.
I am confident that you Xiaowen would enjoy the culture and values here!

27 February, 2024 16:14

As a Finn I love this question! And the responses from Andrejs and Glenda. I totally agree what Andrejs said but would add just one more observation: The hierarchy in Finland is very flat and so it is in Nokia too. For example, our President and CEO is Pekka for us all. And the same goes with everyone else too: we call each other by the first names and we can easily approach anyone in the company.

10 December, 2024 11:31