Ståle Økland

Ståle Økland (born 1976) is a Norwegian writer, thinker, trend expert and public speaker.^[1] He grew up in Bryne, Leverkusen and Paris. He currently lives in Oslo, Norway.

Personal life

Ståle Økland's academic background is studies in sociology, history and German language. He started his career in the advertising industry as a copywriter with an advertising company in Stavanger, Norway. He shortly became a creative director in the agency, and later partner and managing director. In 2007 he founded a Norwegian trend agency called Domene Fem AS.^[2]

Works

Økland discusses issues relating to the fields of consumption,^[3] technology,^[4] trade and society, and current topics of relevance to the business community such as globalization, social and cultural change, innovation,^[5] strategic management and retail trends.^[6] He has given keynote speeches at many European conferences.^[7][8][9]

Ståle Økland has also had a political career, among others as vice-mayor in the municipality of Time, Norway (2003-2005).^[10] He is the eldest son of the former Norwegian footballer Arne Larsen Økland.

Publications

'Ståle Økland has written four books:

• Datakrasj (2015)
• Bykamp (2014), together with Nicolai Strøm Olsen. ^[11]
• Tenk som en rockestjerne (2013) ^[12] ===
• Trendmania (2011) Trendmania

Datakras (2015)

In this book Økland questions economic growth, productivity and unemployment in the global digital economy. Digital networking and communication infrastructures provide a global platform over which people and organizations devise strategies, interact, communicate, collaborate and search for information. This book has been reviewd, among others, by Danish business newspaper Berlingske.^[13]

Bykamp (2014)

Bykamp is a book about the relative growth of different cities in the age of globalization. . The industrialized cities of the 19th century had grown at a tremendous rate, with the pace and style of building largely dictated by private business concerns. But 20th century cities are changing every day, due to the latest technology and new ways of living. The path to success is still the same: this book argues that urban planning should be all about creating jobs. "Without jobs there is no city". Parks, architecture and cafees are less important.

Tenk som en rockestjerne (2013)

Tenk som en rockestjerne is a rock documentary and a business manual in one.^[14] Together with photographer Paal Audestad, Økland travelled with eight rock and metal bands to write this book.^[15] His observations reveal a rock band as a democratic company equipped with equal rights without typical corporate leadership patterns and with one single target – creation.^[16]

Trendmania (2011)

What is a trend? What is the difference between a trend and a fad? And why do cities like New York and Tokyo create so many trends that affect people in the whole world? In his first book, Økland discusses all these questions - and more. He writes about the mechanisms that create trends, the impact of trendsetters, cities and social change.

Debate and controversy

Økland's books and theories have been discussed and debated in Norway,^[17] and in several Euopean countries, especially in Denmark,^[18][19] Germany, Switzerland.^[20][21][22] and Austria.^[23]

References

External links

• Athenas Deutschland
• Athenas Schweiz
• Referenten:Guillot