Organizational values in the Brazilian public sector

Abstract

Purpose – The paper aims to identify the prevailing values of the public sector in Brazil, based on the tri-axial model. The study proposes to capture the dynamics between different values axes of Brazilian public sector as well as to detect cultural differences between genders, level of commitment, and nature of work. An additional contribution is expected in understanding Brazilian values at public sector as a necessary approach to obtain a new order of public administration based on efficiency. Design/methodology/approach – The paper opted for an exploratory study developed within the scope of a larger study aiming to understand the meaning of values in different cultures with an exclusive focus on the public sectors. Using a pre-validated questionnaire, 137 respondents, who work on Brazilian public sector, participated in the survey. A frequency analysis was conducted for various demographic variables. Descriptive statistics were used to understand the profile of the respondents in Brazil's survey. We have used the criteria recommended to all countries that participated in the study. Findings – This empirical work demonstrate that the methodology based on the tri-axial model was able to capture the dynamics between different values axes of Brazilian public sector as well as to detect cultural differences between genders, level of commitment and nature of work. The dominant values perceived in almost every analysis, belong to pragmatic-economic axis such as professionalism, teamwork, adventure, knowledge, and challenge. This strong orientation to pragmatism is consistent with the needs of the Brazilian public sector to have a more entrepreneurial vision and focus on optimization the use of the financial resources. Research limitations/implications – Because of the chosen sample approach, the research results may lack generalizability. Practical implications – The paper includes implications for a management based on values as a model to obtain efficiency at public sector in Brazil Originality/value – This research is part of an international project interesting in investigating values within different countries and cultures. It provides data from a country that belongs to an emergent group of world economy such as BRICs and has different scenery compared to traditional actors of global business.

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