Between unity and diversity: historical and cultural foundations of Brazilian management

Abstract

The paper overviews key themes in Brazilian managerial styles, discussing cultural practices documented in the literature. I argue that these practices are organised around the theoretical axes of (a) unity versus heterogeneity and (b) local versus global. After discussing these axes, the paper explains their historical emergence on the basis of Brazilian relations with the exterior, relations marked by heterogeneous interests and ethnic, geographical and linguistic diversity. I argue that on the basis of this history, there developed within Brazil a managerial style that combines a hierarchy-enhancing deference to authority with a space for innovative creativity in order to buffer internal ambiguities, a combination that seems counter-intuitive to traditional management theories but is adaptive given Brazil’s unique historical context.

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