Management style in Brazil

In Brazil, business practices vary by region. In the major cities of Brasilia, Rio de
Janeiro and So Paulo, many companies are accustomed to deal with international
businesses, interact with different cultures, etc. but in other areas, the business
practices may be less international and more patriarchal, meaning that in those
areas the senior people do not like to establish deals with businesswomen, not
even to have them present during meetings. However, regardless of which type of
business practices we are experiencing, it is crucial to take the time to build the
proper working relationships.
Being a foreign manager in that Southern-American country implies to take time to
understand how Brazilians work in a hierarchical business way, therefore,
Decision-making is often reserved for the most senior people.
Talking about hierarchical management, the job functions, scope of responsibility,
and reporting relationships are clearly defined and strictly followed. That is a
reason why foreign managers can face two different ways to do business
depending on the size of the company, and we need to understand the importance
of each persons distinct role within the organization. In big companies, supervisors
consider inappropriate for them to consult with lower-ranking individuals when
decision-making, while in small companies, the boss takes on a parental role, and
his objective is to guide their employees and help them achieve the goal. When
empowered and encouraged to do so, Brazilians can be extremely creative and
work well in teams.
Nowadays Brazil remains as a country that is cautious in its business dealings,
although intercultural tolerance and readiness for change is apparent, but it
requires a considerable amount of thought, planning and evaluation. Brazilians
often suffer from the fear of exposure, embarrassment and failure, anyhow, they
perceive failure as a learning process that encourages confidence in future
ventures.
To start a meeting it is advisable to hire a translator, use local lawyers and
accountants for negotiations. Brazilians resent an outside legal presence. Often the
people you negotiate with will not have decision-making authority.
When having meetings it is important to be polite and have manners, in order to
make no one feel ashamed. If someone is exposed and shamed, they may likely
not participate again, and it will likely stem the flow of ideas and the participation of
the entire group, making the Brazilians partners feel insecure about the whole
process. In the other hand, the meeting could go really good, Brazilians feel
comfortable with a company they know, so they ask a lot of questions, and its
necessary for us to wait for our Brazilian colleagues to raise the business subject.
Brazilians are very concerned about priorities, so it is important to be conscious
that timescales and deadlines (mostly agreed between the parties) need to be set

well in advance and reiterated carefully, although they maybe will be viewed as
flexible if its necessary.
Some examples of the imperatives conducts are the Brazilian partners expecting
you to shake hands with everybody present on arrival, exchange business cards
written in Portuguese, and having a small talk before the meeting start. They also
expect you to wear a three-piece suit, which has an "executive" connotation for
them. And last but not least, it is important to greet women with a kiss.
There are not a lot of optional conducts for the foreign, but for the Brazilians
themselves, it is optional to arrive on time, and to follow an agenda, meaning that
they will cover all the issues, but not in the way they are ordered in that document.
They give you the chance of turning off your phone or keep it on but you may only
take urgent calls, which have to be informed in advance.
In addition, it is forbidden to wear the Brazilian flag colors in any combination of
clothing, also it is unaccepted to say Brazil is a developing or a third world country.
In addition, it is a good idea to avoid talking about Argentina, politics, poverty,
religion, and the Rain Forest.
Recently, Brazilians have significantly changed the level of alleged corrupt
practices, they have been creating a collective feeling that society must pressure
the institutions to combat corruption, yet foreign companies operating in Brazil
might find themselves dealing with potential dilemmas related to the shadow of
corruption, but experts think that organizations that publicly disclose their anticorruption policies will have societal goodwill, since individuals and organizations
are becoming more and more educated on the need for mechanisms to detect, to
prevent and to repress corruption in Brazil. After all, corruption affects Brazils
competitiveness and its ability to attract foreign investments, so its crucial for us to
never offer bribes, because foreign entrepreneurs in Brazil have been watched
closely recently and new laws have been created and reformed for them.
In the end, we could refer Brazil as a very powerful growing market down in SouthAmerica, but to be exactly, Brazil is a low context country. Of course, there is a lot
of merchandising that explodes the Brazilian flag, but the people from that country
normally pretend to respect those symbols, and as I said, it is preferable to avoid
using any important Brazilian icon or symbolism in order to evade bad looks at you
given by the local people.
By the way, appearance is relevant in Brazil, so it is important to wear a dark
suitable attire and a good pair of shoes, and it is preferable to leave the jewelry at
home and do not look very expensive but still smart and conservative. For women
it is necessary to have the hair styled and the hands manicured.

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/intercultural/management/brazil.html
http://www.brazil1stedition.doingbusinessguide.co.uk/the-guide/business-etiquette/
http://www.aboutbrasil.com/modules/brazilbrasil/business_brasil_business_brazil.php?hoofd=2&sub=5&art=45
http://www.ethic-intelligence.com/experts/89-brazil-anti-corruption-trends/
http://llminfo.com/brazil-business-etiquette-dress-code/