CULTURAL DIFFERENCES: BRAZIL vs USA
Brazil is a feminine country with a strong emphasis on interpersonal skills and concern for peers and subordinates. In the workplace, managers and executives expect that subordinates will obey commands and assignments will be completed with very little questioning or friction. Employees expect a friendly atmosphere that emphasizes quality of life. Brazil's collectivist culture means people favor their immediate circle of close friends and family members as opposed to being close with the community as a whole.
The culture in Brazil is very emotional. It is common for Brazilians to display emotion during business meetings. These displays are seen as a mark of commitment to your job, and in the US it would be considered unkind or rude to have a display of emotion or embarrass another individual.
Brazilians have a synchronous way of approaching time management. They tend to take on several tasks at one time, moving from one task to another; this is very evident in their style of business meetings. In the US, business meetings tend to be focused on what topic. The time management style that is used in the US is a sequential approach. This approach involves focusing on one task at a time and in order of importance and take great pride in productive and orderly time management.
Brazilian culture is high uncertainty avoidance culture. Brazilians tend to be less willing to accept risks with unknown rewards. They have a high need for security in both their home and personal life. In the workplace, Brazilians strongly rely on the knowledge of experts.
Brazilians also have a different culture of proxemics. It is not uncommon, even in a business setting, for women to kiss each others cheeks in greeting and for men to hug and clap each other on the backs when greeting. It is common for individuals in public places to stand or sit very close to each other and touch each other when talking. American expatriates may find this to be an invasion of their private space. Hand gestures are very commonly used when communicating with one another; it is important to know that hand gestures of "ok" and thumbs up are considered vulgar and rude in Brazilian culture. While talking, it is also not uncommon for people to touch each other while speaking. Individuals in the US like to have space between one another when speaking to each other.
Photo source: Google
Brazil is a feminine country with a strong emphasis on interpersonal skills and concern for peers and subordinates. In the workplace, managers and executives expect that subordinates will obey commands and assignments will be completed with very little questioning or friction. Employees expect a friendly atmosphere that emphasizes quality of life. Brazil's collectivist culture means people favor their immediate circle of close friends and family members as opposed to being close with the community as a whole.
The culture in Brazil is very emotional. It is common for Brazilians to display emotion during business meetings. These displays are seen as a mark of commitment to your job, and in the US it would be considered unkind or rude to have a display of emotion or embarrass another individual.
Brazilians have a synchronous way of approaching time management. They tend to take on several tasks at one time, moving from one task to another; this is very evident in their style of business meetings. In the US, business meetings tend to be focused on what topic. The time management style that is used in the US is a sequential approach. This approach involves focusing on one task at a time and in order of importance and take great pride in productive and orderly time management.
Brazilian culture is high uncertainty avoidance culture. Brazilians tend to be less willing to accept risks with unknown rewards. They have a high need for security in both their home and personal life. In the workplace, Brazilians strongly rely on the knowledge of experts.
Brazilians also have a different culture of proxemics. It is not uncommon, even in a business setting, for women to kiss each others cheeks in greeting and for men to hug and clap each other on the backs when greeting. It is common for individuals in public places to stand or sit very close to each other and touch each other when talking. American expatriates may find this to be an invasion of their private space. Hand gestures are very commonly used when communicating with one another; it is important to know that hand gestures of "ok" and thumbs up are considered vulgar and rude in Brazilian culture. While talking, it is also not uncommon for people to touch each other while speaking. Individuals in the US like to have space between one another when speaking to each other.
Photo source: Google