SUMMARY
You may find certain aspects of Brazilian culture to be strange and quite different from what you are used to in Canada. One of the major differences is that Brazil is a collectivistic culture as measured on Hofstede’s Individualism Index, in contrast to Canada’s individualistic culture (Hofstede, 2014). Brazil’s collectivist nature will have many impacts on your daily interactions, including the Brazilian importance of family, which will often be place above work priorities (Training, 2012). Brazil is also different in its communication style, which tends to be more informal and indirect than Canada’s formal and direct style. Brazil is also considered a high-context culture, therefore it is important to pay attention to what is said, how it is said, and what is not said (Suderman, 2008).
Another major aspect of Brazilian culture is the importance of building relationships before commencing business. Brazilians expect to get to know their business contacts through multiple meetings, in order to establish trust, and hopefully a friendship (DiPaolo, 2006). This process may take some time as it illustrates Brazil’s Polychronic orientation, which is more relaxed (slower) in nature and where the prevailing attitude is that “things will get done in their own time” (Suderman, 2008).
Brazil is also very comfortable with inequality as evidenced by their high score on Hofstede’s Power Distance Index (Hofstede, 2014). As a manager in Brazil you will be expected to take absolute responsibility and to use an authoritarian style of leadership (Training, 2012).
There are also non-verbal communication cues that you should be prepared to handle. Eye contact in Brazil is direct and prolonged, which shows respect and sincerity (Turner, 2001). Brazilians also speak in closer proximity than what Canadians are used to, and they tend to maintain physical contact during