wtfeWays They Frame Engineering
日本語

BrazilvsPoland

ブラジルとポーランドBRPL

Seen from Brazil: each line below describes Poland relative to Brazil.

Swap: see Brazil from Poland

Culture Map: eight scales

Erin Meyer's eight scales, sorted by how far apart Brazil and Poland sit, largest gap first.

Filled dot: Brazil, where you are looking fromHollow ring: Poland

Where you will notice the difference5 scales

  1. Trusting

    Poland builds trust through reliable work more than Brazil (3 steps)

    Brazil +2, Poland −1, on a line from −3 (Task-based) to +3 (Relationship-based).

  2. Evaluating

    Poland gives negative feedback more directly than Brazil (2 steps)

    Brazil +1, Poland −1, on a line from −3 (Direct negative feedback) to +3 (Indirect negative feedback).

  3. Disagreeing

    Poland is more willing to disagree openly than Brazil (2 steps)

    Brazil +1, Poland −1, on a line from −3 (Confrontational) to +3 (Avoids confrontation).

  4. Scheduling

    Poland sticks to fixed plans and deadlines more than Brazil (2 steps)

    Brazil +2, Poland 0, on a line from −3 (Linear time) to +3 (Flexible time).

  5. Persuading

    Poland wants the theory before the conclusion more than Brazil (1 step)

    Brazil 0, Poland −1, on a line from −3 (Principles-first) to +3 (Applications-first).

Where you are close2 scales

  1. Communicating

    Brazil and Poland sit on the same step

    Brazil 0, Poland 0, on a line from −3 (Low-context) to +3 (High-context).

  2. Leading

    Brazil and Poland sit on the same step

    Brazil +1, Poland +1, on a line from −3 (Egalitarian) to +3 (Hierarchical).

Not placed1 scale

These scales are left unmarked: either Meyer leaves a country off the scale or no source places it, and drawing it anyway would be guessing.

  • DecidingNo source places Poland on this scale
Positions are read by eye from Erin Meyer's published charts and rounded to seven steps. A step means “further towards that pole”, not a measured distance. How the positions were read

Hofstede: six dimensions

Scores from 0 to 100, sorted by the gap between Brazil and Poland. They describe national averages, not either country's character.

  1. Indulgence

    Poland scores 30 points lower than Brazil (29 against 59)

    Brazil 59, Poland 29, on a line from 0 (Restrained) to 100 (Indulgent).

  2. Long-term orientation

    Poland scores 21 points higher than Brazil (49 against 28)

    Brazil 28, Poland 49, on a line from 0 (Short-term) to 100 (Long-term).

  3. Uncertainty avoidance

    Poland scores 17 points higher than Brazil (93 against 76)

    Brazil 76, Poland 93, on a line from 0 (Tolerant of ambiguity) to 100 (Avoids ambiguity).

  4. Motivation towards achievement and success

    Poland scores 15 points higher than Brazil (64 against 49)

    Brazil 49, Poland 64, on a line from 0 (Consensus-oriented) to 100 (Decisive).

  5. Individualism

    Poland scores 11 points higher than Brazil (47 against 36)

    Brazil 36, Poland 47, on a line from 0 (Collectivist) to 100 (Individualist).

  6. Power distance

    Poland scores 1 point lower than Brazil (68 against 69)

    Brazil 69, Poland 68, on a line from 0 (Low power distance) to 100 (High power distance).

Country averages. About 80% of variation in values is between people inside a country (Taras et al. 2016).Source: The Culture Factor — Country comparison tool (2026).About the Hofstede dimensions

What the sources say, theme by theme

Entries for Brazil and Poland, side by side on wide screens. Each keeps its own confidence label and citations.

Design & quality

Brazil2 claims

Poland3 claims

Failure & risk

Brazil1 claim

Poland2 claims

Feedback & code review

Brazil3 claims

  • The training company Talaera, citing Meyer, writes that negative feedback tends to be wrapped in warmth and delivered in private, and that public criticism easily damages relationships. The behavioral descriptions rest mainly on the authors' own observations.

    Thin1 source2026br-feedback-1

  • In an HR magazine interview, Erin Meyer names Latin America as one of the "really indirect" parts of the world for negative feedback.

    Attested1 source2014Datedbr-feedback-2

  • Talaera says that instead of a plain "no," phrases such as "we can try" or "I'll do my best" can signal concern or refusal.

    Thin1 source2026br-feedback-3

Poland2 claims

  • According to Talaera, Meyer's Culture Map places Poland on the direct side for negative feedback. The company says criticism that concerns a person's performance tends to be given one-on-one.

    Thin1 source2026pl-feedback-1

  • English written by Polish speakers is said to use few softeners and many imperatives, so it can read as more direct than intended. The evidence comes mainly from studies of learners' English writing.

    Thin1 source2026pl-feedback-2

Hierarchy & decisions

Brazil2 claims

Poland2 claims

Communication & docs

Brazil2 claims

  • A summary of Meyer's Culture Map places Brazil on the side where trust is built through personal relationships, close to China and Saudi Arabia. Small talk at the start of a meeting is described as part of the work.

    Thin1 sourcebr-communication-1

  • Talaera says written English tends to be on the formal side and asynchronous replies tend to be long and warm, and it recommends video calls over audio-only calls.

    Thin1 source2026br-communication-2

Poland2 claims

Work & careers

Brazil4 claims

Poland3 claims

Open source & community

Brazil3 claims

Poland2 claims

  • GitHub's "Made in Poland" collection includes the headless commerce platform Saleor (about 23,000 stars), Software Mansion's react-native-reanimated and the data grid Handsontable (about 22,000).

    Attested1 source2026pl-oss-1

  • In the GitHub Innovation Graph, developer accounts located in Poland grew from about 530,000 in Q1 2020 to about 2.07 million in Q1 2026, roughly a fourfold increase.

    Well attested1 source2026pl-oss-2