wtfeWays They Frame Engineering
日本語

IsraelvsBrazil

イスラエルとブラジルILBR

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

Swap: see Israel from Brazil

Culture Map: eight scales

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

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

Where you will notice the difference5 scales

  1. Evaluating

    Brazil gives negative feedback more indirectly than Israel (4 steps)

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

  2. Disagreeing

    Brazil avoids open disagreement more than Israel (4 steps)

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

  3. Leading

    Brazil keeps more distance between boss and team than Israel (3 steps)

    Israel −2, Brazil +1, on a line from −3 (Egalitarian) to +3 (Hierarchical).

  4. Trusting

    Brazil builds trust through personal relationships more than Israel (1 step)

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

  5. Scheduling

    Brazil treats plans as more flexible than Israel (1 step)

    Israel +1, Brazil +2, on a line from −3 (Linear time) to +3 (Flexible time).

Not placed3 scales

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.

† position taken from a review or summary, not from Meyer's own chart.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 Israel and Brazil. They describe national averages, not either country's character.

  1. Power distance

    Brazil scores 56 points higher than Israel (69 against 13)

    Israel 13, Brazil 69, on a line from 0 (Low power distance) to 100 (High power distance).

  2. Individualism

    Brazil scores 20 points lower than Israel (36 against 56)

    Israel 56, Brazil 36, on a line from 0 (Collectivist) to 100 (Individualist).

  3. Long-term orientation

    Brazil scores 19 points lower than Israel (28 against 47)

    Israel 47, Brazil 28, on a line from 0 (Short-term) to 100 (Long-term).

  4. Uncertainty avoidance

    Brazil scores 5 points lower than Israel (76 against 81)

    Israel 81, Brazil 76, on a line from 0 (Tolerant of ambiguity) to 100 (Avoids ambiguity).

  5. Motivation towards achievement and success

    Brazil scores 2 points higher than Israel (49 against 47)

    Israel 47, Brazil 49, on a line from 0 (Consensus-oriented) to 100 (Decisive).

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

Design & quality

Israel3 claims

  • In Chutzpah (2019), Inbal Arieli argues in chapters such as "Failure Is an Option," "Certain Uncertainty" and "Resourcefulness" that growing up amid chaos (balagan) builds improvisation and resourcefulness. The argument is not based on quantitative data.

    Thin1 source2019il-design-1

  • Hofstede's uncertainty avoidance (UAI) is high at 81. The Culture Factor describes a culture that wants rules, punctuality and precision, yet is good at improvising under pressure.

    Attested1 source2026il-design-2

  • According to Haaretz (2012), rosh gadol ("big head") started out as an Israeli army term. It is praise for someone who sees the wider picture, takes responsibility and acts on their own initiative beyond their role.

    Attested1 source2012Datedil-design-3

Brazil2 claims

Failure & risk

Israel4 claims

Brazil1 claim

Feedback & code review

Israel3 claims

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

Hierarchy & decisions

Israel3 claims

Brazil2 claims

Communication & docs

Israel2 claims

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

Work & careers

Israel3 claims

Brazil4 claims

Open source & community

Israel2 claims

  • Company-led open source includes Wix's Detox, an end-to-end testing framework for mobile apps with about 12,000 GitHub stars, and monday.com's design system Vibe.

    Attested2 sources2026il-oss-1

  • According to SecurityWeek, VCs with 8200 alumni such as Team8 and Cyberstarts invest in startups founded by fellow alumni, and money from exits flows back into new investments.

    Attested1 sourceil-oss-2

Brazil3 claims