wtfeWays They Frame Engineering
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PolandvsBrazil

ポーランドとブラジルPLBR

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

Swap: see Poland from Brazil

Culture Map: eight scales

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

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

Where you will notice the difference5 scales

  1. Trusting

    Brazil builds trust through personal relationships more than Poland (3 steps)

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

  2. Evaluating

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

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

  3. Disagreeing

    Brazil avoids open disagreement more than Poland (2 steps)

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

  4. Scheduling

    Brazil treats plans as more flexible than Poland (2 steps)

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

  5. Persuading

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

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

Where you are close2 scales

  1. Communicating

    Poland and Brazil sit on the same step

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

  2. Leading

    Poland and Brazil sit on the same step

    Poland +1, Brazil +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 Poland and Brazil. They describe national averages, not either country's character.

  1. Indulgence

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

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

  2. Long-term orientation

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

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

  3. Uncertainty avoidance

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

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

  4. Motivation towards achievement and success

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

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

  5. Individualism

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

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

  6. Power distance

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

    Poland 68, Brazil 69, 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 Poland and Brazil, side by side on wide screens. Each keeps its own confidence label and citations.

Design & quality

Poland3 claims

Brazil2 claims

Failure & risk

Poland2 claims

Brazil1 claim

Feedback & code review

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

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

Poland2 claims

Brazil2 claims

Communication & docs

Poland2 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

Poland3 claims

Brazil4 claims

Open source & community

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

Brazil3 claims