Rebalancing society: Learning from the experience of Latin American progressive leaders
Introduction
This study builds upon the rebalancing society proposition forwarded by Henry Mintzberg (2015), which posits that, in order to address complex societal problems, a society needs to build a balance among the public sector (governments), the private sector (businesses), and the plural sector (also referred to as civil society, third sector, not-for-profits, or social sector). Latin America, as a region historically plagued by crises (social, economic, political, and environmental) and still struggling to find its socioeconomic development routes, provides a suitable case to assess the applicability of Mintzberg (2015) proposition. We thus address the following research question: does the rebalancing society proposition find support in the experience of those who are actively engaged in addressing complex societal problems in Latin America?
To answer this question, we interviewed 25 individuals in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Uruguay, who are considered progressive leaders because—as public officers, businesspeople, or activist members of civil society—they promote constructive practices to advance their societies towards a better future. Our results indicate that these progressive leaders tend to agree about the most crucial problems faced in the region and, to an extent, how to solve them. The analysis of the interviews also leads us to posit that, although the interviewees tend to agree with the principles underlying the rebalancing society proposition, the perspectives they voiced indicate that the proposition does not fully account either for the context of low-quality institutions that is typical of Latin America or for the need for a more profound shift of mentality in the region.
This paper also opens the JBR’s special issue on Latin America, composed of some of the best papers presented at the SMLA 2019 conference (http://x.incae.edu/smla2019/), held at FGV in São Paulo, in February 2019, whose theme was “How can Latin American firms contribute to a more rebalanced society.” Carlos Rodríguez and Jorge Carneiro served as co-chairs of the conference and guest editors of this special issue. The eight papers selected (after four rounds of double-blind review) cover firm-level determinants of profitability, the institutional environment of the region, and competitive strategies.
Section snippets
Theoretical ground: The rebalancing society proposition
The rebalancing society proposition saw the light of the day in 2014 when Mintzberg released the pamphlet Rebalancing society: Radical renewal beyond left, right and center, later published as a book (and as a free electronic book) (Mintzberg, 2015). The seminal arguments presented in the book can be traced back to 1991, when Mintzberg began to formulate responses to the conclusion that capitalism had triumphed (Azevedo & Gates, 2019) and that we “live in a world where everybody follows the
Method
To learn about the roots and manifestations of societal imbalance and to gain awareness about potential ways around it, we chose to examine Latin America, a region historically marked by high levels of instability, with several of its nations often swinging between socialist and capitalist dominant ideologies. The region thus seems to depict the very seminal dilemma of oscillation between government power and market power (or public and private) that gave origin to the rebalancing society
Findings
The study shows that the progressive leaders we interviewed tend to agree vis-à-vis the most crucial problems in the region. They also tend to perceive these problems as interconnected and requiring collaboration. The study indicates that, by sharing a common history, countries in the region tend to face similar issues despite the diversity of national contexts. Although cautious when asked if Latin America has lessons to teach to other regions, the interviewees tend to share a vision for the
Discussion
In this section, we discuss how the perspectives voiced by the 25 Latin American progressive leaders relate to the rebalancing society proposition. The analysis of the interviews leads us to posit that, although the interviewees do not disagree with the underlying principles of Mintzberg (2015) proposition, the discussion of their experiences as engaged actors suggests that the proposition does not fully account for some of their major concerns.
Conclusion
This study aimed at assessing the experience of engaged actors in Latin America in order to reveal their perspectives about the most pressing problems in the region and whether the solution to these problems could profit from the rebalancing society proposition (Mintzberg, 2015). In countries that share aspects of a common cultural history, even if separated by significant geographical distance and with different sizes and development trajectories, the study identified a high degree of
Guilherme (Gui) Azevedo ([email protected]). Associate Professor at Audencia Business School in Nantes, France. He holds a PhD in Strategy and Organization from McGill and has completed visiting terms at MIT Sloan, HEC Montréal, and University of Cape Town. His research gravitates around globalization, culture, history, Portuguese studies, social innovation, and organizational nonsense. He is a Senior Research Associate at the CIBS (Cambridge Institute for Brazilian Studies), Coordinator of
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Guilherme (Gui) Azevedo ([email protected]). Associate Professor at Audencia Business School in Nantes, France. He holds a PhD in Strategy and Organization from McGill and has completed visiting terms at MIT Sloan, HEC Montréal, and University of Cape Town. His research gravitates around globalization, culture, history, Portuguese studies, social innovation, and organizational nonsense. He is a Senior Research Associate at the CIBS (Cambridge Institute for Brazilian Studies), Coordinator of the FROG (French Research on Organizations Group), and former Head of the International Business division of ASAC (Administrative Sciences Association of Canada). His first book, 'The Imaginary Empire,' proposes a cultural interpretation of Portugal as a country existing between two globalizations.
Jorge Carneiro ([email protected]). Associate Professor of Strategy and International Business at FGV EAESP (FGV Sao Paulo School of Business Administration). PhD, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Associate Editor of Multinational Business Review, International Journal of Emerging Markets, Management Research, Review of Business Administration, and Brazilian Administration Review. Former editor-in-chief of Brazilian Administration Review (2010-2015). Member of the editorial advisory board of International Business Review and of the editorial review board of Global Strategy Journal. Member of the board of AIB-LAC (Academy of International Business, Latin America & Caribbean chapter), former board member of EIBA (European International Business Academy, 2011-2016), and former member of the Executive Committee of BALAS (Business Association of Latin American Studies, 2009-2014). Research productivity grant holder from the Brazilian Ministry of Education (since 2013). Carneiro accumulated 16 years of professional experience, in particular in the oil & gas industry and in dotcom companies, with responsibilities in strategic planning, new products launch, and investment evaluation.
Carlos Rodriguez ([email protected]) Assistant Professor of Management at INCAE Business School, Costa Rica, where he teaches Strategy and Organizational Change courses. He holds a PhD in Strategy and Organization from McGill University. His research interests lie in the areas of strategy change, behavioral theory and value chain internationalization. His thesis work was awarded the Gunnar Hedlund Award, given by the Stockholm School of Economics to the Best Thesis written in International Business for the period 2015-2016. In addition, one of his papers has won the Douglas Nigh Award of the IM division of the Academy of Mangement in 2020. His articles have been published in the Journal of Business Research. Costa Rica.
Maria Alejandra Gonzalez-Perez ([email protected]). Full Professor of Management at Universidad EAFIT, Colombia. Maria Alejandra is the Chapter Chair for Latin America and the Caribbean of the Academy of International Business (AIB-LAC) (2018-2021). Maria Alejandra has published 16 books, over 60 academic peer-reviewed papers and over 200 articles in the areas of internationalization, sustainability, corporate social responsibility, civic engagement of higher education, and international migration.