BRAZIL OF THE FUTURE: STRATEGIZING WITH THE SOCIO-TECHNICAL MANAGEMENT APPROACH (*).

* Sponsored by CAPES

Antonio J. Balloni – Center for Information Technology - CTI

Paulo J.P. Resende - FINEP

Andrew S. Targowski – Western Michigan University

; Greece/Athens, May /2012

BRAZIL AS A WORLD PLAYER

Brazil has been consolidating as an emerging player at the complex world scenario. One of the common characteristics to the world’s most important nations is being able to “forge” the future. Decades ago, Brazil already provided evidence of possessing such characteristic, but this tendency has been gradually weakened, due to turbulences of economic order.

Proposal: reestablishing longer term horizons goals, by the incorporation, at the political agenda, of an approach we call Sociotechnical Management and, with aspirations and view of a shared management between government and society.

LACK OF FUTURE: AN IMMINENT CONFLICT The loss of perspective of future directly conflicts with

several fields of thinking and knowledge exploration, such as projection, prospection etc.

The non existence of a desired future is a condition incompatible with the plans of development of any nation in the 21st century.

The model of Sociotechnical Management presupposes its individuals have good judgment and choices.

How to make good choices without the perspective of a future result?

MANAGEMENT SOCIETY

Toffler Waves:the agricultural activity (First Wave, period started at around 10,000 B.C.) and the industrial activity (Second Wave, period started at around the 18th century) for, subsequent advance in the direction of a knowledge economy (Third Wave - digital, connected, provided with a vast information repository, perhaps initiated in the 21st century?)

The Third Wave is the baseline for the creation of a Knowledge Society.

BRAZIL´S “ECONOMIC” TIMELINE

SACRIFICE & “BRAZIL, A COUNTRY OF THE FUTURE” The “Sacrifice” of the “ Brazil, a Country of the Future”

started in the seventies, when the Brazilian Government was forced to face a world crisis, a recessive global scenario deflagrated at the beginning of the decade by the oil crisis.

The II Plano Nacional de Desenvolvimento – Second National Development Plan (PND II:1974-1979), was conceived with the purpose of replacing the imports and eventually promoting exportation, so as to support the economic conjuncture favorable to the national development, assuring the necessary space for the absorption of previous investments and modifying, in the long term, the productive structure.

PND II: AN UNSUCCESSFUL PLAN

Despite all PND II virtues, the determined emancipatory strategy was not enough to promote the development in face of a recessive global scenario.

The succeeding plan, the Third National Development Plan (PND III: 1979-1985) was jeopardized by the aggravation of national macroeconomic issues, and by Brazil’s inability to pay its enormous external indebtedness.

BRAZIL´S ECONOMY AND SMALLER ECONOMIC CYCLES

Due to the impossibility of support of Brazil’s economic and social development impulse, the country plunges into a picture of macroeconomic crisis, connected to increasingly smaller planning cycles:

SOCIOTECHNICAL SYSTEMS & SOCIOTECHNICAL MANAGEMENT A sociotechnical approach assures a compatibility of

the social and technical systems, in a participative approach.

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ABSENCE OF FUTURE AND BRAZIL´S FUTURE

The new country’s condition, favorable to the projection of a virtuous future, still lacks the redemption of the political and economic thinking connected to longer terms projections – see the future.

Is it possible for us to conceive a fair and participative society without choices and decision making for the future being made?

THE ANSWER: SOCIOTECHNICAL MANAGEMENT

We (authors), believe that it is necessary the concept of Sociotechnical Management be disseminated and multiplied amongst Brazilian citizens. The access to information is fundamental and strategic, presenting itself as key resource under the optic of the competitive advantage and of participative strategic planning.

A FINAL COMMENT.

1.    Open and lateral dissemination of know-how;2.    Freedom to voice contrary opinions;3.    Frequent face-to-face interaction;4.   Making tacit knowledge explicit - Sociotechnical Management;5. Formal and informal organizational support mechanisms and 6. The eight key principles-strategies of a sustainable Brazil: see paper

> 1 to 5: adaptapion from Osono /2008 > 6: Adaptation from Targowski/2010, co author.

SUMMARY: WHY SOCIOTECHNICAL MANAGEMENT MODEL?

Objective of The Participatory Model of a Sociotechnical Management: the search for the state of balance where radical contradictions coexist

Comfort Zone is not allowed: Sociotechnical Management aims the creation of healthy tensions and instability

Such tensions and instability generates progress and provokes the attainment of results: a strategic, efficient and effective planning takes place only in such condition.

THANK YOU!

Further or any questions in the coffee break and/or to GESITI@cti.gov.br