The projections of International Monetary Fund By 2027, they place Peru as the fifth economy in Latin America, behind Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Colombia. To advance in this ranking, the Peruvian economy would have to grow at a faster rate than its neighbors. However, economic growth does not depend solely on investment, infrastructure or public policies. It is also related to the way people think, work, make decisions and relate. In other words, with culture.
The Culture Factor Group analyzes six cultural dimensions that allow countries to be compared. These are not characteristics that define all its inhabitants, but rather trends that help understand collective behaviors. When comparing Peru with the four Latin American economies that surpass it, some differences appear that deserve attention.
The first is the relationship with authority. Peru registers 64 points in power distance, a relatively high level that reflects the acceptance of hierarchical structures. Although Mexico, Brazil and Colombia present similar or higher scores, Argentina differs with 49 points. In business, hierarchies can limit initiative, make communication difficult, and concentrate decisions. To promote growth, it is important to promote organizations where ideas can arise from any level and where capacity is valued more than position.
Another important difference appears in individualism. With just 20 points, Peru is the most collectivist country of the five. This reflects the importance of family, personal relationships and belonging to a group. They are characteristics that can strengthen solidarity, but also favor conformity and make it difficult to recognize individual merit. The challenge is not to abandon collective ties, but to complement them with greater autonomy, initiative and personal responsibility.
Regarding achievement orientation, Peru obtains 42 points, below the other four countries. Peruvian culture tends to value cooperation, human relationships and quality of life more than competition and individual recognition. This does not mean a lack of ambition or capacity. However, to promote development, it is essential to strengthen a culture that recognizes effort, rewards results and promotes excellence, without losing the value of collaboration.
One of the most notable characteristics is the high aversion to uncertainty. With 87 points, Peru presents the highest level of the group. There is a strong need for rules and structures that provide security, although paradoxically the country coexists with a high level of informality and a considerable distance between the rules and their compliance. This contradiction can become an obstacle to innovation and entrepreneurship. The challenge is to have clear and stable rules, but also to develop a greater willingness to experiment, take risks and adapt to change.
Perhaps the most worrying difference is in the long-term orientation. Peru obtains only five points, compared to 29 for Argentina, 28 for Brazil and 23 for Mexico. Colombia also presents a low level, with six points. This dimension reflects a tendency to privilege immediate results over future objectives. Its implications are important for savings, investment, training and the continuity of public policies. A country will hardly be able to sustain its growth if its decisions are dominated by urgency and the short term.
The sixth dimension, indulgence, shows Peru in an intermediate position, without a clear inclination towards the immediate satisfaction of desires or their containment. Although it also offers elements to understand social behaviors, the most relevant differences for development seem to be found in the previous dimensions.
Understanding Peruvian culture allows us to identify the strengths on which to rely and the limitations that must be overcome to promote sustained economic growth.
*El Comercio opens its pages to the exchange of ideas and reflections. In this plural framework, the Diario does not necessarily agree with the opinions of the columnists who sign them, although it always respects them.
