Culture and Leadership Across the World

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Leadership and Culture in Portugal

Jorge Correia JesuinoInstituto Superior de Ciências do Trabalho e da Empresa, Lisboa, Portugal

Portugal, a conflict I have with myself. —Alexandre O'Neil

The exergue comes from a poem about Portugal by Alexandre O'Neil (published in 1965). It reflects the malaise most of the Portuguese intelligentsia feel toward their national culture and identity. José Saramago, Nobel Prize for literature in 2000, has also claimed that he is unlikely to reach a clear understanding of the Portuguese identity in his lifetime. Most of the reflections of Eduardo Lourenço, another famous essayist, have been dedicated to trying ...