Our Culture

In our activities, we are inspired by Norberto Odebrecht`s legacy every day, based on a philosophy of life grounded in education and work. The values that he received in family education and improved in his professional life were systematized in the developments that gave rise to Odebrecht Entrepreneurial Technology (TEO).

These values and beliefs guide our work, both in the communities where we work and alongside our fellow members.

The principles, concepts and criteria of this philosophy are available in a series of books which have been published since the 1960s. Published in three languages, the books are sold on our site (only in Portuguese), and all of the income received is invested in our social program actions, PDCIS.

Fundamental Principles

The fundamental principles of TEO establish cultural and ethical references to operate our program. The aim of these principles is maximizing the individual capacity of every member, and enabling each one to imprint their personal mark on entrepreneurial life.

Listed below are the seven fundamental principles of Odebrecht Entrepreneurial Technology:

1. Trust in people, and their capacity and desire to develop.
2. Client satisfaction, serving them with an emphasis on quality, productivity and community and environmental responsibility.
3. Return to shareholders of the capital invested and valuing their assets.
4. Decentralized activity, based on full, planned delegation, so that partner-entrepreneurs may freely implement their action programs.
5. Partnership between the members who take part in the conception and realization of the work and results generated.
6. People`s self-development, above all via education through work.
7. Reinvestment of results to create new work opportunities and guarantee sustainability.

Essential Concepts

The essential concepts of TEO contribute towards guaranteeing integration and clarity in communication between leaders and members. Therefore, these concepts help to establish a common language between members, forming our communication and information system.

Understand the five essential concepts of Odebrecht Entrepreneurial Technology:

1. Decentralization promotes permanent and direct contact with our clients. It also favors a clear perception of their needs and the best way of serving them, and the permanent integration of better, new partner-entrepreneurs.
2. For us, the practice of a trusting society is synonymous with planned delegation and means trusting people: the integrity of their character, potential and desire to develop.
3. The entrepreneurial task is a continuous process which focuses on the identification, creation, attainment and satisfaction of our clients.
4. The continuous valuation of shareholders` moral and material assets achieves an increasingly improved and higher flow of results, between clients and shareholders. Intangible and tangible results contribute towards survival, growth and perpetuity.
5. We fulfil our social responsibility by satisfying our clients, with goods and services that result in an improved quality of life in the communities in which it operates; contributing towards their social, economic, technological, entrepreneurial and cultural development; and ensuring permanent respect for the environment with our entrepreneurial actions.

General criteria

Guiding the practice of education through work are eight general criteria that aim to positively influence our way of thinking and acting.

Listed below are the general criteria of Odebrecht Entrepreneurial Technology:

1. Human beings are the measure of all values.
2. The partner-entrepreneur should master their business, in order to simultaneously satisfy both the client and shareholder.
3. Education through work is inseparable from the entrepreneurial task.
4. Those who provide support to the people responsible for results should always be orientated towards opportunities and results.
5. The member has the right to share the results that s/he directly contributed towards generating, and can be measured, billed and paid for by the client.
6. The partner-entrepreneur should always be open to recognizing their errors and ready to correct them.
7. The image that matters and makes a difference is the one constructed with the community, based on the satisfaction of each client, and commitment to community well-being.
8. Members have the duty to look after their own health and that of every member, in addition to operational security, quality of life and environmental preservation in the communities in which they operate.