Management Trends in Colombia: Between Independence and Autonomy

Abstract

This article accounts for the origins of some management trends, their arrival to Colombia, their spread and implementation in private and public organizations and, finally, of the results obtained from their application. The management trends subject to study are the following: organizational development, quality circles, total quality, re-engineering, empowerment, benchmarking and outsourcing. This article shows how some of these best-sellers and trends have been used without sufficient knowledge, without being subject to serious evaluation, without taking Colombian reality into account. The article further analyzes how a great number of these best-sellers and trends that came to the country, after certain boom, have disappeared or deteriorated, to be replaced or absorbed by other new trends, which, according to some critics, is due to the lack of theoretical grounds or scientific support. The conclusion is that some of the topics related to management trends and best-sellers are significant for the academic community, managers and entrepreneurs, because thoroughly knowing them will allow them to better assess the advantages they offer, but also their limitations and weaknesses.