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The purpose of this paper is to present the organizational and managerial practices of the Pijaos community as a segmentary organization located in the Colombian Andes, providing a cultural legacy through the effective management of power and authority, while establishing a bridge to organizational democracy (OD).

A review of books, papers and historiographies was conducted to collect historical data on the Pijaos.

It was found that the social organization of the Pijaos was devoid of power ambitions and abuses of authority, thanks to characteristics inherent in their economic system, parenting style, socio-political structure and authority based on rotation of leaders rather than supreme delegation under an inheritance scheme.

Management literature has not considered the ancestral Amerindian communities of the southern continent to rescue their organizational practices and relate them to the new management trends, as organizational democracy, which not only operates based on flat structures but also considers the rotation of individuals holding positions of power.

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to thecomprehension of management education in the Global South, focusing on how contextual specificities, exemplified in the Colombian case, have driven curricular reforms. These reforms harmonize traditional practical training with a substantial emphasis on humanities education. to 

Using a historical approach, this study conducts a heuristic and hermeneutic analysis of historical primary documents from archives, secondary sources and interviews.

The curricular reforms in Eafit’s Business Administration program responded to the need to diverge from a model borrowed from the United States. This departure leads to organic transformations that empower the inclusion of humanities for holistic professional manager education. This holistic approach was aimed to equip graduates to address organizational challenges and unique local issues, transcending conventional boundaries of education.

This research serves as an initial exploration of a Global South case, laying the groundwork for future analyses of analogous cases. Comparative studies may eventually provide a more comprehensive understanding of management education beyond the Global North.

This work pioneers a relatively unexplored area of literature by investigating the history, unique aspects of business administration curricula and the role of curricular reforms within specific contexts. It is particularly pertinent in understanding the distinctive characteristics of business schools in the Global South. These institutions initially took inspiration from well-established American counterparts and literature reflecting Northern Global settings. However, they introduced innovations tailored to their local demands. This study spotlights the distinctive character of management education in Latin America, emphasizing a robust humanistic component.