While Unilever's organizational structure bas developed, at least to some extent, through trial and error, we still have a consistent and longstanding policy when it comes to one thing: the importance of managing people rather than simply analyzing problems. The two companies that formed Unilever, Margarine Unie of the Netherlands and Lever Brothers of the United Kingdom, had a long tradition of expanding their businesses through both export and local production. Initially, local operations were almost exclusively managed hy Dutch and British expatriates; however, even in the early days of Unilever, the new company started developing local managers and decentralizing the organization. Yet the head office also recognized the need for a common culture among its many scattered units and set up formal training programs aimed at the "Unileverization" of all its managers.