ESTRATÉGIAS ACADÊMICAS E SUAS MANIFESTAÇÕES - O DISCURSO E A PRÁTICA

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyse academic strategies and their application by examining the reality of a community University in the state of Santa Catarina. The study is based on the work of Baldridge, Cohen and March, Weick, Keller, Hardy, Langley, Mintzberg and Rose, Hardy and Fachin, Birnbaum, Mintzberg and Meyer Jr., who highlighted several factors that make the university a complex and unique organization, with implications to their management. This research is a case study which focused on the analysis of relevant academic strategies in the period of 2001-2008. Data were collected from the following sources: organizational data, no participant observation and interviews based on the narrative approach. The analysis reveals the presence of academic strategies of the "umbrella" type, coming from top administration. The main academic strategies are emergent in nature and arise as a result of individuals and groups initiatives under the influence of rational, political and symbolic factors. The main findings indicate a discourse from senior management focused on the rationality of management favoring business models incompatible with the complex reality of the university. The nature of the academic management that was revealed was amateur, incremental and one which promotes emerging strategic initiatives with significant results for the development of academic programs and the institution.

Keywords

• academic strategy
• complexity
• strategic management
• discourse and practice