UNIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN THE LIGHT OF SENSEMAKING AND PRACTICES

An integrative literature review

Authors

Keywords:

Sensemaking, Theory of Practices, University Management, Higher Education

Abstract

Higher education organizations have undergone a number of changes in the last thirty years. Among the origins of these changes are government policies that have given educational institutions greater autonomy and managerial responsibility, which has contributed to an increase in the market logic in their management. Under these influences, university agents have experienced various processes of constructing new meanings and establishing responses to changes in their environments, which have led to different perceptions, strategies and conflicts. Using the theoretical lenses of sensemaking and theories of practice, this integrative bibliographical research investigated how university reorganizations have been dealt with in the specialized literature. Considering the established criteria, the research found 14 studies that emphasized sensemaking processes and practical developments as a result of organizational changes at university level. The results address: (i) the ways in which the autonomy acquired by educational entities has been operationalized through the establishment of emancipated management systems; (ii) the insertion of curricular guidelines aimed at the performance of students in the job market and (iii) the disturbances of professors and heads of department who tend to question their actions as strategic leaders of universities. The work contributes to the academic community by pointing out the adversities and challenges of the field today and the ways in which they have been signified and responded to, which can contribute to future research.

Author Biographies

Juliano Silva Cougo, Doutorando em Administração por Programa de Pós-Graduação em Administração da Universidade Federal de Lavras – MG (PPGA-UFLA).

Doutorando em Administração pela Universidade Federal de Lavras-MG (UFLA). Mestre em Administração pela Universidade Federal de Lavras-MG (UFLA). Bacharel em Administração Pública pela Universidade Federal de Alfenas-MG (UNIFAL). Bacharel em Ciência e Economia pela Universidade Federal de Alfenas-MG (UNIFAL). Membro do Núcleo de Estudos e Pesquisas em Gestão como Prática Social (NEGEP/UFLA). Desenvolve pesquisas relacionadas as áreas de estudos construcionistas, modelos alternativos de economia, e diversidade nas organizações.

Iasmin Ribeiro Diniz, Doutoranda em Administração na UFLA - Universidade Federal de Lavras

PhD student in Administration at UFLA - Federal University of Lavras. Active member of NEORGS - Center for Studies in Organizations, Management and Society at UFLA - Federal University of Lavras. Master in Administration from UFLA - Federal University of Lavras in 2023 with the dissertation entitled: The implementation of emergency remote teaching in an Administration course at a Federal University. Scholarship in Scientific Initiation at the Federal University of Lavras - UFLA from 2018 to 2019 with the research project on the Life of Higher Education Teachers. Participant in the Research Project on Life Stories of Teachers and Future Teachers in Higher Education: Training and Self-training from 2019 to 2020. Intern in Projects and Continuous Improvement (Quality) at VETBR Saúde Animal from 2016 to 2018.

Elisabeth Thaiane Tercino de Araújo, Doutoranda do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Administração da Universidade Federal de Lavras.

PhD student in the Postgraduate Program in Administration at the Federal University of Lavras (PPGA/UFLA) with a research emphasis on Organizations, Management and Society. Master in Administration from the Postgraduate Program in Administration at the Federal University of Lavras (PPGA/UFLA). Bachelor's degree in Public Administration from the same institution (2012-2017). He is a member of the Center for Studies and Research in Management in Social Practice (NEGEP) and the Center for Studies in Organizations, Management and Society (NEORGS). She currently works as a tutor for face-to-face, blended and distance learning courses at the Centro Universitário de Lavras (MG), with emphasis on Administration and related courses.

Dany Flávio Tonelli, Professor Associado na UFLA - Universidade Federal de Lavras

Dany Flávio Tonelli holds a master's degree (2004-2005) and a doctorate (2008-2011) in Administration with an emphasis on Organizations, Change and Strategy from PPGA/UFLA. She completed a post-doctoral internship working as a Visiting Scholar at the University of Texas at Austin at the Innovation Creative Capital Institute-IC2, with a scholarship from CNPq (2022-2023). She is an associate professor at the Department of Public Administration (DAP / UFLA). He served as director pro tempore at the Faculty of Applied Social Sciences at UFLA (2020-2022). He participated as a visiting professor in a program at the Research Institute of the University of Bucharest-Romania (Jan-Feb 2019). He served as deputy dean of the Dean of Extension and Culture (PROEC-2016-2020) and as responsible for the Coordination of Technological and Social Development (CODETS-PROEC-2015-2020). Between 2009 and 2011 he was a professor at the Institute of Applied Social Sciences at the Federal University of Alfenas-Campus Varginha. It is linked to the postgraduate programs in Administration and Public Administration (PPGA and PPGAP -UFLA). He has been working in teaching and in projects financed by development agencies since 2012. He is the leader of the research group and vice-coordinator of NIESP - Center for Studies in Innovation, Entrepreneurship and the Public Sector. He has developed research and extension projects on topics such as ( i) Collaborative Innovation in the Public Sector, (ii) Technology-Based Entrepreneurship, (iii) Collaborative Governance; (iv) Public Management Technologies and (v) other science, technology, innovation and society topics.

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Published

2024-09-01

How to Cite

Silva Cougo, J., Ribeiro Diniz, I., Thaiane Tercino de Araújo, E., & Flávio Tonelli, D. (2024). UNIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN THE LIGHT OF SENSEMAKING AND PRACTICES: An integrative literature review. Brazilian Journal of Management and Innovation (Revista Brasileira De Gestão E Inovação), 11(3). Retrieved from https://sou.ucs.br/etc/revistas/index.php/RBGI/article/view/13627

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 3 (2024): (September-December)

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RBGI Articles

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Copyright (c) 2025 Juliano Silva Cougo, Iasmin Ribeiro Diniz, Elisabeth Thaiane Tercino de Araújo, Dany Flávio Tonelli

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