UNIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN THE LIGHT OF SENSEMAKING AND PRACTICES
An integrative literature review
Keywords:
Sensemaking, Theory of Practices, University Management, Higher EducationAbstract
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.
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