Strengthening the Education Ecosystem in Brazil

ABSTRACT

In this editorial, I address the education ecosystem in Brazil, highlighting some recent transformations. I also discuss the importance of strengthening the ecosystem, contributing to the debate on the knowledge we create and disseminate, and the role of RAC in this process. Finally, I present the articles featured in this new edition of the journal.

Keywords: ecosystem; education; innovation; teaching and research

RESUMO

Neste editorial, trato do ecossistema de educação no Brasil, destacando algumas transformações recentes. Abordo ainda a importância de fortalecer o ecossistema, contribuindo para o debate sobre o conhecimento que criamos e disseminamos, e o papel da RAC neste processo. Ao final, apresento os trabalhos desta nova edição da revista.

Palavras-chave: ecossistema; educação; inovação; ensino e pesquisa

INTRODUCTION

I’ve been studying ecosystems for more than 15 years, since the days when it was almost impossible to publish research on this topic. Indeed, I have received numerous rejections for ‘framing issues.’ The truth is that business ecosystems were not considered a legitimate theme for management journals. Luckily, researchers and the field have evolved, and today, there are tracks on business ecosystems at our conferences and many research groups dedicated to the topic

This shift toward recognizing business ecosystems in management journals results from the ecosystem approach’s growing relevance. As highlighted by Adner (2017), thinking in those terms broadens our perception of the world. It involves mapping the diverse actors across industry boundaries, providing a holistic and integrated view. This perspective enables organizations to identify threats and opportunities that might be overlooked (Tsujimoto et al., 2017).The significance of such elements cannot be overstated, as they form the basis of our research and understanding of ecosystems.

A few years ago, we initiated research to understand Brazil’s educational ecosystem (Rodrigues et al., 2021). At that time, it was already possible to see the transformation toward a more democratic, global, and digital generation and dissemination of knowledge. Looking specifically at the diffusion of e-learning, we identified some critical aspects. One is the role of teachers and researchers as gatekeepers of innovation. Our research showed that those actors are generally resistant to change and fearful of losing relevance and authority. Another aspect is how innovations are adopted and disseminated in complex ecosystems (Cozzolino et al., 2018). We realized that no single actor is responsible for innovation but a confluence of different actors, such as schools, universities, governments, students, teachers, and platforms. It became evident that articulating various elements at different levels is fundamental for something new to happen. And then the pandemic came along and showed that sometimes planning is just something you do to make the world laugh and turn everything upside down... but even so, those who were better prepared adapted easier and faster (Campos et al., 2021).

Since assuming the role of editor at RAC, I have devoted considerable time thinking about the research mentioned above. The education ecosystem (Figure 1) is once again undergoing a significant transformation driven by artificial intelligence. We are witnessing the expansion of ecosystem boundaries, the emergence of new players, the alteration of traditional practices, the dissolution of methodological barriers, and the emergence of new threats and opportunities.

Figure 1
Education ecossystem.

Significant changes present valuable opportunities. How can we leverage these tools to enhance the education ecosystem in Brazil? One of RAC’s primary objectives is to empower this ecosystem. For this, it is vital to adopt a strategic approach to developing the journal as a national and international platform.

It seems self-evident that the initial destination for high-quality research conducted by Brazilians, even research that genuinely reflects our phenomena and context, is frequently an outlet that is controlled and published outside our country. It is, in fact, not at all surprising that this occurs. For example, any journalist who publishes their work in The New York Times is undoubtedly pleased with their achievement, and this is not a problem for our newspapers. However, in the case of our scientific journals, the focus of our researchers on publishing abroad makes a significant impact. Retaining a greater proportion of this creative output within the country would help to energize further one of the main drivers of the relevance of our publications. This would also lead to greater reader engagement, as is expected on any platform.

In sum, a significant number of high-quality articles that our leading journals could publish end up being published in international journals that are similarly ranked. Based on my experience in this role during the initial months and the conversations I have had, it is clear that this loss is becoming more significant. It is, therefore, necessary for us to decide what we want. Is the net value to the country of national scientific journals positive and perceived as such? If the majority of stakeholders perceive this value to be positive, as I do, the scientific production ecosystem in Brazil must prioritize strengthening our platforms for disseminating scientific research.

As we know, a platform is a tool that facilitates communication between one or more audiences. There are network effects on both sides (Gawer & Cusumano, 2014), and, more importantly, in our case, a cross-network effect. In the case of a journal, the greater the number of high-quality articles, the greater the economic, social, and semiotic value associated with readers’ consumption of the platform. Similarly, the greater the number of readers, the greater the value for the researchers who publish there. One audience provides a source of motivation for the other to exist. It is crucial for those who control the platform to remember this and take care, especially at the beginning and during significant change, to subsidize one side until the cross-network effect takes off, thereby ensuring the generation of value for all.

The question of who runs our scientific journals is a complex one. It is clear, however, that the answer lies in our ecosystem. The future of our journals is in our hands. It is, therefore, vital that we, as an ecosystem, find a way forward. In my opinion, the solution lies in the flow of submissions. We must consider ways of reserving a more significant share of our research groups’ output and submitting it to our best journals. This would be an effective way of strengthening our ecosystem and increasing its power in the global context.

The editors who preceded us deserve our gratitude for their contributions to advancing the operational aspects of journals like RAC, which have reached levels of excellence comparable to the best in the world. It seems that a more significant commitment from all Brazilian researchers is in the critical path that will lead our journals to become part of the aspiration of international publication for researchers from other countries. In this regard, the current circumstances demand the entrepreneurial involvement of everyone in our field. It is imperative to recognize that publishing in a renowned Brazilian journal significantly contributes to our ecosystem. This implies that the intrinsic value of what we do exceeds our research findings. In essence, a thriving ecosystem nurtures its members.

Because of the above, we must forge ahead, accelerating our progress along a trajectory already charted to enhance our global standing. For these reasons, I am honored to present this edition of RAC, which showcases relevant, original research that align with our mission and facilitate the dissemination of significant knowledge to our organizations and researchers.

This issue features papers examining innovation’s role in addressing contemporary challenges. Alberto Luiz Albertin and Francisco Massaro da Silva’s article explores the impact of strategic IT-business alignment on the transformation and sustainability of pre-digital businesses. Additionally, we present papers that explore methodological innovations. These include the article by Marcelo Luiz Dias da Silva Gabriel, José Afonso Mazzon, Giuliana Isabella, Ricardo Limongi França Coelho, Evandro Luiz Lopes, and Vinicius Andrade Brei, which addresses the current challenges of the survey as a research design. Another noteworthy contribution is the article by Shaista Jabeen, which examines the use of algorithms to explore consumer reactions. The paper by Dias Rafael Magul and Carlos Eduardo Cavalcante examines the correlation between the retention of members of civil organizations and political participation. To conclude the issue, we present a teaching case by Samara de Carvalho Pedro, Raissa Helena Paiva Apolinario, Ed de Almeida Carlos, and Edson Sadao Iizuka on intrapreneurship, its challenges, and opportunities.

I want to thank these excellent researchers for helping to strengthen our ecosystem, and I wish you all a good read!

REFERENCES

• Adner, R. (2017). Ecosystem as structure: An actionable construct for strategy. Journal of Management, 43(1), 39-58. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206316678451
  » https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206316678451
• Campos, R., Tavares, E., Chimenti, P., & Marques, L. (2021) Challenges for the future of education brought by the pandemic: The COPPEAD Case. Revista de Administração Contemporânea, 25(spe), e210062. https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-7849rac2021210062.en
  » https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-7849rac2021210062.en
• Chimenti, P. C. P. S., Rodrigues, M. A. S., & Nogueira, A. R. R. (2015, June). O futuro da educação: Uma análise de cenários. Anais do 7º Encontro de Estudos em Estratégia - 3Es, Brasília, Brazil.
• Cozzolino, A., Verona, G., & Rothaermel, F. (2018). Unpacking the disruption process: New technology, business models, and incumbent adaptation. Journal of Management Studies 55,7. https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.12352
  » https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.12352
• Gawer, A., & Cusumano, M. A. (2014). Industry platforms and ecosystem innovation. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 31(3), 417-433. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12105
  » https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12105
• Rodrigues, M., Chimenti, P., & Nogueira, A. R. (2021). An exploration of eLearning adoption in the educational ecosystem. Education and Information Technologies, 26(1), 585-615. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10276-3
  » https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10276-3
• Tsujimoto, M., Kajikawa, Y., Tomita, J., & Matsumoto, Y. (2017). A review of the ecosystem concept towards coherent ecosystem design. Technological Forecasting & Social Change, 136, 49-58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2017.06.032
  » https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2017.06.032

• Plagiarism Check
  The RAC maintains the practice of submitting all documents approved for publication to the plagiarism check, using specific tools, e.g.: iThenticate.
• Funding
  The author reported that there was no funding for the research in this article.
• Data Availability
  RAC encourages data sharing but, in compliance with ethical principles, it does not demand the disclosure of any means of identifying research subjects, preserving the privacy of research subjects. The practice of open data is to enable the reproducibility of results, and to ensure the unrestricted transparency of the results of the published research, without requiring the identity of research subjects.

Edited by

• SCIENTIFIC EDITORIAL BOARD AND EDITORIAL TEAM FOR THIS ISSUE:
  Editorial Council
  Emílio José Montero Arruda Filho (UNAMA, Belém, PA, Brazil; UFPA, Belém, PA, Brazil)
  Gabrielle Durepos (Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada)
  Rafael Alcadipani da Silveira (EAESP/FGV, São Paulo, SP, Brazil)
  Patricia Guarnieri dos Santos (UnB, Brasília, DF, Brazil)
  Silvia Gherardi (University of Trento, Trento, Italy)
  Editor-in-chief
  Paula Chimenti (UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil)
  Associate Editors
  Ariston Azevedo (UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil)
  Carolina Andion (UDESC, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil)
  Cristiana Cerqueira Leal (Universidade do Minho, Portugal)
  Denize Grzybovski (IFRS, Erechim, RS, Brazil)
  Elisa Yoshie Ichikawa (UEM, Maringá, PR, Brazil)
  Fernando Luiz Emerenciano Viana (Unifor, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil)
  Gaylord George Candler (University of North Florida, Jacksonville, Florida, USA)
  Gustavo da Silva Motta (UFF, Niterói, RJ, Brazil)
  Keysa Manuela Cunha de Mascena (Unifor, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil)
  Leonardo Marques (Audencia Business School, France)
  Ludmila de Vasconcelos Machado Guimarães (CEFET-MG, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil)
  Marlon Dalmoro (UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil)
  Natália Rese (UFPR, Curitiba, PR, Brazil)
  Orleans Silva Martins (UFPB, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil)
  Tatiana Iwai (INSPER, São Paulo, SP, Brazil)
  Scientific Editorial Board
  André Luiz Maranhão de Souza-Leão (UFPE, Recife, CE, Brazil)
  Aureliano Angel Bressan (CEPEAD/UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil)
  Bryan Husted (York University, Canada)
  Carlos M. Rodriguez (Delaware State University, USA)
  Diógenes de Souza Bido (Mackenzie, São Paulo, SP, Brazil)
  Erica Piros Kovacs (Kelley School of Business/Indiana University, EUA)
  Elin Merethe Oftedal (University of Stavanger, Norway)
  Fábio Frezatti (FEA/USP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil)
  Felipe Monteiro (INSEAD Business School, USA)
  Howard J. Rush (University of Brighton, United Kingdom)
  James Robert Moon Junior (Georgia Institute of Technology, USA)
  John L. Campbell (University of Georgia, USA)
  José Afonso Mazzon (USP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil)
  Jose Antonio Puppim de Oliveira (United Nations University, Japan)
  Julián Cárdenas (Universitat de València, Spain)
  Lucas Ayres B. de Campos Barros (USP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil)
  Luciano Rossoni (UnB, Brasília, DF, Brazil)
  M. Philippe Protin (Université Grenoble Alpes, France)
  Paulo Estevão Cruvinel (Embrapa Instrumentação, São Carlos, SP, Brazil)
  Rodrigo Bandeira de Mello (Merrimack College, USA)
  Rodrigo Verdi (MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, EUA)
  Valter Afonso Vieira (UEM, Maringá, PR, Brazil)
  Editing
  Typesetting and normalization to APA standards: Eduarda Pereira Anastacio (ANPAD); Simone L. L. Rafael (ANPAD, Maringá, Brazil).
  Frequency: Continuous publication.
  Circulation: Free open access to the full text.
  Indexing, Directories and Rankings
  Scopus, Scielo, Redalyc, DOAJ, Latindex, Cengage/GALE, Econpapers, IDEAS, EBSCO, Proquest, SPELL, Cabell's, Ulrichs, CLASE, Index Copernicus International, Sherpa Romeo, Carhus Plus+, Academic Journal Guide (ABS), DIADORIM, REDIB, ERIHPlus, OAJI, EZB, OasisBR, IBZ Online, WorldWideScience, Google Scholar, Citefactor.org, MIAR, Capes/Qualis.

Data availability

RAC encourages data sharing but, in compliance with ethical principles, it does not demand the disclosure of any means of identifying research subjects, preserving the privacy of research subjects. The practice of open data is to enable the reproducibility of results, and to ensure the unrestricted transparency of the results of the published research, without requiring the identity of research subjects.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  11 Nov 2024
• Date of issue
  2024