PROPOSAL FOR AN ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE STRATEGIC PROCESS – THE CASE OF A PUBLIC UNIVERSITY

The issue of capturing the dynamics of how strategic events occur and of identifying external and internal factors involved in their organization has been mobilizing researchers of the field for years. The objective of this paper is to present an analytical framework proposal on strategic process at a public university, in this case, the design and implementation of the Institutional Educational Project (IEP) of a new campus. From an analytical point of view, proceed from a less linear approach to a more interpretative strategy, in which its shaping occurs through social interaction, considering the beliefs and common interpretations of organizational members. Specifically, we intended to know how certain strategies emerge and the conjectural aspects which influence the prioritization and decision-making processes of its implementers. The proposal is based on the theories of Structure and Social Change (on the sociological field), and on the procedural and practical perspectives (on the organizational field). The scheme was built, implemented and validated during the implementation of a new university campus through qualitative research, using the case study methodology. This paper presents the preparation stage of the scheme. By undertaking a theoretical and methodological search that is able to subsidize descriptions and explanations of a dynamic process of creating and implementing strategies in a public university, we intended to find a way to comprehend the strategic phenomenon in an integrated manner, and not in a compartmentalized manner, as observed in many studies. Through the scheme, it was possible to realize the practical actions of the agents and their influence over the strategic process and how the way events develop can influence the practices of the strategists. It was possible to sense that agents in public universities use the power of their expertise to build a context favorable to their interests, even if this means significant changes in the IEP. For the organizational analyst, the blueprint is able to define levels of analysis in an integrated manner, temporally delimit the actions and outline methodological procedures.

Strategy; Strategic process; Analytical scheme; Public university; Social construction