Inovação no setor público: percepção dos gestores das áreas acadêmicas de uma universidade

Abstract

Society's expectations are growing regarding public services. On the other hand, there are difficulties such as budget limitations that lead to a need for specialization and innovation in this sector. Thus, it is necessary to have a greater understanding of the dynamics of innovation, especially during and after the period of occurrence of the pandemic caused by Covid-19, which required public managers, as a basic premise of survival, to adopt innovations quickly and somewhat improvised. Educational institutions also needed to adapt to the new reality and assume an innovative management. Thus, the objective of this study is to analyze how the managers of the academic areas of the Federal University of Espírito Santo – Ufes perceive the adoption of innovation and its results in the public sector, specifically in relation to public educational institutions, analyzing the facilitating variables, barriers and outcomes of the innovative process, as well as identifying possible relationships between these variables. A qualitative approach was used with data collected through structured interviews applied to managers of the academic areas of Ufes, occupants of management positions. Data processing was performed through content analysis. From this, the innovative process at Ufes was identified, with emphasis on the antecedents that impact this variable and its possible results. The biggest barrier identified was the need to improve a culture of innovation, in contrast, the most identified facilitator was the improved technical staff of the University, among the results, the generation of value to the student appears highlighted. As an additional result, a Technical Report was prepared, providing guidance on the factors that influence the innovation process in the public sector and factors that slow it down, presenting ways to improve an innovative environment in the sector analyzed.