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

Abstract

The recent global public health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has imposed on society and the public sector, in particular, the need to seek innovative strategies for action. The limited budgetary resources of most countries and society's growing expectation for better, more agile and technological public services have accentuated the concern of organizations in this sector to adopt innovative practices. In this sense, it seeks to understand how public managers perceive the adoption of innovations and the results of innovation efforts in the public sector. The research seeks to contribute with greater knowledge a greater understanding of the innovation process in the public environment, through the analysis of the perceptions of managers of the administrative areas of the Federal University of Espírito Santo - Ufes on the subject. In theoretical terms, the study is based on the understanding of innovation in the public sector, the types of innovation that occur in this sector, the theoretical models of innovation, the antecedents, and the results of innovation. The qualitative approach was used, with data collected through structured interviews with managers of the administrative areas of the university, occupying management positions. Data analysis was performed through content analysis. The results of the research confirmed the categories of facilitating, complicating factors, and types of a priori results established in the specialized literature. Nine facilitators, 12 facilitators, and seven types of innovation results were identified. The main facilitating factors for the adoption of identified innovations were "diversity of team knowledge"; "management with innovative vision" and "organizational culture". The main factors hindering the innovation found were a "culture of risk aversion" and "inadequate strategic management". The main results of the adoption of innovation mentioned were "greater efficiency or productivity"; "greater transparency"; "increased satisfaction" and "cost reduction". Based on the results, a technical product was prepared to contain recommendations for the improvement of an innovative public environment.