Improvisation in Higher Education Management: Coping with Complexity and Organizational Dynamics

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze how improvisation activities take place within the management of a higher education organization, by examining practices and related constructs, such as innovation, intuition, bricolage and learning. This is a case study on a large private university, located in Sa ˜o Paulo, Brazil. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, non-participant observation and document analysis. The results showed that improvisation in academic management is characterized by constant pressures that challenge their managers toward adaptations, reorganization in crisis situations, the sense of urgency and coping with the unexpected. Minimal structures, flexibility and competence have proved to be essential elements for improvisation. Decisions and actions, practiced by academic managers, were characterized by spontaneity, creativity and managerial flexibility. Dynamic and complex environments make improvisational practices that emerge in the day-to-day of academic management. The existence of a culture favorable to experimentation, to the autonomy of managers, contributes to reviewing processes and disseminating practices of improvisation. The incorporation of bricolage as a way to better use limited resources proved to be promising for managerial effectiveness. Originality is demonstrated in the relationship between the practices of improvisation and academic management, seen as a unique context in a flexible and complex system. This paper highlights suggestions for managerial practice related to improvisation practices as one of the ways to cope with organizational dynamics.

Influence of Employee Attributes, Work Context and Human Resource Management Practices on Employee Job Engagement

“…This finding corroborates earlier assertions that human resource management practices have to be flexible if the they are to enable desired business outcomes (Srivastava 2016) and that flexible work arrangements will positively influence job engagement (Richman et al 2008;Anderson and Kelliher 2009;Ugargol and Patrick 2018). Hitherto, flexibility in organizations has been investigated in the areas of supply chain management (Dey et al 2019), strategy formulation/implementation (Shalender and Yadav 2019), leadership process (Piansoongnern 2013), customer focus (Dutt and Chauhan 2019) and knowledge creation (Scaglione et al 2019). Flexibility, as an antecedent of job engagement, has been investigated by authors like Anderson and Kelliher (2009) and Ugargol and Patrick (2018).…”

Modern Approaches to Education Management to Ensure the Quality of Educational Services

“…Under the management is understood the way or manner of interacting with people, as well as the power and art of management, special abilities, governing body or administrative unit. However, management, as indicated by [12], is understood as art. This understanding is because organizations themselves are quite complex systems, the functioning of which depends on numerous and diverse external and internal factors.…”

“…This approach does not disclose all the features of educational services management: [9], [10], [11], which requires more in-depth studies in order to identify key management approaches to improve their quality. The institutionalization of education management and its features was considered by a group of the following scientists: [12], [13], which consider the main directions of education management. Particularly noteworthy are studies: [14], [15], which examine the main aspects of educational services in the world and distinguish them as the most frequently changing, which require adaptation of existing approaches to management.…”

Innovation Framework for Excellence in Higher Education Institutions

“…The process (Celuch et al 2014;Dam & Siang, 2019;Fleming, 1978;O'Reilly et al 2019;Serdyukov & Makhluf, 2014) (Dorow et al 2015;Scaglione et al 2019). The HEIs need to possess some critical proficiency to have a competitive advantage during foreseeable period, which depend on half-life of change in education system.…”