Interrelation of practices and strategic routines in the performance of university research

Abstract

Purpose: This study sheds light on the relationship between two perspectives, the strategy-as-practice (SAP) approach and the dynamic aspect of routines. We seek to understand how the interrelationship between practices and routines reflect on university corporate results. Methodology: We conducted a case study in a postgraduate program in management at a not-for-profit university focusing on university research activities. 42 interviews were carried out, 19 observations were made in formal and informal social events and institutional documents were collected from the program and from the governmental body that regulates stricto sensu postgraduate studies in Brazil. Originality: The existing research suggests the approximation of these perspectives – SAP and dynamic routines – and the need to integrate them to deepen the understanding of the strategic phenomenon. Main Results: Our results indicate that program strategies are aligned with regulatory and funding bodies and multiple practices and routines relate to and complement the range of research performance outcomes. Academic training, previous experiences and specific skills influence the behavior of actors, while tools and interactions play crucial roles in conducting research, shaping approaches and results, essential in academic research. Theoretical contributions: The article contributes through understandings about the existence of different interdependent and complementary relationships in the strategic process of a postgraduate program that condition the behavior of the actors involved and the research performance achieved.