Knowledge management in public universities in Brazil and Portugal

Abstract

The objective of this research was to investigate which indicators facilitate or are barriers to Knowledge Management and which therefore behave as enablers or inhibitors of innovation and social effectiveness in higher education institutions in Brazil and Portugal, in the perception of managers in education. It is a quantitative study operationalized through a survey with descriptive purpose. Data were collected through questionnaires and their treatment was operated on electronic spreadsheets. The results showed that both the Brazilian and the Portuguese higher education institutions have a satisfactory performance in knowledge management, especially in the process of knowledge acquisition. However, the section that deals with knowledge assessment, and which is related to the strategic process, showed that the organizational strategy has not taken on the role of a learning process overtime, which can compromise innovation capability and social effectiveness of institutions in the future. Through this study, facilitating indexes and knowledge management barriers were identified in the public service of education in Brazil and in Portugal.