Lógica institucional e práticas de sustentabilidade: um estudo em uma universidade pública

Abstract

The Federal University of Lavras has stood out, in the national and international scenario, as a sustainable university. For this and other reasons, a research project was proposed with the general objective of investigating how the sustainability practices of the studied university organization translate the institutional logic of sustainability. The research was carried out with 22 participants with four different profiles, namely: planners, coordinators, technicians (practicing operators) and students (participating observers). 22 online interviews were carried out to respect social distancing due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Data were collected through semi-structured narrative interviews carried out between 2020 and 2021. According to the findings, it was found that the main environmental historical aspects that influenced the implementation process were the events known as REÚNE, Creation and implementation of the Structuring Environmental Plan and, Creation of the DQMA at the time known as DMA. The vision and values of institutional entrepreneurs have an important impact on the process of implementing such practices and, it can be said, on their stabilization and institutionalization, as well as on the formation and institutionalization of a LIS. This was evidenced in the results and discussions of the case studied. Regarding objective 2, according to the findings and as mentioned during the research, UFLA before the 2000s had some isolated practices, among them afforestation, gardening, the ETE and ETA. Regarding objective 3 of the research, UFLA obtained positive effects by implementing the set of sustainability practices at the university. The present research contributes to the advancement of the LIS perspective in general, and specifically for the contexts of higher education institutions, and for university environmental managers, who have had difficulties in implementing sustainability in their institutions. The results obtained allow a relevant understanding of how sustainability is actually practiced, thus allowing a managerial basis for environmental managers who aim for a sustainable university. Access to such results may allow managers to envision a path to be followed, taking into account that the formation of a LIS will conform to the values, conceptions and assumptions that guide the context and its practices.