Organizações de aprendizagem: o caso de uma universidade pública do nordeste do Brasil

Since learning organizations (LOs) and performance are positively related, the aim is to identify whether a large, federal, public higher education institution in northeast Brazil is an LO. The interviewees’ perceptions were gathered through a non-probability sample survey using the multilevel Dimensions of Learning Organization Questionnaire – DLOQ-A. The qualitative research, carried out through documentary analysis, characterizes HEIs, the education sector in the world, and Brazil. We sent employees 7,638 questionnaires. Of the employees returned (403), 378 were valid. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) shows that the model fits the data well. We analyzed factor and item data globally and between teachers and technical-administrative staff. Correlations intra- and inter-factor were calculated. The results corroborate the hypotheses that the staff surveyed do not perceive the HEI as OA, that teachers’ perceptions of the HEI as OA are better than those of technical-administrative staff, and that HEI staff perceive stronger relationships between individual learning level and the group level, and between group learning level and the organizational level. These results add to other researches to further accumulate knowledge about HEIs as OA. They fill a gap in this field of study in Brazil. They can also support the formulation of Institutional Development Plans and HEI policies that focus on learning mechanisms and processes at the three levels of OA (individual, group, and organizational), positively impacting the performance of employees and HEIs.