Managerial action and sensemaking in e-learning implementation in Brazilian business schools

Resumo

The existing literature on e-learning implementation is either descriptive or normative and falls short on explaining how managers act in introducing and disseminating e-learning projects in school settings. In this paper, we follow a symbolic approach in order to offer a grounded model for explaining how managerial framing of the introduction of e-learning gives rise to different patterns of action and intended outcomes. Our model is grounded in the study of seven business schools in Brazil, where the competitive and institutional settings offer significant variety for formulating propositions through the grounded theory methodology. We conclude that managers act to integrate e-learning using cultural incongruity reduction strategies when they perceive e-learning as a way of improving existing teaching practices. They may also aim at insulating e-learning through incongruity avoidance when they perceive e-learning in economic terms. These results offer new empirical evidence and fresh explanations when the phenomenon of managerial action in e-learning implementation is looked at in symbolic terms. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ficha do documento

Tipo

Artigo científico

Ano

2012

Instituição

Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd

Fonte

Repositório da FGV

Idioma

Inglês

Acesso

Acesso restrito

DOI

10.1016/j.compedu.2012.05.007

Identificador

oai:repositorio.fgv.br:10438/23284

Temas

TecnologiaEducação

Palavras-chave

Technology sensemakingManagerial actionE-learning implementationGrounded theorySymbolismBusiness schoolsTecnologiaTecnologia - BrasilEscolas - Organização e administração