Gestão de riscos em universidades federais brasileiras: uma avaliação com enfoque no alcance de objetivos estratégicos

Abstract

This research aimed to analyze how risk management can be configured to support performance in achieving strategic objectives in Brazilian federal universities. To this end, conditions related to the adoption of a formal risk management structure, the maturity of adopted practices, and interactions with existing control systems (internal and managerial controls) were analyzed. The selected performance indicators covered both academic and managerial dimensions (teaching, research, human resources, and financial resources). Data from the 35 investigated federal universities were analyzed using Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), as well as descriptive statistics and additional statistical tests. Based on the evidence found, different consistent configurations were identified to support federal universities in achieving high performance in their strategic objectives, adapted to contingency factors such as size. It was observed that both small and large universities can improve their performance through the appropriate use of managerial and control tools. The configurations highlighted that the establishment of a formal structure, through the adoption of an implementation plan and/or risk management methodology; the maturity of risk management; the alignment of internal control systems with risk management; and the use of managerial control systems to support risk management, are conditions associated with achieving high performance in larger universities, in areas related to their strategic objectives. For smaller universities, important elements included the implementation time of the risk management policy, the adoption of an implementation plan and/or risk management methodology, the alignment of internal control systems, and the use of managerial control systems, according to their respective performance dimensions. The research results suggest that risk management permeated work activities in some of the investigated federal universities, interacting with existing control systems, and proved to be a governance mechanism capable of contributing to achieving strategic objectives. The research contributes to the academic debate by demonstrating that risk management is not an isolated activity but an integral part of the governance framework adopted by entities, with the potential to support them in achieving their objectives and increasing their capacity to generate and preserve value. The results of this study suggest the benefits of adopting risk management in Brazilian federal universities and address gaps identified in previous studies.