Sustainability practices in higher education institutions: evidence of changes in organizational management

Abstract

The political mobilization in defense of the environment, in recent decades, internationally promoted discussions about sustainability, which resulted in changes in the models of organizational management in response to pressure from international organizations and environmentalists. These pressures affect changes in organizational behavior and regulatory measures that provide greater control of their actions. The study aims to analyze forms of performance of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in building a new management model that incorporates environmental dimension and contribute to sustainability. It analyzes some experiences in Brazilian institutions and other countries on the adoption of sustainability as a management style or guiding principle of this. It is a bibliographic and documentary research, part of a larger study that seeks evidence of sustainability, particularly in a Brazilian University - the Federal Rural University of Amazonia (UFRA). The results of the study show that HEIs are at the forefront of knowledge building and sustainable values as well as the incorporation of such knowledge and values into their business models. It’s evidence of possible paths that an HEI can follow to become a Sustainable Organization.