Perceptions about the human nature and labor professional relations of university employees

Abstract

Organizations define, explicitly or implicitly, the model of behavior and interpersonal relationships in the workplace, which is influenced by the organizational and national culture. In turn, identifying the conception of human nature and interpersonal relationships is important to reveal noticeable and unnoticeable elements present in the organizational routine. Bearing this in mind, this research aimed to describe the perception of professors and technical-administrative employees from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) in relation to the cultural aspects as conceptions about the human nature and workplace relationships. The research was classified as descriptive, quantitative and qualitative, and case study. The data was collected through an online survey, with 214 responses, and then 12 interviews were conducted. After that, the results were analyzed statistically and through content analysis. Finally, it was possible to infer that professors have a positive image regarding the conception of workers, whereas technical-administrative employees have a more negative profile, since they are seen as lazy and uncommitted to work. These characteristics are attributed to public employees according to public service culture. On the other hand, the professional relationships are inclined to be friendlier in the sectors, differently from what usually happen at UFSC as a whole, which tend to be conflictive. Moreover, it was possible to notice that there is a conflict between the categories, which have persisted for a long time in the university.