TRANSLATION OF STRATEGIC PRACTICES: MULTIPLE CASE STUDIES IN CONSULTANCIES OF SERGIPE

Abstract

The translation of strategic organizational practices by practitioners occurs from the moment an idea originating externally is interpreted by the agents of an organization and applied in a different context than the original one. Understanding that the convergence of a microrrelacional approach to strategy (Strategy-as-Practice) with a macrocontextual strategic approach (Institutional Theory) is possible, this study seeks to understand how the translation of certain strategic practices by practitioners occurs, through a case study of three consultancies at the state of Sergipe. This is a qualitative study, of the descriptive type. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with key informants of the studied organizations, supplemented by document analysis and non-participant observation. These data were then cross-referenced in order to improve the data analysis, which was performed using content analysis. The results reveal that in two of the companies studied, the translation occurs by transmission and also by stream, due to the use of technology extracted directly from the supplier, but it also passes under the scrutiny of other companies. In the third company, translation is mediated by other actors and organizations, based on the performance of a specific person.