| dc.description.abstract | The evolution of knowledge, economic models and organizational management makes increasingly important the agility of information, cooperation, coordination and a strong interaction between everyone involved in the search for better results. In this context, this study seeks to identify and diagnose business synergy, targeting at the improvement of its overall performance. The possibility of global gains greater than the sum of local gains – the “2 + 2 = 5” effect - encourages researchers and organizations in the pursuit of this effect, as well as in the search for tools that aid in the diagnosis and strategic decision making. That is what this research aims to contribute with, parallel with the objective of measuring the perceived degree of synergy in business institutions composed of multi-unit business by means of integration, development, implementation and evaluation of a measuring instrument. The research started out with a bibliographical study viewing to identify tools already validated in the academic and business environment in order to obtain a measuring instrument that could bring together five dimensions of synergy and that should be appropriate to the Organization, which was the object of the case study. Once the tools were selected, we decided to build a new tool, validating and applying it in a confessional educational institution composed of several Business Units. The research is of an applied nature, of a qualitative approach, and has its goals oriented to the description of the characteristics of a particular phenomenon. As to the technical procedures for obtaining data, it is based on case study, advancing towards the proposition of an instrument for measuring the perception of the degree of synergy. As to the results obtained, it is considered that the research reached its goal, since it was possible to identify the perception of the Organization’s level of synergy, of its dimensions and of the measuring items, thus signaling which points the Organization may have to focus on in order to improve their performance through the variables covered in the scope of this research. It is also believed that the research has provided a possible tool capable of indicating the perception of respondents regarding: i) the readiness of the Business Units for cooperation, ii) the quality of management in the light of cooperation networks; iii) the intention to adopt good corporate governance practices; iv) the management and the integrated application of actions of social and environmental impact, and v) the adoption of shared services as a way to implement gains through synergies. The research also provides evidence of the asymmetry of perceptions between top management and operational levels regarding the integration and cooperation between business units. Finally, the research makes available a support tool that aids the monitoring of the strategic actions of organizations towards better results through synergies. | en |
