ANÁLISE COMPREENSIVA DA INOVAÇÃO EM PESQUISA & DESENVOLVIMENTO COMO PRÁTICA CULTURAL

The coordination of different types of knowledge within the organization, in order to incorporate them in the process of the design of technological innovation is, most of times, the role of research and development area - R & D. The perception, a priori, about R&D activities, based on the common sense, that innovation practices in R & D would be daily routines, as enhanced by literature, that portrays the tendency of this organizational unit to be predominantly conservative, technical, accustomed to objectively described and characterized developments. It is justifiable, therefore, to perform a research, which aims to understand how innovation, as organizational practice, is widespread, in three technology-based industries. Using a qualitative approach and analysis of narratives, was investigated the process of performing the innovation practices, evidenced through R&D activities in organizations located in the southern region, providing its reinterpretation, as cultural practices. The theoretical framework is grounded in the categories: innovation and organizational culture. From the evidences that emerged from the analysis of the results of this multiple case study was revealed that innovation is more effective from the moment when their practice is internalized by employees as one organizational practice. In three case studies may be noted that the organizational practices focused on innovation are more strongly consolidated in the culture of those companies that already have a history of innovation in its products and its processes and where the role of the founder (as an innovative entrepreneur) is essential to sustain these practices, although this will constitute an organizational myth