Crises conducting stakeholder salience: shifts in the evolution of private universities’ governance in Latin America

Maria Alejandra Gonzalez-Perez, Miguel Cordova, Michel Hermans, Karla Maria Nava-Aguirre, Fabiola Monje-Cueto, Santiago Mingo, Santiago Tobon, Carlos Adrian Rodriguez, Erica Helena Salvaj, Dinorá Eliete Floriani

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

21 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to build on embedded approaches to stakeholder management and examines how organizational decision-makers consider social responsibility toward proximal stakeholders in crises that encompass an entire system of stakeholder relationships. Design/methodology/approach: Within a criterion-based sample of eight Latin American private universities, this paper develops in-depth exploratory case studies to examine the prioritization of stakeholders in higher education institutions’ decision-making during the outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis. Findings: Contrary to the notion that during crises organizations prioritize stakeholders that provide resources that are critical to survival, this study finds that in contextual crises stakeholder management is informed by social responsibility. In addition, the findings suggest that crises may be tipping points for changes toward mission-driven approaches to governance. Practical implications: Acknowledging the roles of social responsibility and proximity in stakeholder management during contextual crises allows for more informed governance of organizations that face disruptions in their system of stakeholder relations. Originality/value: This study contributes unique insights into the decision-maker’s prioritization of stakeholders during the COVID-19 crisis. The uncertainty associated with the emerging “new normal” allowed for an extreme test of socially embedded versus resource-oriented approaches to stakeholder management.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1194-1214
Number of pages21
JournalCorporate Governance (Bingley)
Volume21
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 2021

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • Civic engagement
  • Corporate governance
  • Crisis management
  • Higher education institutions (HEIs)
  • History of HEIs
  • Stakeholder management
  • Stakeholder salience
  • University social responsibility (USR)
  • “New normal”

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