Metaroutines of absorptive capacities in the public health sector
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5585/2025.28224Keywords:
absorptive capacity, knowledge, family health strategy, metaroutines, routine, public healthAbstract
Study purpose: To analyze how absorptive capacity metaroutines develop in the Family Health Strategy of Basic Health Units, mapping first, second, and third-order variables to understand the formation, selection, transformation, and diffusion of organizational knowledge.
Relevance / originality: The study fills gaps in knowledge about metaroutines of absorptive capacities in the public health sector. It introduces a recursive conceptual model of metaroutines that overcomes linear approaches and empirically demonstrates how knowledge is constructed, transformed, and replicated in health management, thereby contributing to organizational theory and practice.
Methodology / approach: Descriptive qualitative research based on phenomenology. It combines historical research and case studies. Documents, methodological pre-testing, and semi-structured interviews support it. The unit of analysis was the management of the Family Health Strategy in the Brazilian city of Curitiba, Paraná. The data were analyzed using content analysis.
Main results: Eight metaroutines of absorptive capacities were identified, structured in an iterative sequence: identifying problems, facilitating ideas, selecting ideas, testing, updating, and disseminating, along with two cross-cutting metaroutines. A recursive process of knowledge construction was evidenced, yielding a dynamic model applicable to other organizations. This characteristic was not apparent in previous models, which represents an original contribution of this study.
Theoretical / methodological contributions: The study advances the literature by empirically demonstrating the integrated applicability of absorptive capacity models in the public sector. It proposes a recursive conceptual model of metaroutines, highlighting their iterative sequence, overlaps, and usefulness for analyzing and structuring organizational learning processes.
Social / management contributions: The proposed model offers practical tools to improve decision-making processes, strengthen collaborative practices, and enhance knowledge management in the public health sector. It promotes efficiency gains, continuous protocol updates, and greater responsiveness to population demands, contributing to more effective and sustainable public health policies.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Fabio Mello Fagundes, Cleonir Tumelero, Marciele Guimarães Fagundes
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