Technological tools as a support to knowledge and information sharing: a case study in a federal education institution during the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

In 2020, the world experienced one of the most chaotic scenarios in terms of public health in recent times, as the pandemic caused by the new coronavirus (COVID-19) led to the death of thousands of people. In order to minimize the spread of the virus, organizations had to readjust their ways of working due to the recommendations coming from the World Health Organization, and, as a consequence, it is now common to carry out activities in home office to maintain social distance. Given this scenario, this research aimed to analyze the importance of technological tools to support the information and knowledge sharing in a Federal Educational Institution (FEI) during the COVID-19 pandemic. From a methodological point of view, this is a case study, in which semi-structured interviews were used with managers of an IFE Campus. As a data analysis technique, content analysis was used from the perspective of Bardin (2011). To speed up the content analysis, the IRaMuTeQ software was used. As main results, it was found that the routine of information and knowledge sharing among the managers of this institution changed during the pandemic, taking place with the intensive use of technological tools. However, this, in addition to bringing advantages such as the continuity of work and flexibility in administrative flows, brought disadvantages such as the change in daily life, impacting on the distribution of hours for the personal/private and working hours. This research can contribute to other institutions that have been experiencing similar situations during the pandemic.