Dynamic capabilities and sustainability-oriented innovations in higher education institutions: a case study

Abstract This paper aims to analyze the Dynamic Capabilities (DC) from their micro-foundations (sensing, seizing, and reconfiguration) that help in sustainability-oriented innovation (SOI) activities (organizational optimization, organizational transformation, and systems building) and that lead to the development of innovations in the context of higher education institutions (HEIs). This research has a descriptive and exploratory nature, developed through a case study in an HEI located in the northeast region of Brazil. The study was based on interviews with key sustainability managers within the institution and on research of institutional documents related to the subject. As a result, the existence of specific sensing, seizing, and reconfiguring microfoundations for HEIs that can enable SOI in the three levels of activities studied was verified, highlighting important relationships between them. This work contributes to the advancement of knowledge about SOI activities in HEIs by identifying the microfoundations that drive such activities and addressing a gap in studies on microfoundations of SOI dynamic capabilities and activities in higher education institutions. In practical terms, this article can serve as a basis for HEIs managers to understand what they need to do to drive SOI activities, especially in building systems for the development of innovations with social and economic impact for territories beyond institutional boundaries.