Critical Success Factors for Knowledge Management at a Private Higher Education School

ABSTACT We aim to describe and analyze how the representativeness of the National Student Performance Exam (NSPE) influences the critical success factors (CSF) applied to knowledge management at a private Higher Education School (HES). A qualitative case study was conducted in a HES located in the State of Paraná, taking into account the results of the NSPE 2006. Data were collected via triangulation and submitted to a thematic contents analysis. Data analysis showed that the representativeness of the results of the NESP gradually increased over the years at the HES. The six CSFs applied to the HES influenced the results of the HES at the NSPE 2006, which was considered positive by the institution. However, two of the CSFs applied to the HES were outstanding: educational policies and institutional evaluation. We observed that the intensification of the relation between the maintaining entity and the maintained one influenced and interfered in the university management and consequently in its knowledge management. Data allowed characterizing the knowledge management at the HES as incipient, showing that “the shoemaker's wife is the one who is shod worse”.