INNOVATION AND INVESTMENT IN THE BRAZILIAN ELECTRICAL SECTOR AS VIEWED BY THE P & D MANAGERS DOI: 10.5773/rai.v9i3.533

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to uncover, with the employment of the phenomenographical method, the perception of R&D managers on the influence of the quest for innovation in the management of research and development investments in the Brazilian Electric Power Sector. A field survey was carried out, and its conclusion was that innovation pervades the entire R&D process in the Electric Sector, the relationship with actors of the System, and the quest for results. The executives responsible for R&D departments realize that the quest for innovation influences R&D management in different manners and can by categorized in four subjects. The four emerging subjects found were: stranger in the nest, discrepancies between resources and opportunities, protection from peers and obligation for results. These subjects and their responses led to the formulation of the following statements: a) the effectiveness of R&D managers in the pursuit of results is compromised by the lack of alignment between ANEEL‟s and the companies‟ expectations; b) in spite of being considered the intermediate between the companies needs and the external offerings, the performance of R&D managers are impaired by the discrepancies between the company‟s needs and the technological offerings from the academic environment; c) the discussion panels are in an environment where R&D managers find cooperation and assistance in the solution of common problems; d) the dynamics of the changes in the business environment causes the isolation of the R&D department within the institutions of the Electric Power Sector.