Strategic Management, Leadership and Governance of the University in Portugal

Universities have a role in society different from other businesses or service industries. Universities as any human organizations are composed of people. And like any organization, they have a mission, objectives, goals, structures, roles and relationships of authority, decision-making processes and communication, interpersonal and intergroup dynamics, needs, values and interfaces. The diversity of determinants implies that the strategic management of universities become a multifunctional system decisions, which must be formulated, implemented and evaluated in order to achieve their long-term goals. The process of strategic management in universities incorporates the development and strategy formulation, implementation, monitoring and feedback. This article discusses the strategic management of organizations, especially universities, emphasizing the role that this process can have on the organization and how its implementation can help to enhance their leadership role in society to which it is addresse.