Intermediação e compartilhamento de conhecimento para sustentabilidade em cadeias de suprimentos: evidências de uma rede de concessionárias de máquinas agrícolas

Abstract

In a context increasingly marked by institutional pressures and stakeholder demands regarding sustainability, knowledge sharing along supply chains emerges as a strategic element for disseminating sustainable practices. This research analyzed the role of the Máquinas & Cia Group as an intermediary agent in the flow of knowledge about sustainability between a global manufacturer and local suppliers in an agricultural machinery supply chain in Paraná. The research adopted a qualitative approach, with data collection through Likert scale questionnaires applied to suppliers and semi-structured interviews with managers, complemented by documentary research. The results revealed a critical duality in the knowledge flow: while the relationship between the manufacturer and the dealership is highly structured, supported by KPIs, periodic audits, and formal mechanisms such as Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), the relationship between the dealership and local suppliers operates predominantly informally, with dependence on unsystematized digital channels. The Máquinas & Cia Group demonstrated a high absorptive capacity, internalizing the manufacturer's guidelines and converting them into concrete operational improvements, while simultaneously acting as a "transcoder," adapting global requirements to the local reality. The coexistence of certified and non-certified suppliers proved to be a determining factor in the intensity of knowledge sharing: the former showed greater alignment with sustainable practices, while the latter exhibited greater viscosity in the flow of knowledge, characterized by cognitive barriers and a lack of structured bidirectional feedback. Five dimensions of limitations were identified that compromise the group's effectiveness as an intermediary agent: organizational, operational, communicational, educational, and relational, with the cognitive barrier—suppliers being unaware of their own socio-environmental certifications—being the most prominent. Based on the findings, practical recommendations were proposed aimed at formalizing communication processes, actively training suppliers, and institutionalizing bidirectional feedback loops, with a view to transforming suppliers from passive recipients into co-producers of sustainable knowledge. This study contributes both academically, by advancing the understanding of the role of intermediary links in global supply chains, and managerially, by offering a roadmap for intervention applicable to the context of agribusiness in Paraná.