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1 – 5 of 5Stefan Kwiatkowski and Andrzej K. Koźmiński
Management education in Poland is doing much better than the Polisheconomy. Centres of excellence are slowly being formed, and there aresigns of hope that the whole educational…
Abstract
Management education in Poland is doing much better than the Polish economy. Centres of excellence are slowly being formed, and there are signs of hope that the whole educational system might act as an important agent of managerial and entrepreneurial change. All existing and stillnewly forming Polish schools of business share some common characteristics: market orientation, use of non‐conventional methods of instruction, reliance on some forms of foreign assistance, a higher level of autonomy than in traditional academic institutions. Indisputable initial success should not be taken, however, as an indication of the maturityof the Polish management education system. The most severe obstacles it encounters are those imposed by a seriously ailing economy. Without a real transformation of the Polish economy a viable system of management education cannot exist, as its efficiency cannot be meaningfully verified.
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Interrelated conflict and transformation are associated with post World War II U.S. military. Conflicts within the command structure are depicted by military officers in their…
Abstract
Interrelated conflict and transformation are associated with post World War II U.S. military. Conflicts within the command structure are depicted by military officers in their writings. Transformation, characterised by military sociologists as a process of “civilianisation,” has informed understanding over the past few decades. However, neither the officer‐writers‘ “close‐up” perspective nor, in retrospect, the sociologists’ sanguine formulations effectively interrelate structural transformation and conflicts in command. In this respect, these literatures suggest relevant analogies: officer‐writers reflect existential crisis not unlike many traditional peoples experiencing consequences of externally induced economic change; sociological characterisations of “civilianisation,” like those of “modernisation,” fail to account for adverse and conflictual consequences of such “development”. Both the “crisis in command” and sociological failures to explicate it may be related to political economy's transformation of the military. That is the argument entailed in this article.
Jerzy Kociatkiewicz and Monika Kostera
The purpose of this paper is to consider three types of stories: media, personal accounts and fiction, and look for plots depicting situations of fundamental shift in the framing…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to consider three types of stories: media, personal accounts and fiction, and look for plots depicting situations of fundamental shift in the framing and basic definitions of reality. The authors examine them from the point of view of their usefulness for developing creative responses to systemic change.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a narrative study in three stages, aimed at identifying strong plots pertaining to systemic change. The analyzed material came from three different sources of narratives (fiction, media and creative stories) and was approached by the use of two different narrative methods: symbolic interpretation and narrative collage.
Findings
Currently many voices are being raised that the authors are living in times of interregnum, a period in between working systems. There is also a mounting critique of the business school as an institution perpetuating dysfunctional ideologies, rather than enhancing critical and creative thinking. The authors propose that the humanities, and, in particular, learning from fiction (and science fiction) can offer a language to talk about major (systemic) change help and support learning about alternative organizational realities.
Research limitations/implications
The study pertains to discourse and narratives, not to material aspects of culture construction.
Practical implications
Today, there is a mounting critique of business schools and their role in society. Following Martin Parker’s call to transform them into schools of organizing, helping to develop and discuss different alternatives instead of reproducing the dominant model, the authors suggest that education should be based, to much larger extent than until now, on the humanities. The authors propose educational programmes including the study of fiction and film.
Social implications
The authors propose that the humanities (and the study of fiction) can equip society with a suitable language to discuss and problematize systemic change.
Originality/value
This paper adds to narrative social studies through providing an analysis of strong plots showing ways of coping with systemic collapse, and through an examination of these plots’ significance for organizational education, learning, and planning. The authors present an argument for the broader use of fiction as a sensemaking, teaching, and learning tool for managing organizations in volatile environments.
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Andrzej Krzysztof Kozminski, Anna Katarzyna Baczyńska, Ilona Skoczeń and Pawel Korzynski
The main purpose of this paper is to test the relationship between leadership competencies and effectiveness, with constraints as a mediating variable, and to introduce the main…
Abstract
Purpose
The main purpose of this paper is to test the relationship between leadership competencies and effectiveness, with constraints as a mediating variable, and to introduce the main assumptions of the Bounded Leadership Model (BLM).
Design/methodology/approach
The total sample included 242 leaders in a top managerial position. Data were collected directly from leaders via self-reports. In total, five hypotheses were formed which related to the relationship between leadership competencies and effectiveness and the role of constraints. Hypotheses were tested by analysing several regression models and mediation effects. Moreover, internal consistency and construct validity were assessed by calculating Cronbach’s alpha and assessing the intercorrelations between study variables.
Findings
The study results demonstrate that leader’s competencies are positively related to leadership effectiveness. The authors also found an indirect effect of leadership competencies on effectiveness via constraints. Overall, it can be concluded that the scales included in the BLM have satisfactory reliability and validity indicators.
Practical implications
The paper examined the relationship between leadership competencies and effectiveness with constraints as a mediator. Moreover, it introduces the BLM which takes a broader view on leadership and includes variables that seem to play an important role in leaders’ adjustment and success. These findings can be applied in different training processes and also in assessment and development centres to serve as a facilitator in the process of enhancing leadership competencies and effectiveness and in overcoming leadership constraints.
Originality/value
The study overcomes previous research limitations because it offers a selection of leadership competencies that play an important role in leadership effectiveness, as well as may serve as a potential facilitator in the process of overcoming individual constraints. This knowledge can be used for future research and practical purposes.
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Piotr Bialowolski, Andrzej Cwynar and Dorota Weziak-Bialowolska
Preserving sufficient financial assets is crucial for maintaining the standard of living. The lack of adequate financial cushion can translate into financial hardship at any age…
Abstract
Purpose
Preserving sufficient financial assets is crucial for maintaining the standard of living. The lack of adequate financial cushion can translate into financial hardship at any age, but its effects can be especially severe in later adulthood. The authors evaluate whether financial literacy can prevent individuals from depleting the stock of liquid financial assets below a predefined minimum level.
Design/methodology/approach
Defining financial resilience as the ability to maintain the value of household savings above the level of 3-monthly incomes, the authors examined whether financial literacy is (1) prospectively associated with the probability of losing financial resilience and (2) the probability of gaining financial resilience among financially vulnerable middle-aged and older adults. To this end, the authors applied the multivariate Cox proportional hazards model with time-varying covariates. Data were retrieved from the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe with the sample comprising 13,718 adults aged ≥ 50 years in (1) and 12,802 in (2).
Findings
The authors show that financial literacy plays a protective role for financial resilience. Its role is not symmetrical and protects more against the loss of financial resilience than it contributes to the gain of financial resilience. Among individuals aged 65–74, the association between financial literacy and financial resilience is weaker than among adults in the middle-age (50–64) and among the oldest (75+).
Social implications
Fostering financial literacy can be important to help middle-aged and older adults maintain a good quality of life and favorable living standards.
Originality/value
Given the scarce evidence on the links between financial literacy and financial resilience among middle-aged and older adults, the article contributes to the literature by examining whether financial literacy retains its protective role in later stages of the life course.
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