Academic autonomy in the contemporary university

Objective: The purpose of this article is to show changes in the understanding of academic autonomy and the manifestations of its erosion, by appropriating this value to legitimise the increase in managerial autonomy, discrediting the value of community autonomy and increasingly restricting individual academic autonomy. Methodology: The article is based on a critical analysis of the literature dealing with the reality of the functioning of autonomy in higher education institutions and materials related to the implementation of contemporary higher education reforms - mainly in Poland. Findings: Changes in the perception of autonomy, threats to institutional and individual autonomy resulting from the uncritical subordination of transformations of higher education to the new public management concept as well as institutional isomorphism are presented. Value Added: Attention has also been paid to ignoring the critical discourse on the consequences of too-one-sided transformation of higher education institutions, losing key values, whose carrier is community and individual autonomy - both academic teachers, for whom it is a necessary condition for the development of didactic and scientific creativity, as well as students who only in a situation of feeling are able to take responsibility for their own development. Recommendations: Individual autonomy and participatory management, which determine creative activity and academic entrepreneurship, should be a particular concern for university managers. It is necessary to undertake research on the autonomy of students as members of the academic community

Situation and perspectives of the next generation of scientists in Germany or the management of the transition to the professional way in Polonia

Socially responsible university, which educates professional researchers, has to be aware of its responsibility for society and economy positioning. Nowadays it is highly dependent on studies’ graduates ability of job market entering and their ability of joining innovative processes. Research conducted in Poland indicated that universities were focused on substantial education of scientists – academic teachers. Support of professional competences was passive and incidental. PhD’s career paths were not traced and usefulness of developed competences was not evaluated. Furthermore, among PhD students, academic teachers and employers low level of awareness of specificity of professional researcher, occupational contexts and tasks in which PhDs could be useful in economical and social practice was ascertained. The article focuses on possible strategies of action and changes in universities, PhD students and employers performance, necessary for heightening usefulness of doctors’ qualifications

Socially responsible policy of the local authorities in the area of education

Priorytetowe znaczenie wiedzy dla rozwoju współczesnych społeczeństw sprawia, że rośnie zainteresowanie odpowiedzialnością władz publicznych za jakość i efekty polityki oświatowej. Autorzy poszerzają zakres rozumienia odpowiedzialności polityków wobec społeczeństwa, nawiązując do rozwijanej na gruncie przedsiębiorstw idei CSR, klasycznej debaty Carla Friedricha z Hermanem Finerem, oraz współczesnej koncepcji „moralnej polityki publicznej”. Ujawniają główne deficyty społecznej odpowiedzialności organizacji publicznych w Polsce, ilustrując to przykładami dwóch miejskich polityk oświatowych. Pokazują zwłaszcza fasadowość tzw. obiektywnej polityki, skrywającą grę bieżących interesów oraz będącą de facto przejawem braku rzeczywistej społecznej odpowiedzialności polityki publicznej.Due to knowledge playing an essential role in development of modern societies, there is an increased interest in the issue of the responsibility of the public authorities for the quality and results of the educational policy. Authors broaden the meaning of responsibility of politicians towards society, referring to CSR concept developed for companies, classical debate between Carl Friedrich and Herman Finer, as well as contemporary concept of “moral public policy”. They expose main shortcomings of social responsibility of public organisations in Poland, using two urban educational policies as examples. They draw attention to superficiality of so called objective policy, concealing the game of current interests, being de facto the manifestation of the lack of real responsibility of public policy

The return to Europe or the return to Solidarity? : Gdańsk Shipyard : case study in organizational culture

Objective: This paper is an attempt to give an analysis of the cultural impact of “Solidarity” on Polish organizational culture, and the process of substituting that message for an alternative one-neoliberal organizational culture

Voluntary cooperation of researchers as a form of scientific self-development and the emanation of academic freedom : the example of the Working Group of Polish Social Geographers

In the era of global demand for the accountability of universities and scientists, combined with the formalisation and standardisation of research and education processes, as well as the over-whelming activity of bureaucracy, the article focuses on showing the immeasurable aspect of academic reality: the role played by informal forms of cooperation in the development of knowledge and development of scientists, building relationships with the environment, as well as shaping and consolidating culture and ethos. Such relationships played an important role in traditional academic culture, which gave scientists great confidence, which is now being replaced by evidence and various forms of control. However, due to the autopoetic nature of universities, academics, in the situation of growing oppression of the science and higher education system, store and cultivate various forms of self-organisation, self-realisation and self-reflection. This text shows examples of this type of activity and their impact on the development of scientific knowledge, the development of scientists, shaping and consolidating culture and the academic ethos. The purpose of this article is to show the importance of participation involuntary forms of academic cooperation for scientific and scientific development. It is based on examples of academic practitioner communities, opinions of people participating in this type of cooperation, and self-reflection regarding own experiences. One of such initiative is presented herein, i.e. the Working Group of Polish Social Geographers, which was established in 1984, shortly after the lifting of martial law in Poland, and operated until 1997. The article also presents, on the basis of interviews with people involved in various forms of voluntary academic cooperation, the motives for joining this type of cooperation, perceived values and individual and environmental benefits, as well as the attitude to the risks associated with informal cooperation. An attempt was also made to interpret the perception of such cooperation and understanding its significance depending on the moment of involvement in it, in relation to the stage of the academic career cycle, as well as against the background of socio-political events in Poland in the several recent decades. Attention was paid to the durability of the results of such a cooperation and its contemporary attractiveness. Attempts were also made to position the discussed forms of academic self-organisation within the theoretical framework of community of practice activities. The empirical part was developed on the basis of qualitative research - primarily in-depth interviews as well as participatory observation and self-reflection.All respondents agreed that voluntary academic cooperation groups are chosen not only be-cause of their scientific interests, but also shared values regarding the understanding of science and the way it is practiced. Participation in them, most strongly affects people who are at the beginning of their academic careers; the experience of such cooperation turned out to be a kind of marking, breaking a specific stigma in academic attitude, giving the genetic code of the researcher. The activities of these groups turned out to be a form of empowerment, building scientific confidence, strengthening research courage, as well as practicing academic autonomy at its best. Their formative role is also important, consisting in shaping responsible and ethical attitudes of members of the academic community, as well as developing professional competences, i.e. critical thinking, scientific discussion and openness to different views and research approaches. The respondents also pointed to the benefits that informal employee initiatives brought to the iruniversities, related to the development of science and didactic, academic culture, forging new ideas and ideas, building high-quality scientific contacts, strengthening the position in the environment, as well as the acquisition by employees of key research competences with universal and critical to scientific development. When showing the extraordinary effectiveness of this way of working, its impact on stimula-tion of creative processes, individual development, institutional benefits, emphaising its key ad-vantages - a lack of formalisation and joy of creation, and perceiving potential threats - it is also worth noting that in the academic environment changes emerging as bottom-up actions are taken for granted, easily adapted, and above all they do not overgrow with bureaucratic structures and formal requirements

Success factors for the implementation of joint service centers in regional and local authorities

The objective of this paper is to define key success factors for implementing joint services in the public sector. The concept of joint services appeared first in the private sector. It is mainly defined as the concentration or consolidation of functions, activities, services or resources into one stand-alone unit as a provider for the client units. The joint service model is described as being akin to an open market system, in which the provider and client units are in partnership in a similar way a company enters into an agreement with its customers. We have identified key success factors for implementing shared service centers in local government units. The results are based on literature studies and empirical research