Mentoring Culture as Employees’ Career Success Factor in Polish Organizations

Changes in employment relationships and the spread of flexible forms of employment call for the search for such methods of employee development that would better fit the needs of both employees and Polish organizations in a turbulent environment. Studies of litera‑ ture on the subject point out the importance of mentoring culture for the development of employees’ competences and their career success. This paper tries to answer the question: in what way creating the culture of mentoring can contribute to employee objective and subjective career success in organizations? This goal will be achieved by presenting the results of a survey research carried out in 155 organizations operating in southern Poland. Generally, the findings suggest that mentoring culture is positively related to subjective success but it is not connected with objective success of employees

USING EMPLOYEE EMPOWERMENT TO ENCOURAGE ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR

Purpose: Changes in the public sector and the recognition of the concept of New Public Management have led to wider introduction of employee empowerment programs in public organizations. It is assumed that today the success of public organizations depends on the application of modern HRM methods oriented towards encouraging commitment and initiative of employees. The paper tries to answer the questions about the level of employee empowerment and organizational commitment of employees in the public sector and whether employee empowerment is related to organizational commitment.Methodology: This goal is reached by presenting the results of empirical research carried out in public organizations. Survey research was carried out at the end of 2012. The sample consisted of 318 employees of public organizations operating in southern Poland.Findings: The survey revealed that the level of employees’ organizational commitment is high in Polish public organizations. The analysis also showed that the level of employee empowerment is high in public organizations. The conducted research also proved that employee empowerment is positively connected with organizational commitment of employees in Polish public organizations. Implications and limitations: The results indicated that the use of employee empowerment can bring the required results such as the increase of employees’ emotional attachment to the organization and loyalty towards the organization. But its influence on employee’s intentions to leave the organization is very limited.Originality/value of the paper: There is still little empirical research on this subject, particularly in the public sector.

Provided Leadership and Selected Outcomes of Trainings in Public Organizations

Trainings as well as their impact on employability and employees’ performance have been the subject of interest of theoreticians and practitioners of management for a long time. However, according to the literature study, the outcomes of employees’ trainings also depend on the applied style of leadership as well as on the quality of relationships between supervisors and subordinates. This paper tries to answer the question: what are the relationships between transformational leadership, the quality of supervisors’ relationships with subordinates, employees’ trainings and employability, employees’ quality and effort of work in public organizations? This aim will be achieved by presenting the results of literature study and empirical research carried out in public organizations

The role of LMX and organizational climate in improving performance and effectiveness of local public administration: evidence from the Metropolis GZM

Wraz z transformacją administracji publicznej i pojawieniem się nowych koncepcji zarządzania publicznego poprawa wyników działania i efektywności lokalnej administracji publicznej stała się ważnym celem polityki regionalnej w wielu krajach. Jednak aby poprawa taka była możliwa, konieczne jest rozpoznanie w tych organizacjach czynników ją warunkujących. W konsekwencji celem artykułu jest określenie wpływu na wyniki działania i efektywność lokalnej administracji publicznej takich czynników organizacyjnych, jak: jakość relacji między przełożonym a podwładnym i organizacyjny klimat uczenia się. Artykuł prezentuje rezultaty badań ankietowych przeprowadzonych we wszystkich 41 urzędach miasta/gminy Górnośląsko-Zagłębiowskiej Metropolii (GZM). Model związków odnośnie do jakości relacji wymiany między liderem a członkami zespołu (LMX), organizacyjnym klimatem uczenia się oraz wynikami działania i efektywnością (OEP) urzędów miasta/gminy został poddany analizie z wykorzystaniem modelowania równań strukturalnych (SEM).Since the 1990s, along with the transformation of public administration and the emergence of new concepts of public management, the improvement of organisational effectiveness and performance (OEP) of local public administration has become an important goal of regional policies in many countries. The OEP of local public administration has started to be considered as an essential factor affecting the process of regional socio-economic development. However, to improve the performance of local public administration, factors influencing the OEP of public administration organizations need to be determined. Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to identify how such factors as the quality of relations between leaders and subordinates as well as learning climate influence the OEP of public administration organizations. Method/approach: The paper presents the results of a survey research conducted among 153 employees of municipal offices in the Górnośląsko-Zagłębiowska Metropolis (i.e. Metropolis GZM). A model of relationships between LMX, organizational learning climate, and the OEP was examined with the use of Structural Equation Modeling and path analysis. Findings: It was found that the LMX affected the OEP only indirectly through its impact on organizational learning climate which in turn influences the OEP. Therefore, the study also revealed that organizational learning climate mediated the relationship between the LMX and the OEP. Originality: The presented results of the study have provided empirical evidence regarding the influence of LMX and organizational climate on the OEP of public organizations which was hitherto absent in the literature on the subject. A novel conclusion from this study is that the high quality of relationships between leaders and subordinates and organizational learning climate improve the OEP of local public administration organizations. Highly effective local public administration can become a driver of the regional development promoting new ideas, innovation and local incentives

Różne cechy struktur organizacyjnych a zatrudnialność w wybranych organizacjach publicznych

Związek zarządzania zasobami ludzkimi ze strukturalnym wymiarem organizacji jest od dawna przedmiotem zainteresowania badaczy. Struktura organizacyjna tworzy uwarunkowania zarządzania zasobami ludzkimi (ZZL), opisuje alokację zadań i odpowiedzialności, określa stosowane narzędzia ZZL, a w efekcie decyduje także o możliwościach rozwoju zatrudnialności pracowników w organizacji. W artykule podjęto próbę odpowiedzi na pytanie: „Jaka jest zależność między określonymi cechami struktury organizacyjnej a zatrudnialnością pracowników organizacji publicznych?”. Cel ten zostanie zrealizowany poprzez zaprezentowanie wyników badań empirycznych cech struktur organizacyjnych i ich związków z zatrudnialnością pracowników przeprowadzonych w urzędach pracy, ośrodkach pomocy społecznej oraz urzędach miasta i gminy

Prawdziwość wiedzy naukowej i pseudonauka w percepcji studentów

We współczesnym społeczeństwie pseudonauka coraz silniej oddziałuje na postawy i zachowania społeczne. Zmusza to szkoły wyższe do kształtowania wśród studentów odpowiednich kompetencji, pozwalających im na ocenę prawdziwości wiedzy i identyfikację pseudonauki. W artykule podjęto próbę odpowiedzi na pytanie: jakie elementy tworzą wypowiedzi studentów na temat prawdziwości wiedzy naukowej jako jej cechy? Założono, że odpowiedź na to pytanie stanowi podstawę procesu kontroli efektów edukacji akademickiej w zakresie radzenia sobie z pseudonauką. Cel ten zrealizowano poprzez zaprezentowanie wyników badania, w którym zastosowano analizę treści 33 losowo wybranych pisemnych wypowiedzi studentów na temat prawdziwości jako cechy wiedzy naukowej. Badanie wykazało, że mimo znajomości i posługiwania się kategoriami wiedzy naukowej i jej prawdziwości studenci przejawiali ograniczone kompetencje w radzeniu sobie z problemem pseudonauki.We współczesnym społeczeństwie pseudonauka coraz silniej oddziałuje na postawy i zachowania społeczne. Zmusza to szkoły wyższe do kształtowania wśród studentów odpowiednich kompetencji, pozwalających im na ocenę prawdziwości wiedzy i identyfikację pseudonauki. W artykule podjęto próbę odpowiedzi na pytanie: jakie elementy tworzą wypowiedzi studentów na temat prawdziwości wiedzy naukowej jako jej cechy? Założono, że odpowiedź na to pytanie stanowi podstawę procesu kontroli efektów edukacji akademickiej w zakresie radzenia sobie z pseudonauką. Cel ten zrealizowano poprzez zaprezentowanie wyników badania, w którym zastosowano analizę treści 33 losowo wybranych pisemnych wypowiedzi studentów na temat prawdziwości jako cechy wiedzy naukowej. Badanie wykazało, że mimo znajomości i posługiwania się kategoriami wiedzy naukowej i jej prawdziwości studenci przejawiali ograniczone kompetencje w radzeniu sobie z problemem pseudonauki

Tailoring the physical properties of non-isocyanate polyurethanes by introducing secondary amino groups along their main chain

A series of linear non-isocyanate polyhydroxyurethanes (NIPUs) were synthesized by aminolysis of a PPO bis-cyclic carbonate with two diamines, one of which (triethylenetetramine, TETA) contains non-reacting secondary amino groups. Thus, varying the composition of the diamine component modulates the density of proton donors. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) showed that with increasing TETA content in the amine components (20–100 wt%) carbonyl groups tend to form progressively more double hydrogen bonds (HBs). Interestingly, the system without this amine deviates from the trend. In the whole composition range, a higher amount of double HBs correlates monotonously with reduced molecular mobility as observed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dielectric relaxation spectroscopy (DRS), and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). It also correlates with the mechanical properties of studied NIPUs which range at room temperature from a viscous liquid to a dimensionally stable, flexible, and durable elastomer, depending on the density of double hydrogen-bonded carbonyls. Hence, the herein proposed approach allows for tailoring thermomechanical properties of NIPUs by modulating density of double hydrogen-bonded carbonyls

Effects of Low Carbohydrate High Protein (LCHP) diet on atherosclerotic plaque phenotype in ApoE/LDLR−/−ApoE/LDLR^{-/-} mice : FT-IR and Raman imaging

Low Carbohydrate High Protein (LCHP) diet displays pro-atherogenic effects, however, the exact mechanisms involved are still unclear. Here, with the use of vibrational imaging, such as Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and Raman (RS) spectroscopies, we characterize biochemical content of plaques in Brachiocephalic Arteries (BCA) from ApoE/LDLR−/− mice fed LCHP diet as compared to control, recomended by American Institute of Nutrition, AIN diet. FT-IR images were taken from 6–10 sections of BCA from each mice and were complemented with RS measurements with higher spatial resolution of chosen areas of plaque sections. In aortic plaques from LCHP fed ApoE/LDLR−/− mice, the content of cholesterol and cholesterol esters was increased, while that of proteins was decreased as evidenced by global FT-IR analysis. High resolution imaging by RS identified necrotic core/foam cells, lipids (including cholesterol crystals), calcium mineralization and fibrous cap. The decreased relative thickness of the outer fibrous cap and the presence of buried caps were prominent features of the plaques in ApoE/LDLR−/− mice fed LCHP diet. In conclusion, FT-IR and Raman-based imaging provided a complementary insight into the biochemical composition of the plaque suggesting that LCHP diet increased plaque cholesterol and cholesterol esters contents of atherosclerotic plaque, supporting the cholesterol-driven pathogenesis of LCHP–induced atherogenesis

What are the career implications of "seeing eye to eye"? Examining the role of leader-member exchange (LMX) agreement on employability and career outcomes

Are there career benefits to leaders and followers agreeing about the quality of their leader–member exchange (LMX) relationship? Is LMX disagreement always detrimental for a follower's career? Can the examination of LMX agreement as a substantive variable help us cast new light on some of the inconclusive findings of past research on LMX and career outcomes? These questions motivate our research. Using theories of social exchange and sponsorship, and responses from 967 leader–follower dyads of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) professionals in seven European countries, we examined the role of LMX agreement on subjective and objective career outcomes. After conducting polynomial regression combined with response surface analysis, we found that both follower-rated and leader-rated employability were higher when the leader agreed with the follower at a high level of LMX (vs. a low level of LMX). In case of disagreement, strong support was found for leader-rated employability being higher when the leader's perceptions of LMX exceeded those of their follower. Furthermore, follower-rated employability was found to mediate the relationship between LMX (dis)agreement and perceived career success, promotions, salary, and bonuses. Support was also found for the mediating role of leader-rated employability in the case of perceived career success, promotions, and salary but not for bonuses. Our findings highlight the importance of LMX (dis)agreement for career outcomes and further point to the possibility of employability offering an alternative explanation for the mixed findings of past LMX–career research.publishedVersio

What are the career implications of ‘seeing eye to eye’? Examining the role of leader-member exchange (LMX) agreement on employability and career outcomes

Are there career benefits to leaders and followers agreeing about the quality of their leader‐member exchange (LMX) relationship? Is LMX disagreement always detrimental for a follower's career? Can the examination of LMX agreement as a substantive variable help us cast new light on some of the inconclusive findings of past research on LMX and career outcomes? These questions motivate our research. Using theories of social exchange and sponsorship, and responses from 967 leader–follower dyads of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) professionals in seven European countries, we examined the role of LMX agreement on subjective and objective career outcomes. After conducting polynomial regression combined with response surface analysis, we found that both follower‐rated and leader‐rated employability were higher when the leader agreed with the follower at a high level of LMX (versus a low level of LMX). In case of disagreement, strong support was found for leader‐rated employability being higher when the leader's perceptions of LMX exceeded those of their follower. Furthermore, follower‐rated employability was found to mediate the relationship between LMX (dis)agreement and perceived career success, promotions, salary, and bonuses. Support was also found for the mediating role of leader‐rated employability in the case of perceived career success, promotions, and salary but not for bonuses. Our findings highlight the importance of LMX (dis)agreement for career outcomes and further point to the possibility of employability offering an alternative explanation for the mixed findings of past LMX‐career research