Positive management of the university
Loading...
WP_GUTFME_A_30_Leja.pdf (576.28 KB)
Authors
Date
2015-11
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Faculty of Management and Economics Gdansk University of Technology
Abstract
The prevailing view held at contemporary Polish universities is that their main goal is to achieve effects
measured by indicators, which applies to each element of their mission: education, research and the
third mission, whereas the means to accomplish this goal consists of increasing the requirements and
motivating by the “carrot and stick” approach. That approach discounts the importance of building a
positive relationship between members of the staff and undertaking activities intended to create a
situation where hedonistic joy of work will dominate in universities. This in turn will promote
integration of the academic environment and induce employees to strive for mastery to find pleasure
and satisfaction rather than to achieve specific effects of their activity, which eventually will lead to
better efficiency.
The main goal of the paper is to demonstrate that contemporary universities may be improved by
synthesis of strategic antinomies, i.e. seeking the possibility of combining opposite approaches to
solving problems concerning university organization and management.
The motivation method used at universities to date turns out to be ineffective; therefore, following
the positive thinking idea formulated by Martin Seligman, the author of the study proposes to apply
synthesis of strategic antinomies (paradoxes) observed in universities and use the results to counteract
the noticeable trauma of academic communities and replace it with positive thinking, consisting of the
aspiration to discover and understand phenomena, the sense of belonging to the academic
environment and building positive relationships with that environment. Such an approach is in
agreement with the “philosophy” proposing to replace the dictatorial “tyranny of the OR” (either ‘a’
or ‘b’”, but not both at the same time with the genius of the AND (both ‘a’ and ‘b’), applied by visionary
organizations, such as universities should strive to become.
Description
Keywords
Citation
Leja, K (2015).Positive management of the universit y. GUT FME Working Paper Series A, No. 5/2015(30). Gdansk (Poland): Gdansk University of Technology, Faculty of Management and Economics.