Special Edition:
Military Leadership
edited by
Col. Dr Andrzej Lis
Nicolaus Copernicus University, Toruń, Poland
Polish Armed Forces Doctrine and Training Centre, Bydgoszcz, Poland
and
Dr Miguel Pereira Lopes
The School of Social and Political Sciences,
The University of Lisbon, Portugal
Portuguese Air Forces Academy, Sintra, Portugal
Leadership is considered to be one of the key success factors in any organisation. Nevertheless, the role of leaders in the armed forces is of predominant importance due to the their responsibility for combat missions and lives of their subordinates. The U.S. Army Doctrine Publication on leadership [ADP 6-22, 2012, p. 1] defines leadership as “the process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation to accomplish the mission and improve the organisation”. Effective leadership is perceived as an indispensable element of any military capability and a multiplier of effects. An Army leader is “anyone who by virtue of assumed role or assigned responsibility inspires and influences people to accomplish organisational goals. Army leaders motivate people both inside and outside the chain of command to pursue actions, focus thinking and shape decisions for the greater good of the organisation” [ADP 6-22, 2012, p. 1].
Social Responsibility of
Higher Education Institutions
edited by
Prof. Marcin Geryk
Gdansk Management College, Gdansk, Poland
and
Dr Andrzej Lis
Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland
The issue of social responsibility of higher education institutions (HEIs) has been explored and discussed in recent years. In the studies conducted between 2007 and 2010, nearly 90% of the authorities of HEIs operating in Poland declared that they were familiar with the topic and considered it as an important issue. Similar opinions were shared by the majority among 122 heads of HEIs from 46 nations who participated in the study. Nowadays, we are able to draw some conclusions, predict possible directions of development and seek new solutions.
Multidimensionality of the Corporate Social Responsibility Concept
edited by
Dr Andrzej Lis
Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland
According to the norm ISO 26000 social responsibility is defined as responsibility of an organisation for the impacts of its decisions and activities on society and the environment, through transparent and ethical behaviour that:
- contributes to sustainable development, including health and the welfare of society;
- takes into account the expectations of stakeholders;
- is in compliance with applicable and consistent with international norms of behaviour; and
- is integrated throughout the organisation and practised in its relationships.
Leadership in the Context of Information and Knowledge Management
edited by
Prof. John P. Girard
Middle Georgia State University, Macon, Georgia, United States
Dr Katarzyna Kazojć
The University of Szczecin, Poland
and
Dr Andrzej Lis
Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland
Together with teamwork, intra-organisational communication and employee attitudes to changes, leadership is listed among behavioural antecedents of effective knowledge management processes. The cultural determinants of leadership important from the knowledge management perspective include: leadership style, centralisation of management, emotional barriers of effective communication between managers and subordinates, freedom of dissent and criticism of decisions made by managers, greed of power and perceiving knowledge as the source of power [Glińska-Neweś, 2007]. Positive leadership [Cameron, 2012; Karaszewski and Lis, 2013] is considered to be one of the key areas of positive organisational potential defined as “such states, levels and configurations of organisational resources which stimulate positive organisational climate and positive organisational culture in order to foster positive, pro-developmental employee behaviours” [Stankiewicz and Glińska-Neweś, 2013, pp. 23-24]. In consequence, leadership may both directly and indirectly stimulate but also inhibit knowledge management processes.