We have completed the experimental stage in the project of studying flow in virtual teams

We have completed the experiments in the project “Flow and virtual team effectiveness”! Our research was aimed at understanding what really affects the effectiveness of teams operating remotely. We focused on the concept of team flow – a state in which team members are fully engaged, focused and work in harmony, achieving above-average results. We designed experiments to capture not only the end results of the teams’ work, but, more importantly, the dynamics of the processes that lead to these results. By using original research tools and state-of-the-art online solutions, we were able to observe how collaboration, social influence and

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Is it possible to reduce the influence of a manager on his team?

During the 5th Scientific Conference “Contemporary Challenges of Management, Economics and Finance” we presented the results of research on the influence of the manager on the team and the possibility of reducing this influence. As a result of research on the impact of people on other members of the organization, two opposing approaches have developed to the importance of social influence in achieving the effectiveness of teams or entire organizations. On the one hand, the literature emphasizes the key role of the team manager in the achievement of high team performance, while on the other hand, there are views advocating

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V Scientific Conference “Contemporary Challenges of Management, Economics and Finance” – event report

On March 14, 2025, the 5th edition of the Scientific Conference “Contemporary Challenges of Management, Economics and Finance” was held within the walls of the University of Szczecin. The event, organized by the Department of Human Capital Management, attracted a wide range of scientists, practitioners and students interested in the latest trends in management, economics and finance. Prof. Barbara Kożusznik, Ph.D., and Olaf Flak, Ph.D., sent a paper to this conference entitled “Influence of Sustainable Team Management In Virtual Teams on Teamwork Performance. Results of Research,” which will be published in the coming months. The conference was opened by Prof.

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Research and project team – Principle No. 4: select people who are very different from each other to the team

The last, 4th rule of the Beatles team, described by A. Sobel, is as follows: Select people who are very different from each other to the team, invite both specialists and laymen, try to introduce friendly competition in creative problem solving. The most famous duo in the history of music – John Lennon and Paul McCartney – are both a duo of contradictions and sparking opposites. When they met in July 1957, Lennon was a cynical young 16-year-old who constantly got into youthful trouble. McCartney conversely was well-mannered and optimistic about the world. Lennon hated the public and being popular,

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Research and project team – Principle No. 3: let team members shine

The Principle No. 3 of a successful team, which was proposed by A. Sobel in his article “The Beatles Principles,” is: let team members shine on the whole team. Although the driving force behind the Beatles was John Lennon and Paul McCartney – authors of most of the band’s songs – the other musicians, George Harrisom and Ringo Starr, were equally popular. To ensure that all members of the Beatles were recognized by the public, the band used a variety of procedures. For example, in rock bands, usually the least known figure is the drummer. To counteract this, Lennon and

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Research and project team – Principle No. 2: develop your products gradually

Principle No. 2 of the Beatles’ success is: Develop your products and services gradually, and give your 100th customer as much attention and enthusiasm as your first. Most rock bands consistently play the same kind of music, and the songs are similar. The Beatles took a different path. From album to album they changed the nature of their songs, and in many ways. They came up with new song themes, melodic lines, introduced new arrangements and previously unused instruments. Albums with such disparate songs as “Yesterday” and “Revolution” sold more than a million copies in a decade. The Beatles, in

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Research and project team – Principle No. 1: schedule time for the team to get to know each other

It’s been 19 years since the famous article by A. Sobel, who analyzed the success of the Beatles from the side of team management and the products that this team can deliver. In the following weeks, we wanted to remind you of the 4 principles that the author included then in an article titled The Beatles Principles, and which are still of great value to managers of research and project teams. Principle No. 1: Schedule time for team members to get to know each other and get to know each other during joint trial assignments before they have to work

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Are references important in the labor market? Part 2

In the previous blog post, we discussed the general feature of references in the labor market. Now 2 three points we will present how to use them in practice. First, it is important to realize what purpose references have. Usually, their purpose is to provide information about the employee’s skills, knowledge and personal qualities to the next employer. A reference from an HR department or supervisor may also give an indication of what positions a person is suitable for and what work experience he or she has. In addition, references should include general information, such as length of employment, job

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Are references important in the labor market? Part 1

References in Polish business practice are associated with a document that is important and usually carries positive content. Therefore, they are quite often used as an element of creating a company’s image when it has fulfilled the arrangements made with another company. Customer references then hang in a highly visible place testifying to the reliability of the addressee. Despite the adoption in Polish companies of many customs from the United States and Western European countries, references are still rarely issued for departing employees. From a legal point of view, in Poland, a certificate of employment is sufficient for a person

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How to perform a periodic evaluation using the 360-degree method? Part 3

In this post, we conclude our presentation of the 360-degree method used to evaluate employees in a company or university. See the advantages and disadvantages of this method and judge for yourself whether it is worth using in your organization. Specialists in the field of human resource management agree that the skillful design of an evaluation system based on the “feedback 360” method, its efficient execution and the practical implementation of its conclusions can contribute to the increase of the company’s efficiency. An additional result of such an evaluation is a better understanding of the company’s goals by employees and

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