Research background and purpose This article examines the complex relationship between institutional regulations and the development of a diverse academic culture within higher education institutions (HEIs). It investigates the tension between formal policies of tolerance, equity, and diversity (TED) and the actual practice of fostering an inclusive environment, highlighting the challenges of implementing effective diversity strategies in academia. Design/methodology/approach The study uses qualitative methods and data from 20 HEIs, collected by four researchers who interviewed 20 key informants, to understand the gap between formal policies and their practical implementation. Findings The research finds that university managers often confuse tolerance, equality, and diversity, treating them as overlapping rather than distinct concepts. Tolerance is seen as acceptance of different views, equality as equal opportunity, and diversity as varied perspectives, but these ideas are practiced independently without systemic integration. Formal policies on diversity exist in universities, yet implementation and resource allocation vary widely. Value added and limitations The research contributes to higher education by providing empirical evidence on how diversity, equity, and inclusion are interpreted and implemented across HEIs, and by identifying practical areas where formal policies can be better aligned with academic culture. It offers university leaders practical insights for moving beyond fragmented efforts toward more coherent and context-sensitive diversity practices.
Research background and purpose Demographic transition creates management challenges that extend beyond declining fertility and population ageing to labour-resource availability, work–family reconciliation and increasing demand for age-related services. Public-policy responses therefore need to combine measures intended to influence future demographic trajectories with instruments enabling adaptation to structural demographic change. This study assesses whether selected public-policy instruments in Poland are formally aligned with the principal demographic-management pressures and how the resulting policy portfolio is distributed between mitigation- and adaptation-oriented responses. Design/methodology/approach The study applies a structured document-based policy analysis to eight nationwide policy instruments operational as of 30 June 2026. Five demographic-management dimensions were identified: low fertility and family-formation constraints (P1), work–family reconciliation (P2), labour-resource contraction (P3), active ageing and longer working lives (P4), and age-related service adaptation (P5). Instrument–problem relationships were coded on an ordinal 0–2 scale and aggregated using a Policy Alignment Score (PAS). Portfolio-level alignment concentrations were additionally calculated across the five dimensions. Findings The highest portfolio-level concentration of formal alignment was identified for labour-resource contraction (P3; A₃ = 8), followed by work–family reconciliation and age-related service adaptation (P2 = P5; A₂ = A₅ = 6). The lowest concentration was identified for low fertility and family-formation constraints (P1; A₁ = 3), with no analysed instrument showing direct P1 alignment. The labour-market policy framework achieved the highest instrument-level PAS (6), followed by Active Parent and Active Maluch (5 each). Overall, the portfolio demonstrates a stronger adaptation-oriented than directly fertility-oriented profile. Value added and limitations The study develops a transparent instrument-level PAS that distinguishes policy existence, policy alignment and policy effectiveness and enables demographic instruments to be assessed as a portfolio rather than individually. Empirically, PAS diagnoses the breadth, strength and distribution of formal policy alignment; conceptually, the resulting portfolio architecture is interpreted in relation to adaptive capacity and demographic resilience in public management. The analysis therefore treats adaptive capacity and demographic resilience as broader management concepts rather than direct outcomes of the PAS measurement. The purposively selected portfolio does not constitute an exhaustive assessment of all demographic-related policies in Poland.
Research background and purpose Current students are Generation Z, in their adolescence and after experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic. All these factors determine their, sometimes specific, behaviour, which is becoming an increasingly common problem for academic teachers. The aim of the study based on primary sources is to identify problems in students’ behaviour that cause difficulties encountered by academic teachers in the teaching area and the relationship between the perceived frequency of these problems and the extent to which they generate difficulties during classes and affect the teacher's psychological comfort. Design/methodology/approach A pilot study was conducted using a direct survey among a deliberately selected sample of academic teachers working at one of the public universities in Poland. Findings It was found that the more frequently respondents experience problems related to the personal culture, their engagement in classes and the scope of problems related to the lack of students' skills necessary to perform classes, the more these problems make teachers’ job difficult and reduce their psychological comfort. It was shown that, in particular using the mobile phone for purposes unrelated to classes, the lack of sufficient knowledge of students that should be obtained at the secondary school level, and difficulties in performing tasks with a higher level of abstraction are behaviours that occur very often, significantly hinder work with students, and greatly reduce the psychological comfort of an academic teacher during the implementation of didactic classes. Value added and limitations Recommendations have been formulated that may make it easier for academic teachers to conduct classes and improve their psychological comfort. Furthermore, these suggestions should help students cope with some of the problems they encounter during their studies, such as lack of sufficient knowledge from high school knowledge, ignorance of the rules of conduct during classes, and (perhaps) a reduction in the need to live on social media in favour of real life. The research was conducted among academic teachers at one public university in Poland, but its implementation at other domestic universities, including private ones, as well as at foreign universities, might yield different results.
Research background and purpose The aim of the research was to map and categorise scientific knowledge on motivational tools used in project teams in the post-pandemic period (from 2021 onwards). By structuring the fragmented literature, the author's goal was to organise the dispersed research on post-pandemic project team motivation. Additionally, it identified the industry sectors most represented in the research area. The author uncovered gaps to guide future empirical investigations. Design/methodology/approach A systematic scoping review of the literature was conducted, following the Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines and the PRISMA-ScR standards. Through a search of Web of Science and Scopus, 58 peer-reviewed publications from 2021 to 2025 on motivation, project teams, and tools were identified. Using a narrative synthesis, data were organised into a three-dimensional matrix assessing impact level, motivation type, and mode of implementation. Findings Through the analysis of 58 selected publications, the author maps key patterns and trends in post-pandemic motivational tools. This trend from traditional controls to a focus on psychological safety, employee agency, and autonomy is facilitated by modern digital tools such as virtual reality and e-learning. The author identified five gaps: team-level research dominance, insufficiency of hybrid models combining intrinsic and extrinsic motivators, industry sector asymmetries, digitalisation barriers for physical workers, and tension arising from human-AI collaboration. Value added and limitations This study focuses solely on peer-reviewed publications in English from Scopus and Web of Science between 2021 and 2025. The results indicate that digital tools may act as active psychological catalysts instead of just operational interfaces. It also emphasises the need for future studies to assess the long-term motivational tools. The three-dimensional matrix provides a structured conceptual framework. It assists as a descriptive typology to help project management professionals map and understand complex motivational strategies within hybrid and remote work settings. The model offers, for organisational authorities, a conceptual guide to analyse motivational tools alongside team dynamics and technology interfaces. It also offers researchers a foundation for future empirical studies.
Research background and purpose The pace of artificial intelligence (AI) adoption not only in organizations, but also in higher education is accelerating, raising questions about whether students possess the competences required to engage with AI critically and effectively. Although adaptive capacity is frequently assumed to facilitate technology use, limited empirical evidence clarifies whether such capacity translates into AI literacy. Drawing on the conceptualisation of student agility as a multidimensional metacapability comprising proactivity, adaptability, and resilience, this study examines the relationships between key competences, agility, and AI literacy in higher education. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on survey data collected from 224 management and finance students. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted to validate the measurement constructs used in the study. Structural modelling was applied to examine whether competences that foster agility also predict AI literacy. Findings The results indicate that agility and AI literacy follow partially distinct developmental pathways. While teamwork and cognitive competences significantly predict agility, AI literacy is primarily shaped by knowledge–skill competences and human–tool collaboration, while cultural competence does not show a statistically significant effect. Value added and limitations The findings challenge the assumption that generic student agility automatically fosters AI literacy and highlight the need to conceptually differentiate between adaptive capacity and AI-specific competence development in higher education. This study is subject to several limitations. The sample was relatively homogeneous, consisting of students from a single type of higher education institution within one national context, which may limit generalisability. Future research could extend this analysis to diverse institutional profiles and cross-national settings
