Special Issue of Perspectives on Culture

Editors:

• Barbara Pabian, University of Economics in Katowice Professor
• Katarzyna Bilińska, University of Economics in Katowice
• Justyna Szymczyk, University of Economics in Katowice

The activities of contemporary cultural institutions are marked by a fundamental paradox. They are expected to safeguard cultural values and fulfil an educational and social mission, while at the same time ensuring sufficient attendance and operating efficiently within the conditions of a market economy. Cultural institutions are also increasingly encouraged to adopt participatory models (Gaweł, 2020); however, full audience engagement is often constrained by legal frameworks, including specific regulations, norms, and procedural requirements. At the same time, cultural organizations are expected to pursue continuous development and innovation, to embrace the perspective of a learning organization (Ćwikła et al., 2022), and to guarantee full accessibility (Badania w…, 2022), all while facing persistent shortages of financial resources. Expectations of flexibility and agile management further collide with internal barriers to change, such as entrenched and rigid organizational cultures.

An additional challenge inherent in the operation of cultural institutions lies in reconciling the core of cultural and artistic activity with evolving audience needs and perceptions, as well as with rapid technological advancement. This is particularly evident in the challenge of integrating the collection, interpretation, protection, and dissemination of cultural heritage with audiences’ informational practices and with the use of an ever-expanding range of media tools and Artificial Intelligence.

This aporetic situation in which contemporary cultural organizations operate generates a set of challenges that cannot be addressed without the implementation of innovative solutions in the areas of planning, organizing, motivating, and controlling ongoing activities. Key success factors in effectively navigating these conditions include up-to-date knowledge, organizational imagination, as well as a particular set of analytical skills and competencies related to managing the organization as an integrated whole.

Despite the apparent self-evidence of this observation, many cultural institutions continue to downplay the need for a systematic management framework. This stems, among other things, from the specific nature of cultural institutions’ operations discussed above, the lack of established traditions in this area, and the shortage of adequately trained cultural managers. Łukasz Gaweł refers to this phenomenon as the defensive position of management in public organizations (Gaweł 2011, p. 23).

In light of the above, the aim of this special issue is to address a research gap related to the definition and identification of the specific conditions and factors influencing the management of human, financial, material, and informational resources in the cultural sector. The issue also seeks to address the following questions: What actions should contemporary cultural organizations undertake in order to overcome barriers resulting from their operation within this specific sector? Which management perspective should be adopted so as, on the one hand, to cope with the aporias of cultural activity and, on the other, to remain faithful to the values and assumptions articulated in the mission of cultural organizations? The articles published in this special issue, together with the results of the research presented therein, are intended to contribute to progress in the efficient and effective pursuit of the undeniably complex objectives faced by such institutions. We assume that, at the theoretical level, management should be situated within a systems paradigm that embraces a holistic approach to the organization, while, at the practical level, it should incorporate a functional perspective.

Suggested topics for contributions to the special issue:

• aporias in cultural management
• preventing and addressing challenges in cultural practice
• the specificity of cultural institution management
• harnessing next-generation Next Tech for management in the cultural sector
• managing quality in cultural organizations
• managing cultural institutions through innovation
• promoting cultural heritage nationally and internationally
• audience and cultural reception changes as a challenge for modern management
• sustainability in cultural institution management: social, environmental, and economic dimensions
• managing distributed and multicultural teams
• organizational culture and ethics in cultural institutions: formal and informal dimensions
• emerging trends and models in the management of cultural organizations
• socio-economic changes and the fulfillment of cultural organizations’ missions
• cultural management in an era of dynamic change

References

Ćwikła, M., Konior, A., Laberschek, M., Pluszyńska, A., & Szostak, A. (2022). Mirror, mirror on the wall, do I want to know at all? A story about cultural organizations that conduct research on themselves and those that do not. International Journal of Cultural Policy, 29(4), 518–536.

Gaweł, Ł. (2011). Szlaki dziedzictwa kulturowego. Teoria i praktyka zarządzania. Kraków: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego.

Gaweł, Ł. (2020.) Społeczna odpowiedzialność organizacji kultury. Muzea w otoczeniu społecznym. In: A. Pluszyńska, A. Konior i Ł. Gaweł, Zarządzanie w kulturze. Teoria i praktyka. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo PWN.

Kocój, E., Laberschek, M., Kopeć, K. i Plebańczyk, K. (eds.) (2022). Metodologia badań w sektorze kultury i mediów. Kraków: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego.

Laberschek, M., Szostak, A., Kosińska, O. i Kaczmarek, M. (eds.). (2025). Badania w sektorze kultury. (Współ)tworzenie. Kraków: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego.

Pluszyńska, A., Konior, A. i Gaweł, Ł. (2020). Zarządzanie w kulturze. Teoria i praktyka. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo PWN.

Pluszyńska, A., Kopeć, K. i Laberschek, M. (eds.). (2022). Badania w sektorze kultury. Dostępność. Kraków: Attyka.

Pluszyńska, A. i Laberschek, M. (2020). Marketing w organizacjach kultury: zastosowanie koncepcji marketingu mix na przykładach. In: A. Pluszyńska, A. Konior, & Ł. Gaweł, Zarządzanie w kulturze: teoria i praktyka. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, 182-195.