Regional Formation and Development Studies

The article presents the evaluation of organizational culture of SC „Klaipėdos kartonas“. The employees’ attitude towards the importance and influence of OK, values, symbols, history, heroes, traditions and communication is evaluated by questioner created by authors of article. The survey revealed that employees appreciate their OK positively. They are guided by the values of organization in their work. The employees know the values and their impact, the history of organization, and have their heroes-employees. Common traditions are prevalent in organization. The communication in organization is business-like. Statistically important difference was revealed: managers of all levels expressed more agreement for statements about all elements of OK; meanwhile employees without subordinates expressed less agreement or disagreement. It is suggested to involve employees without subordinates in processes of formation and implementation of OK more actively.

The article analyses axiological and hodegetic ideas by M. Pečkauskaitė-Šatrijos Ragana. Aspects of neotomistic ethics in the writer’s attitude towards human virtuousness and preparation for eschatological fulfilment are highlighted. Cultivation of virtues is revealed as an essential prerequisite to faith. Virtuousness reveals to people horizons of freeing truth and a possibility to overstep human imperfection. Love is actualised in this context as a fundamental value with eschatological continuity and remaining in the hope and perspective of divine eternity. An important role in M. Pečkauskaitė’s pedagogical concept is assigned to personal self-reflection enabling self-knowledge and an adequate evaluation of one’s actions and spiritual culture. Eschatological conception of the meaning of time, when all human attempts are directed towards eternal perspective, is presented.

The aim of this article: To analyze the theoretical assumptions of organizational culture and to investigate the organizational culture in two Lithuanian and foreign capital organizations.

Current transition from agrarian societies to industrial ones around the globe carries shift of values along with – namely, from Traditional to Self-expression. The shift has been described by analysts of the World Values Survey Association (WVSA). In much described Inglehart-Welzel cultural map of the world Baltic States are positioned somewhere in the middle between the poles. The article sketches dangers arising from one-sided over-emphasizing benefits of democracy and self-expression. Societies undergoing fast transition between their former experiences and current challenges testify frictions and they may be described as torn societies. The author uses the term “plastic man” coined by Martin Heidegger – in whom the changing part of personality is increasing whereas the steady side is decreasing. As sociologist Arnold Toynbee puts it, the man of today is a “man running away from God”, consequently, his plasticity takes over and man is not in position to control his own choices and his changeability. The article offers Christian anthropological view of man in his relations with God. The reminder refreshes knowledge of European Christian roots and challenges current social development.

There is presented and shortly evaluated in the article the basic development of public administration in Central and Eastern European countries by indicating the most important stages of modernization in the light of prevailing theoretical paradigms. The authors identify three main stages – traditional public administration, New Public Management and New Public Governance, which are sometimes interrelated or contradicting to each other at the same time. New Public Governance is the most wanted and admired paradigm in Central and Eastern Europe, especially because of its social attractiveness and sensitivity, but it is still lacking more certain methods and tools to be implemented in practice. New Public Management, because of its capitalist entrepreneurship spirit, only partially changed public administration model. It was not an excellent model of reform, that’s why it is possible to point to NPM as socially irresponsible reform of the public sector. At the same time the principles of New Public Governance are orientated not only to the participation of citizens and citizens’ groups, but also to the development of social welfare, social quality, social responsibility and social justice. These are the values, which are most necessary to overcome the side effects of modernization. It is possible to draw a conclusion about this article, that by developing and presenting the more progressive principles and values of NPG, such as openness, transparency, social justice, social quality, absence of corruption and more active non-governmental organisations, Central and Eastern European countries could achieve more stable democratic development, as well as elimination or minimization of the negative impact of New Public Management for various spheres of public sector’s reforms.