The Last-Planner-System’s impact on project culture

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the Last-Planner-System’s impact on project cultures in terms of partnering. Design/methodology/approach A case study was performed using multiple data gathering approaches. The project cultures of three projects not applying the Last-Planner-System were compared with three projects that apply the Last-Planner-System. In total, 30 participants were involved in the study. Semi-structured interviews were held and analysed by applying qualitative content analysis. Also, the “organizational culture assessment instrument”, which belongs to the “competing values framework”, was used by means of an online survey. Findings The Last-Planner-System leads to increased levels of mutual understanding and control about the tasks and issues of the other parties. This detailed overview leads towards a more distinguished evaluation of the trustworthiness of individuals. This does not necessarily lead to a partnering project culture. Originality/value The contribution to research is that higher levels of transparency and mutual understanding do not necessarily lead to a high level of trust. Rather, transparency could be seen as a controlling mechanism that leads to better-founded estimations about the trustworthiness of others in the project.

Ilaje names: an appraisal of Yoruba culture

Naming is an intrinsic aspect of the Yorùbá culture. Beyond identification tags, it also serves as an anchorage to project culture, didactics and the destiny of a name-bearer, particularly in Ìlàjẹ communities of Oǹdó State, Nigeria. Notwithstanding, critics of Yorùbá names have overlooked the deep historicity and culture preservation entrenched into Ìlàjẹ names. This study, therefore, examines Ìlàjẹ names based on their linguistic and religious significance to consolidate the need for culture retention among the Yorùbá. The study employs traditional criticism as a theoretical construct to analyze the primary data, which were indigenous names collected through oral interviews from indigenes of Ìlàjẹ communities. The secondary data comprised of books, journals, internet articles on names. Findings reveal that despite modern civilization and western religion, Ìlàjẹ communities maintain indigenous names which bother on profound Yorùbá culture manifested in the names of their children and their ornate consequence within the broader spectrum of the Yorùbá culture. Ìlàjẹ names were categorized based on association with prominent Yorùbá concepts like destiny, death, religion, metaphysics, morality, children, kinship, social relations and wealth. The study though a contribution to existing knowledge on Yorùbá names is a unique interdisciplinary blend of culture and linguistics of Ìlàjẹ communities.

Model Libraries: Historical Outline of the Project

The article presents the history of interaction between the government authorities and the library and information sector in the project of development of municipal libraries. The project resulted in the “model libraries”. The project has been operating since the early 2000s. The purpose of the article is to reveal the implementation and analyse the support at the level of federal and regional government management of the program until 2018 (the start of work within the frames of the National project “Culture”). The author presents periodization of the project, as well as quantitative characteristics and approaches to the understanding the concept of “model library”.Model library is a public library of municipal level that has standard and optimal set of material and information resources. At the same time, there is no approved definition of this phenomenon. It is assumed that the model rural library in its functions, content and equipment meets international and domestic standards and serves as a model for other institutions. The “model” indicators are reflected in the “Model Standard for Public Library Services”.The project on creation of model libraries on the basis of municipal public libraries in rural areas of Russia started in 2002 with the emergence of the all-Russian project “Creation of model public libraries in rural areas”. Since 2012, funding under the federal target program “Culture of Russia (2012—2018)” is carried out in the form of subsidies allocated on a competitive basis. The project became a “catalyst” for modernization processes in rural libraries of Russian regions. The transformation program included the following stages: repair and equipment of the library premises; acquisition of books and electronic publications; conducting training seminars for staff. The rural model library targeted the goals of ensuring equal and free access to information, creation of a comfortable library space, etc.After the approval of the “Model Standard for Public Library Services” (2014), it was decided to test its feasibility by creating so-called “pilot libraries of a new type”. According to this document, model libraries are intellectual centres equipped with high speed Internet, access to modern domestic information resources, which should provide access points to the National Electronic Library.The regional leaders in creation of model libraries are the Republic of Chuvashia, the Belgorod Region, the Republic of Bashkortostan, the Kursk Region and the Republic of Mari El. As of January 1, 2019, there were 3,310 model libraries operating in the country. The creation of model municipal libraries has become one of the departmental projects of the National project “Culture”.

Project Culture as a Key Project Success Factor: The Perspective of Polish Project Managers

Project management has the potential to play a key role in the effective functioning of a company. In spite of the intensive development of project management knowledge and tools, however, the ratio of projects which fail is still very high. For the above reason, interest in research dedicated to project success determinants has been increasing. Although existing empirical studies provide numerous evidence on project key-success factors, rrelatively little research has been devoted to examination of project culture in the context of its impact on the final results of projects. The study’s objective entails analysis of how project culture mediates the relationship between project characteristics and project outcome. For this purpose, a questionnaire has been developed, which was distributed among 138 project managers representing Polish enterprises. A theoretical model has been proposed, linking project attributes and project culture to project outcome. The results of the empirical studies indicate that inclusion of project culture, with special attention paid to its openness, significantly contributes to the clarification of the way project attributes affect project outcome.

Teacher Self-Assessment of their Science and Technics Competences and Professional Development

In this paper, the authors present the results of an empirical study that formed part of the broader research project, "Culture of Educational Institution as a Factor in Co-Construction of Knowledge," at the University of Rijeka. The research was conducted on a sample of 317 elementary class teachers from Croatia and Slovenia. The authors sought to establish how class teachers assess their professionalism in practice; whether they show statistically significant differences in assessing their professionalism and professional development in practice at different stages of their careers.

STRUCTURE OF THE CULTURE OF PROJECT ACTIVITY OF UNDERGRADUATES

The article deals with the content and structure of the culture of project activity of undergraduates. The definition of project activity is given, as well as the features that distinguish project activity from other types of activity. The project culture is characterized, which is a broader concept, therefore, below we will use the term «culture of project activity». The structure of the culture of project activity is revealed, which includes an axiological component, a cognitive component, an activity component, a creative component. The axiological component is a set of values that fill the project activity of undergraduates with personal significance. The cognitive component includes knowledge, cognitive interest and readiness for self-study and expansion of the field of knowledge. The activity component reflects the skills and abilities necessary for the successful implementation of project activity. The creative component is characterized by creative abilities and creative thinking, the presence of which allows undergraduates to combine tradition and innovation in the process of performing project activity.

From the history of the project culture of the middle Volga region: sleigh and carts production of the middle 19 – the first half of the 20 centuries

The origins of design lie in the traditional forms of design culture of pre-industrial societies, expressed in handicrafts and folk crafts. Sledges and carts production (and the associated manufacture of wheels and rims) on the Middle Volga, as well as throughout Russia in the mid-19 – first half of the 20 centuries, was a common and traditional type of craft activity, handicraft. Due to the multi-ethnicity of the region, we can talk about its small local features — the specifics of production processes, decor, and the ethnic division of labor. The exchange of cultural forms led to the typification of tools and techniques in the sledges and carts production of all ethnic groups of the Middle Volga — Mordovians, Tatars, Chuvashs. The reasons for this alignment are the practical benefits and long cohabitation of peoples in the region, which through cross-borrowing determined the general economic structure and nature of the project culture. Sledges and carts production of the Middle Volga region from the mid-19 – first half of the 20 centuries was realized through traditional design forms (sledges such as dróvni, rózval`ni, koshévny`e; carts such as pólok, ry`dván, dolgúsha, drógi, tarantás). The paper pays particular attention to the analysis of their manufacturing technologies. The study of various aspects of the sledges and carts production of the Middle Volga region will allow enriching theoretical ideas in the field of studying the traditional design culture of the region. Some of the points and conclusions of the study may be useful in designing an urban environment.