Last month, Marek Żółkiewski, an archaeologist who has linked his professional career with the Poznań Science and Technology Park, defended his doctoral thesis. Many years of experience gained at the Archaeological Center, operating within the Park’s structures, allowed him to accumulate an exhaustive wealth of knowledge and research skills. It was on this solid foundation that he based his unique doctoral dissertation, devoted to improving the functioning of an archaeological company in the face of everyday organizational and economic challenges.
The work was supervised by prof. PhD Andrzej Michałowski and Professor at Adam Mickiewicz University, PhD Dominika Narożnain Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań .
The dissertation proves that implementation in the humanities is possible, provided that we treat it as an area that has a specific customer, service, and product. In this context, rescue archaeology becomes a space for many—not always obvious—encounters: science with business, archaeology with management, and the humanities with the realities of economics.
What is the work about?
The main subject of the research was the functioning of organizations conducting archaeological rescue excavations in market conditions. The goal was to design and implement an organizational solution that would organize the company’s activities, support process management, and facilitate decision-making. Therefore, the dissertation introduces concepts known from management and quality sciences: process, system, risk, uncertainty, customer, service, product, and, in a broader sense, commercialization in the humanities.
An important element of the analysis was identifying the expectations of today’s clients commissioning archaeological research for investment projects. The author based his work on legal and industry documentation, as well as an analysis of over 100 tender procedures from 2019–2023, which are included in the work in the form of a catalog.
Research results
The result of the doctoral thesis is the creation of a new model entitled “System for managing and improving the activities of organizations providing archaeological research services” – prepared as a separate volume in the form of a “book” for organizations conducting this type of activity. The aforementioned innovation:
- identifies key processes for conducting research on investments,
- organizes activities and documents,
- indicates critical decision points and risk assessments,
- remains open and flexible – applicable in various entities.
The prepared work yielded twofold results. On the one hand, it is a model of management and organizational improvement dedicated to business audiences. On the other hand, it is a slightly different perspective on the role of humanities in social practice. It is also a starting point for further discussion and evaluation of the phenomena taking place.
