The conference was held under the patronage of Rector prof. Krzysztof Jóźwik and the Committee on Organization and Management Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences. It was attended by 172 participants from leading academic centers in Poland, specializing in management and quality sciences. Almost half represented technical universities: AGH University of Science and Technology, and universitites of technology in Warsaw, Wrocław, Gdańsk, Częstochowa, Białystok, Lublin, Rzeszów, Poznań, and Śląśk.
The conference was officially opened by the Chair of the Program Council, prof. Agnieszka Zakrzewska-Bielawska, accompanied by the Honorary Chair prof. Stefan Lachiewicz. The first panel discussion called ‘Challenges to the development of modern organizations’ was moderated by prof. Maria Romanowska and prof. Bogdan Nogalski whereas the speakers included prof. Szymon Cyfert, prof. Aldona Glińska-Neweś, prof. Beata Glinka, prof. Ewa Stańczyk-Hugiet and dr Piotr Wachowiak, professor of SGH. The innovative formula of the discussion allowed conference attendees to comment on the panelists' statements and make put forward their own ideas. The brainstorming session resulted in a report listing the identified strategic challenges faced by modern organizations, the diagnosed possible responses by enterprises, and specific theoretical concepts useful in solving this type of problems.
After the discussions, the organizers invited guests to an evening gala dinner on a pirate theme. Once again, the organizing committee succeeded in ensuring the participants had a pleasant time. The evening at the seaside setting of the Dom Zdrojowy Hotel in Jastarnia was filled with positive emotions and many an unexpected twist.
One of the highlights of the gala dinner was the announcement of the winners of the Competition for the Best Publication. The Chair of the Program Council selected eight out of the 68 submitted texts, for further evaluation. The winners were determined based on the ranking of anonymized texts developed by members of the Program Council. A grand prize and two honorable mentions were awarded. The highest rated papers were:
• AI Implementation and Organizational Ambidexterity in the context of BPM: Polish Service Sector Experience (co-authored by the University of Gdansk professors: dr hab. Piotr Sliż, and dr hab. Beata Jackowska)
• Employee Attitudes Towards Organizational Diversity in Manufacturing Enterprises (co-authored by prof. Marta Juchnowicz and dr Hanna Kinowska of the Warsaw School of Economics)
• Assessment of enterprise digital maturity (co-authored by dr Sylwia Bąk and prof. Piotr Jedynak from UJ).
Three further panel discussions on the challenges named in the title of the conference were held on its second day. The first dealt with digitalization and digital maturity in the development of modern organizations, the second with sustainability and green governance, whereas the third with diversity and inclusion.
The third day of the conference included two plenary sessions during which research papers were presented.
The organizers of the event invited everyone to the next, 13th edition of the conference, to be held in May 2026.
Sylwia Flaszewska, Chair of the Organizing Committee, Institute of Management
Tytuł: Participants of the XII OKN ZRO Conference
Photo credit: Sylwia Flaszewska
Tytuł: Official opening of the XII OKN ZRO Conference
Photo credit: Filip Chybalski
Tytuł: Pirate evening
Photo credit: Edyta Marcinkiewicz