Midway Update

On May 1, I will have been here in Poznań for three months of my 6-month fellowship -- the midway point.  I'm not as far along with my research project as I'd hoped, but we've made good progress in the last couple weeks, with the coming few weeks likely to be quite busy with project activities.  In recent days, I've had several events worth reporting, and I will add a few peripheral updates as well.  Let me start with my efforts to learn Polish.

The Polish Language

I very much enjoy acquiring new language skills, and learning Polish has been a delight, but it's also a great challenge.  I continue to take three hours of formal class lessons each week, and I study on my own as well.  Polish is a beautiful language, and I love hearing it spoken.  Increasingly, I'm able to capture the gist of conversations, television programs, and other sources.  My vocabulary is expanding, but correct usage is extremely difficult.  Let me give you an example of why that is.  In the Polish language, nouns and adjectives can be used in seven distinct cases (nominative, accusative, genitive, instrumental, etc.).  Each case requires the memorization of word endings for both adjectives and nouns, and the changes can be significant.  Additionally, nouns can be feminine, masculine or neuter in their endings, and that affects endings in each of the seven cases.  Moreover, endings vary for singular and plural usage.  To complicate it further, masculine noun endings (and their accompanying adjectives) differ depending on whether the noun refers to an animate or inanimate object in some cases.  And, naturally, there are exceptions.  You can understand why, even with a Ph.D., I still quake before each Polish exam!  Nevertheless, I'm doing alright and can usually make myself understood in everyday situations. 

Meeting with the Rektor and Prorektor

Last Tuesday, thanks to a request from my colleague Dr. Ryszard Ławniczak here, I met with the rektor and prorektor of the Poznań University of Economics (equivalent to chancellor and vice-chancellor at my home university, UNC Charlotte).  Both spoke impeccable English, but appreciated my limited efforts in Polish.  They were most warm in their welcome to me and stressed how much they respect and appreciate the Fulbright program that brought me here.  Both gentlemen are economic scholars and were among the group of economists in Poland who successfully navigated and led the transition from a centrally-planned to a market economy; they truly are among the architects of contemporary Poland.  On behalf of UNC Chancellor Phil Dubois and the UNC Charlotte Office of International Program, I was able to present UNC Charlotte mementos to Rektor Dr. Marian Gorynia and Prorektor Dr. Maciej Żukowski, and they reciprocated.



Dr. Żukowski, Dr. Freitag, Dr. Gorynia and Dr. Ławniczak


















Exchanging gifts with Poznań University of Economics Rektor
Dr. Marian Gorynia

Graduate PR Seminar

Also on Tuesday, I met for two hours in a formal seminar with graduate PR students here at the univerisity.  I spoke on the roles of functions of PR in the U.S. and the similarities and differences between U.S. and Polish practice.  I also discussed emerging trends and responsibilities for PR such as public diplomacy, crisis communication, issues management, development communication and corporate social responsibility.  The students challenged me with some thoughtful questions and clearly have a deep understanding of the nuances and subtleties of contemporary PR practice as well as an appreciation for its theoretical underpinnings.  Following the evening seminar, the students kindly invited me to join them for pizza and a beverage at one of the many nearby cozy restaurants, and I could hardly refuse -- a most enjoyable way to conclude!



Graduate PR students invited me for an informal continuation
of our seminar discussion.

















EURO 2012 News Conference

Yesterday, my colleague Dr. Jacek Trębecki invited me to attend and observe a news conference related to the upcoming EURO 2012 events.  Poznań will host several matches in Europe's football (soccer for U.S. readers) championship.  Here are websites where you can learn more about this important event for Poznań: http://europoznan2012.pl/brama/; http://www.eurocup.org/pl/euro-2012-poland/euro-2012-poznan.  Poznań will host early round games involving Croatia, Ireland and Italy in mid-June.  The news conference was held to announce the winner of a contest to design a chair, made from recyclable cardboard, to be used in Poznań's "Fan Zone" -- a free, large-screen video viewing area in the heart of the city.  The event was well-planned and conducted, attracting about 20 local and regional media representatives.  Held in a popular Poznań disco that was once a small factory, the setting was well chosen and prepared.  A display of entries provided an appropriate backdrop, and the participation of the captain of Poznań's professional football team added celebrity status.  Later last evening, and again early this morning, I was able to watch coverage of the event on television news programs.




Media representatives await the announcement of the
competition winner.



The winning entry (on the left) is announced.  The simple
design is highly portable, folds flat and easily supports
an adult, as the Poznań football team captain (2nd from
left) demonstrated a moment later.





















A display of some of the other entries.



Journalists were able to conduct individual interviews with
winning designers following the formal news conference.





Dr. Jacek Trębecki and his staff with PRElite, his PR firm,
can relax a bit following the successful news conference
they helped plan and conduct.



Spring has Firmly Arrived!

The weather the last few days has been gorgeous, and the forecast is for more of the same.  That's great, because next week marks two of the most important holidays in the Polish year.  Tuesday, May 1, is Labor Day, and Thursday, May 3, is Constitution Day.  Consequently, many Poles will make the entire week a holiday break.  The trees are leafing out, tulips are in full bloom all over the city, and the many city fountains have been turned on.  At the same time, crews appear to be working all over the city, repairing and sprucing up the city in anticipation of the huge influx of people expected in June for the EURO 2012 matches.  The frigid temperatures of February seem a distant memory, and the promise of a lush late spring and summer is being realized.



In Park Cytadela, near our apartment, people have returned
to enjoy the sunshine.  That's a skate and skateboard area
in the distance.





Just like anywhere else, parents enjoy introducing their
children to the park swing, and they proudly snap photos.

Robin in the cafe/restaurant in the center of Park Cytadela.



Workers laying sod on one of the many park-like boulevards
in Poznań.  Renewal efforts are going on everywhere in
the city in anticipation of EURO 2012 visitors.

A Puzzler

I'll leave you with this puzzle to solve.  Before the trees leafed out this spring, visible in many of the trees were spheres of green as you'll see in the photo below.  The material remained green throughout the winter.  Can you guess what it is?  I'll reveal the explanation in my next post.



What are these mysterious green spheres that appeared
throughout the winter in the otherwise bare trees?



That's it for today.  Thanks for reading.  Until next time -- do widzenia!

Research Project Update

Progress -- At Last!

Our research project to examine and profile employee communication characteristics in Poland has experienced significant and unexpected delays.  I like to say, though, that "no data" is data.  In this case, we're learning about employee communication here through the sometimes frustrating efforts we've experienced so far.  Our original hope was to conduct focus groups and a comprehensive employee survey at three companies in Poland -- one each in March, April and May.  It appears that March and April will end with none of those activities having occurred.  However, we have a firm schedule to gather data at our first location during the week of May 7, with two more data collection efforts to follow closely thereafter.  It appears, then, that we will complete data collection by the end of May as hoped, but in a more compressed fashion than originally planned.

When I say "no data" is data, I mean that we can learn something even from missing data.  In this case, we've encountered an unexpected reluctance on the part of companies we've approached.  The idea of examining their employee communication structures and procedures and gauging the effect of those factors on employee job satisfaction gives managers pause.  In my review of literature on the Polish culture and character, I learned that there is a tendency here of wariness toward outsiders, though there's also a counterbalancing openness to the values of Western Europe and the U.S.  Additionally, there is less of a leaning toward individualism here (individualism is the hallmark of U.S. culture), so decisions are made in a much more deliberative manner; when we approach a single company manager to propose our project, we should not have expected an immediate, positive response.  Instead, decisions are often elevated to the next higher level and deliberated at length.  Poles, the literature says, are also somewhat risk-averse, so the idea of dissecting employee communication, perhaps uncovering problem areas, is not something always actively sought. 

Another phenomenon we've discovered is that many firms, even those of considerable size, lack a formal public relations department.  When PR is required in those cases, it is contracted through a PR firm, and the function is often viewed as limited to marketing, publicity and media relations.  Companies that have been willing to discuss this project with us further invariably refer us to the director of human resources; HR, it would seem, is viewed as responsible for employee communication. 

In this respect, these first two months have been illuminating even in their disappointment.  Now, though, I'm pleased to say we have secured partners willing, even eager to move forward with the project.  Last Tuesday, graduate assistant Martyna Dziubek and I met with the HR director for the firm where we will soon collect our first data set.  The HR director was refreshingly and impressively familiar with the nature of employee communication research and fully understood even the subtleties behind our research design.  She clearly recognizes the valuable insights this project will provide, and we're confident she will take seriously our resulting report and recommendations.  Ultimately, I expect the research will contribute to increased employee morale, commitment, trust and productivity.  These qualities then positivley affect profitability, organizational reputation and long-term success.

Upcoming Events

Today in Charlotte, Dr. Jaehee Cho and graduate assistant Nick Woods of our research team are presenting a "work in progress" paper on our research project for the Center for Global Public Relations "Global Research Conference."  For PR practitioners and scholars reading this post, I hope you will consider adding this annual conference to your agenda in the coming years.  It has quickly become one of the premiere events in the field of global public relations.  April is a great time to visit Charlotte as well!  Here's a link for more information on the conference and the Center for Global Public Relations: http://cgpr.uncc.edu/events/2012-global-research-conference. 

I've established relationships with a number of the great undergraduate and graduate students here and will be meeting with several of them in the coming days to discuss their theses and other projects.  I've been doing this for some time now, and it really has been one of the joys of this experience.

On Monday, I will address the Erasmus Student Network Conference here at the Poznań University of Economics.  This is a group of students who have or are participating in the Erasmus education abroad program.  I will be talking on the fundamentals of contemporary PR practice and differences between practice in the U.S. and Poland. 

On Tuesday, Dr. Ryszard Ławniczak here has arranged for me to meet formally with the two rectors of the university -- the top two officers of the institution.  This is a great honor for me.  I will have the opportunity to describe our research project and especially to express my gratitude to them for hosting me here in Poznań at this great university. 

The week of Apr. 30 - May 4 is marked by two national holidays, so I'm told not to expect to accomplish anything on our research project that week.  That's OK, because I have three writing projects I've been working on, and that will give me a chance to wrap those up before data collection begins the following week.  Believe it or not, I also need to complete the syllabi for the classes I'll be teaching back at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in the fall.

Also looking ahead, I hope to present a brief talk on public relations' role in public art for an art-themed Fulbright Day in Wrocław, Poland, on May 10.  Then on Saturday, May 12, I'll be lecturing to students of Poznań's University of Communication and Management.  My topic then will be a profile of contemporary PR practice and its value in achieving organizational goals, as well as emerging trends and areas of responsibility for public relations. 

Parting Photos

Readers tell me they very much enjoy the photos I include in these posts, so I don't want to disappoint!  Here are a few new photos.



This is the Opera House, just a block from my university.
The flowers in the foregroud are panzies in their last days.
The pool and fountain are not yet operative, but I expect
that to occur shortly.  Weather has continued on the chilly
side, but temperatures are on the rise.  Switched from my
winter coat to a light jacket over a sweater since my last
post -- that's progress!























These are the buildings in Poznań that house the Museum of
Musical Instruments.  I spent an enjoyable hour there recently.



The museum houses a fascinating collection of mostly string,
keyboard and percussion instruments.  It has violins dating
to the 14th century.




















Some items in the collection are highly unusual, like these
from India and Africa.



My Polish is still quite limited, and all the signs were only
in Polish, but I'm fairly sure this is a piano played on several
occasions in Poznań by Polish composer and pianist
Frederich Chopin.





















I'm pleased to say I have officially "arrived!"  A few weeks
 ago, this sign was added to my office door.  Prof. Ryszard
Ławniczak, whose kind invitation led to my Fulbright fellowship,
is not teaching this semester, so I'm occupying his office.

 Thanks for reading, and do widzenia!

Easter in Poland

While much of the U.S. enjoyed a mild winter and an unusually warm spring so far, Poland and much of Europe have remained chilly, and this follows a brutally frigid February.  March provided about a week of spring-like temperatures, but we've returned to a pattern characterized by overcast skies, low temperatures and stiff breezes.  Nevertheless, there are hopeful signs of emerging spring, and everyone here is most anxious to shed the winter coats and gloves.

Easter Celebrations

Easter is an extremely important period in Poland in keeping with its rich Catholic heritage and the strong tradition of faith that defines and shapes its culture.  The two central focuses at this season are church and family.  The many churches in Poznan, overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, offer multiple services/masses on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and, of course, Easter Sunday.  Additionally, concerts of sacred music occur in many places of worship and other venues throughout the season.  On Easter Saturday, people here in Poznan and elsewhere in Poland visit their churhes, bringing baskets of items representing food they will serve at family gatherings on Sunday.  Each item in the basket -- sausage, bread, juice, eggs, and other items -- symbolizes some aspect of Jesus' death and resurrection.  Families bring these baskets to the priests to be blessed in preparation for the meal the following day. 

A family arrives at the local church with its basket of food
to be blessed by their priest.

After the baskets are blessed, families return home to begin
preparation of festive meals that will be shared with
extended family members on Easter Sunday.

Since our arrival here in Poznan, Robin and I have particpated actively in a very interesting English-speaking congregation that meets Sunday mornings in one of the top hotels in the city (the manager, a German, is a member of the congregation).  The Poznan International Church (http://www.international.pl/)  is sponsored by a U.S.-based mission board as well as a Polish sister congregation.  Its primary focus is the extensive population of international students who come to Poznan for its excellent medical, dental, business and other universities.  Foreign business people working in Poland also constitute a segment of the congregation.  Poles seeking a more contemporary worship service also participate.  Consequently, a Sunday morning worship service with 75 people attending will likely represent 20-25 countries.  It is truly an amazing experience, and we've made some wonderful new friends with extraordinary backgrounds through our association with the church.  For example, we have enjoyed getting to know our first acquaintance from Turkmenistan!  We all have our faith in common, so cultural and other potential barriers quickly melt away.  Even the praise band, mostly medical students, represents several countries and continents.   

On Easter Sunday, members and visitors of the Poznan
International Church gather in a hotel conference room
for worship.  Families and individuals come from a host
 of countries and represent North America, South America,
Asia and Europe.

An international praise band, primarily medical students, leads
 the congregation in song.

Our Good Friday evening service was a combined event with our sponsoring Polish congregation.  Praise songs and prayers were bi-lingual, and the Polish pastor brought the evening's message, with a young Polish student providing the English translation.  On Easter Sunday afternoon, one of the families in church -- from India -- invited the congregation to a celebratory dinner at their home.  Around 40 people accepted the gracious invitation, each bringing a tasty dish to contribute to the sumptuous table.  With so many nations represented, you can imagine the variety of dishes. 

Church members from a host of nations mingle during the
Easter gathering at the home of one of the member families.

The hosts' daughter offers appetizers to the guests.

Not only were many countries represented, but all age groups
as well!

My wife, Robin (right), preparing a salad while visiting
with our new friend from Turkmenistan.

Other Signs of Spring

Despite cool temperatures, there are indications that we will soon turn the page.  A few days have brought some relief from the chill, and people here seize those opportunities. 

Some of the city's fountains have been turned back on after
a hard winter.  This one is in the Stary Rynek.

Youngsters, eager for better weather, have returned to the
playgrounds.  Interest in soccer, always the dominant sport
here, has become even more feverish as Poznan prepares
to host early matches of Euro 2012.

Grass is beginning to green, and the trees are on the verge
of leafing out.

On one recent pleasant day, Robin and I walked to the Stary Rynek (old market square) to view the striking of noon on the tower clock.  Each day at that time here in Poznan, a bugler stands on the tower balcony and sounds a plaintiff tune.  As the clock strikes, two mechanical goats emerge from the tower and butt each other 12 times before retreating.  This day was warm enough that a small crowd gathered, and I took a short video of the event, but I have not solved the technical barriers to adding a video clip to this blog -- still working it out.  In the meantime, here's a link to a shore YouTube video of the goats: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ0LzhsfeNI.  Incidentally, there are a fair number of nice videos of Poznan on YouTube; there's a link to one on a tab at the top of this blog.

Next week -- an update on our research project and related activities.

Do widzenia!

Lots of Talking and a Hint of Spring

The past two weeks have been quite busy, but that's a poor excuse for the long break between posts.  Regardless, this post will bring readers up to date.  It includes an account of several recent guest lectures, provides a further glimpse of Poznań as spring offers a little tease, and reports on Robin's day trip to nearby Toruń.

Lecture Opportunities Increasing

I've spoken to several groups in the past two weeks, perhaps most significantly to a group of around 25 public relations professionals.  Enrolled in a weekend post-graduate seminar here at Poznań University of Economics, these PR professionals came from as far as Warsaw for a day-long program I prepared for Saturday, March 31.  The morning's theme was the roots of PR in the U.S.  I built the lecture around significant periods and events in U.S. history, discussing how those events and trends helped shape (and, in turn, were influenced by) the developing discipline of public relations.  For instance, for the colonial period I described events such as the Boston Tea Party and the Boston Massacre.  Next was President Andrew Jackson's hiring of Amos Kendall as essentially the first White House Press Secretary.  From there, we discussed P.T. Barnum and his "press agentry" approach to publicity, then the Robber Baron era, including the Muckrakers.  I then introduced the group to 20th Century PR icons Ed Bernays and Ivy Lee.  I spoke of the importance of the Creel Committee during World War I and the Office of War Information during World War II.  We then looked at PR's role in the expansion of U.S. economic and political influence following World War II and the emergence of the Public Relations Society of America along with its influence on increasing professionalism, including the development of ethical standards, certification, etc.  It was an effective way to acquaint Polish PR professionals with U.S. culture and history through the vehicle of our common interest in the public relations discipline.


Polish PR professionals learning about the PR contributions
of Ed Bernays.



The professionals enjoyed learning about the roots of contemporary
PR, including how the discipline became uniquily shaped by the
cultural characteristics of each country and region where it has spread.

For the afternoon session, I engaged the group in a real-world exercise.  I provided participants with background articles on the effort by the U.S. mint to introduce the dollar coin into common circulation.  I challenged the group to work in teams of 4-5 members to develop a comprehensive communication approach to persuading U.S. businesses and consumers to embrace the dollar coin instead of the dollar bill.  This is an effort the U.S. mint has repeatedly tried but at which it consistently fails.  Teams were tasked with stating the communication problem succinctly, identifying and describing target publics (demographics, motivations, values, etc.), crafting targeted message themes, selecting communication channels, suggesting strategies and tactics, and establishing evaluative metrics.  The participants dove into the challenge with energy and enthusiasm, bringing a European perspective to this problem that has vexed the U.S. Mint for decades.  Their solutions were creative and innovative and revealed a unique perspective on the issue.


Teams actively engaged in the communication
campaign exercise.


















I have also presented the "Roots of PR in the U.S." lecture, divided into several sessions, for one undergraduate PR course and one graduate PR course here at Poznań University of Economics as well.  The students tell me they very much enjoy this new perspective on public relations and now more fully appreciate the role and influence of public relations in democratic societies.

On April 2, at the request of the Polish Fulbright Commission, I provided a talk to graduate students and faculty at Adam Mickeiwicz University, also here in Poznań.  Adam Mickeiwicz is one of the most prominent universities in Poland, and my remarks were part of a 2-hour seminar on Fulbright opportunities for Polish graduate students to pursue studies and research in the U.S.  My role was to offer an overview of the structure of graduate education in the U.S.  A group af around 40 participants gathered for this seminar in the the Senate Room of the Collegium Minus (main college building) of Adam Mickeiwicz.


Polish graduate students and faculty hear about the structure
of U.S. graduate education.  Officials from the Polish Fulbright
Commission in Warwaw are seated behind me.

A Hint of Spring

March teased us a bit with around 10 days of very pleasant temperatures and sunny to partly cloudy skies.  People here took full advantage, thronging to parks and walking the scenic strees of the old town.  My wife, Robin, and I walked from our apartment one Saturday to take in a pipe organ concert at a magificent church just off the Stary Rynek (old market square) in Poznań.  The setting and the music were beautiful -- a perfect Saturday noontime activity before lunch in one of the city's countless restaurants.

Fine weather in mid-March prompted people here to seize
the moment.  This is a typical outdoor cafe in Poznań's
Stary Rynek.



Just off the Stary Rynek, this beautiful church welcomed us
to an outstanding pipe organ concert on a recent Saturday noon.



Every architectural detail of the church is magnificent, and
there are numerous such churches in Poznań and
throughout Poland.



















Robin's Trip to Toruń

My work demands have prevented me from traveling as I had hoped, but Robin was able to make a daytrip to nearby Toruń recently with a friend visiting from the U.S.  Many consider Toruń to be the most beautiful city in Poland; based on the photos Robin took, that's a fair statement.  The city on the Vistula River is just two hours by train from Poznań, so I very much hope I'll be able to schedule a trip soon.  I provide the photos that follow without comment except to say that they illustrate the city's beauty.

Sidelights

I just received a thank-you e-mail from someone in my hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  I had received a request several weeks ago from a friend there.  It seems her granddaughter's school (pre-school, actually) was studying Polish culture; I was asked if I would send some postcards from Poznań, and I was happy to do so, adding a few picture books and other artifacts as well.  The items met the need apparently, and the granddaughter has enjoyed acquiring a bit of the Polish language via the picture books.  The class found the items fascinating as well.  The fact that a pre-school class in Milwaukee would be studying Polish culture may seem surprising, but really is not given the strong Polish heritage in the city and the surrounding area.  In fact, the city hosts what it claims is the largest Polish festival in the U.S. every summer at the city's beautiful lakefront festival grounds.  You can learn more about the festival here: http://www.polishfest.org/.  Additionally, the city is home to the Polish Center of Wisconsin, which includes a restaurant, a library, meeting rooms, cultural events and exhibits.  Here's its link: http://polishcenterofwisconsin.org/.  I often refer to these two features of my hometown to respond to people here who wonder why I chose to apply for a Fulbright fellowship in Poland -- in many respects, it feels like home!

Research Project Status

We continue to move forward with our research project on employee communication in Poland.  We have secured our first company partner, and it's an excellent one.  Anonymity is incorprated into our research design, so I can't reveal the name of the company, but it is a major manufacturer here in Poland.  We are extremely pleased the company's leaders have welcomed this research partnership.  The other team members and I feel confident that we are very close to confirming two additional company partners in the coming days.  Our aim is to conduct our data gathering at three organizations in total, and it appears that will happen soon.

In the meantime, I continue to receive requests to speak to various classes and groups in Poland and beyond.  I take considerable delight in meeting with groups here and will make every effort to accommodate requests as my schedule allows.

Do widzenia!