Coniuge et imera. The paradigm of humanistic museum management in the light of empirical studies

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the degree to which the procedures of managing Polish museums comply with the guidelines for humanistic management. This text was inspired by the book “Museum in the Network of Meanings. Humanities’ Perspective on Museum Management” by Katarzyna Barańska, where the author applies the model’s assumptions to museum institutions. The framework of this paper does not allow for the in-depth discussion of the issues involved with humanistic management in museums, making it my intent to narrow it down to discussing just a few indicators, namely the measure of success, the opportunity for self fulfilment, and the nature of staff relationships. The aspects I have chosen have allowed me to explore the broad issue of museum employees’ sense of subjectivity. The analysis is based on the material collected in qualitative interviews conducted with professional staff of various museums.