Abstract:

The purpose of the research is to analyse management models and development strategies of higher education institutions (HEIs), to describe ways, methods and technologies of their adaptation to the rapidly changing conditions of the external environment of operation. The method of complex research allows to analyse existing strategies of development of Ukrainian universities and to elaborate recommendations on organizational and economic support of adaptation of the HEIs to changes in external environment. The methodological basis of the research is based on a systematic approach to the substantiation of the essence and types of development strategies of higher education institutions, the processes of their adaptation to changes in the external environment of their functioning. The concept of adaptive management of HEIs is proposed to be considered a synergistic combination of regularities, organizational principles in the process of applying effective methods, algorithms, management model for the implementation of the most important directions of solving multifaceted problems of adaptation of HEIs to changes in the environment in order to ensure its effective functioning, competitiveness in the market of educational services. Scientific results. The results of the research show that the continuous process of adaptation of HEIs to changes in the external environment requires the formation (clarification, improvement) of organizational and economic mechanism of adaptation, implementation in the overall management system of the institution, ideology of adaptive management, bringing the regulatory framework in line with the objectives of modernization of the educational process. Adaptive management should comprehensively cover all subsystems of the HEI’s management: operational, educational, scientific, technical, financial and investment, innovation, marketing, personnel, which do not function in isolation. Practical significance. The system of adaptation process support in the HEIs should provide for development of action programme for institution adaptation to external environment challenges, which includes adequate organizational and economic adaptation measures, providing the whole complex of actions – from mobilization of all available competitive factors, financial, labour and other resources to staff retraining, etc., taking into account principles of adaptive process. Value/originality. The scientific and methodological bases of the organization of support of the adaptation process in a higher education institution formulated in the article take into account the specifics of educational activity, the need to forecast it for the medium and long term, provide for planning adaptation transformations of HEIs on a long-term basis. The results of implementing the adaptive management strategy can be determined by the criterion of improving the quality of education, the individual educational outcome of the graduate as the ratio between the actual level of competencies acquired by him or her and the normative competencies, established by the regulatory educational documents for this educational specialty, specialization.

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