DOI: https://doi.org/10.62204/2336-498X-2025-2-4

TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGES IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN UKRAINE DURING THE WAR

 

Diana Kucherenko,
Candidate of Economic Sciences, Associate Professor,
Science and Research Institute of Social and Economic Development, Kyiv, Ukraine,
dianakucherenko29@gmail.com; ORCID: 0000-0001-6804-0197

Annotation. The article examines paradigmatic changes in the management of higher ed- ucation institutions (HEI) in Ukraine under the conditions of the BANI environment (fragility, anxiety, nonlinearity, incomprehensibility) and digitalization, which is gradually replacing the previous VUCA paradigm. The full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation troops into Ukraine on the 24th of February 2022, which became the culmination of a long and exhausting hybrid aggression against Ukraine, entailed a number of changes in existing business stereotypes, plan- ning methods and management principles. The basis should be objective development factors, the knowledge and use of which depends on the level at which the corporate philosophy is located, which is constantly transforming under the influence of changes in the macro- and micro-envi- ronment.

In the conditions of rapid socio-economic development in the 21st century, the ability to change in a timely manner is becoming one of the modern and most critical conditions for the effective functioning and development of business entities, regardless of the country in which they operate. In the field of business, some scholars argue that modern business enterprises are faced with changing force majeure and sometimes unpredictable circumstances, such as: the combi- nation of global competition, computer-based production methods and instant communication cause consequences that surpass anything that has happened since the beginning of the industrial revolution [1]; the pace of industry evolution is increasing, in order for a company to be able to succeed, its strategy and organizational structures must be adapted to the environment [2]. High- er education institutions, as business entities of the Ukrainian economy, are also forced to adapt to new conditions and undergo transformational changes.

The conducted research allowed us to present in the article generalized directions of trans- formation, social turbulence and uncertainty of the BANI environment.

Keywords: management system, change management, organizational changes, potential for change, higher education institutions (HEIs), adaptation, transformation.

Introduction. Change management is undergoing significant changes due to the transformation of the socio-economic environment of business entities, in particular, HEIs, under the conditions of the BANI paradigm (Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, Incomprehensible) and the digitalization process. Unlike the VUCA environment, which emphasized instability, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity, BANI focuses on the fragility of systems, increased anxiety, nonlinearity of relationships and the difficulty of rationally understanding changes. It should be noted that in Ukraine the influence of the BANI paradigm is more significant, which is due to the impact of military operations and the need to respond not only to global challenges, but also to the specific conditions of Ukraine.

This requires rethinking not only management strategies, but also theoretical foundations, in particular, the practice of implementing the theory of change in higher education.

Results and their analysis. Understanding the essence of change and forming an appropriate management system requires generalizing the essence of change [3, 4, 5] If we consider the evolutionary development of the theory of change, it is worth dwelling on the following. Change is a category of philosophical discourse that characterizes a state, an alternative to stability, a transition from one state to another, a change in content in time. In accordance with the localization of changes in space and time, changes in space (mechanical movement) and changes in time are distinguished. Differences in the interpretation of time determine the understanding of the nature of changes – reversible and irreversible, directed, spontaneous, self-organized and organized. Any changes are correlatively related to something invariant, stable, and, conversely, invariant structures assume variability, changeability.

Change is a transformation into something else. Change is a transformation into something else, a transition from one qualitatively defined being to a qualitatively different defined being.

Change is determined by volume and direction, duration and speed. Change is characterized by direction, intensity, speed and duration.

Changes, as a rule, can occur gradually (evolution) and quickly or radically (revolution). In addition to the above, the implementation of reforms as a type of change is important. Aromorphosis, idioadaptation, degeneration are associated with gradual changes occurring in the enterprise. Revolutionary changes occur quickly, as a rule, also spontaneously. Reforms are aimed at changes that do not affect the substantive part of the process of implementing changes. Reform is a transformation (the process of transformation.)

Even ancient Greek philosophers approached this definition very carefully. Heraclitus believed that change should be interpreted as a movement with a universal property; the Eleatics believed that change is pure appearance, since being is immobile. Anaxagoras, Empedocles, Democritus, Epicurus reduced change to the combination and separation of unchanging elementary particles (atoms). In Plato’s philosophy, sensible things are in constant change, but their prototypes, ideas remain immobile. Aristotle, the first of the philosophers, considered the problem of change as a scientific one, and counted four types of change: change of place, quality, quantity, substance [6].

The study of the category of change and its features of use in modern management allows us to conclude that there are philosophical and managerial-economic approaches to the definition of the concept of «change». From a philosophical point of view, the category of «change» characterizes the transition from one to another; changes involve certain transformations of the state.

Transformation is a more complex form of transition, which involves qualitative leaps, irreversible changes. There are different forms of transformation: reforms (reformations), revolutions, and others.

In the managerial and economic sense, the concept of “change” can be interpreted as “being in some position or as property, capital, ownership of some person”. Based on this analysis, it is worth noting that the managerial and economic concepts of change are multifaceted, as they have often been the subject of research by both Ukrainian and foreign scientists. Thus, Robbins S. and DeCenzo D. [7] emphasize that changes are changes in the environment in which the organization operates, as well as in its internal structure, technology or employees. That is, changes affect the structure, technology and people, and as a result, management capabilities fluctuate within these three categories. Scientists also identify factors leading to changes, namely external and internal factors that determine the need for changes. The works of the above-mentioned authors reveal two views on the change process – two metaphors for a visual definition of the change process:

  • the “still water” metaphor, which depicts the organization as a large steamship crossing a calm sea, and change takes the form of an occasional storm, a temporary disturbance of an otherwise calm and predictable journey. The captain and crew of the steamship know exactly where they are going, because they have sailed their steamship there many times before;
  • the “white-water rapids” metaphor, according to which the organization is viewed as a small raft sailing on a turbulent river with numerous On the raft are about half a dozen people who have never worked together before, do not know the river they are sailing on, and do not know exactly where they are going, and change is a natural state and managing it is an ongoing process.

When studying modern approaches to change management, the results of Garafonova O.I.’s research require special attention. Thus, Garafonova O.I. identified the following concepts that characterize changes in managerial and economic concepts (Fig. 1): crisis, transformation, development, modernization, modification, redesign, reconstruction.

In the context of the key categories of transformation and change, the change management system in a higher education institution (HEI) should be based on a structured algorithm that includes sequential stages and principles that ensure the effective implementation of innovations and adaptation to changes in the external and internal environment.

The main stages of the change management system in higher education institutions: stage 1 – preparation for changes (analysis of the causes and needs for changes, formation of a vision of changes and a strategy for their implementation, stimulation of awareness of the need for changes among management, teachers and staff); stage 2 – involvement of participants (formation of a team of active supporters of changes, opinion leaders, progressive teachers, administration, communication, clarification of the purpose and benefits of changes to reduce resistance), stage 3 – implementation of changes (introduction of innovations into the educational process, organization, methods, technologies, monitoring of the implementation process, prompt resolution of problems); stage 4 – correction of changes – (assessment of results, identification of shortcomings and introduction of necessary corrections, collection of feedback from participants in the educational process); stage 5 – consolidation of changes – formalization of new approaches, procedures, standards, ensuring sustainability of changes through training, motivation, control.

Management specialists have developed a number of principles for implementing changes. In particular, the principles of change management in higher education institutions are as follows:

  • stimulating teachers’ own conviction in the need for change;
  • creating a change team capable of implementing innovations;
  • clearly forming a vision and strategy for change;
  • planning and sequence of actions taking into account the specifics of the educational environment;
  • reducing resistance through communication and support;
  • using information and digital technologies to monitor and manage

Before considering the specifics of the implementation of changes, it is worth understanding what the HEIs of Ukraine are today, as a system that provides certain needs of the economy in educational services.

As of January 1, 2024, there were 633 HEIs, of which 121 are separate structural units. It is worth noting that the list includes 5 institutions that were temporarily blocked as of January 1, 2024. By form of ownership, educational institutions implementing educational programs in the field of higher education were distributed as follows: 444 state-owned, 42 – municipal and 147 – private (Figure 2.). By category, educational institutions implementing educational programs in the field of higher education are distributed as follows: 394 — higher education institutions, 55 — institutions of professional pre-higher education, 184 — scientific institutes (institutions) (see Figure 2). The regional distribution10 demonstrates the concentration of the majority of educational institutions training applicants in the field of higher education in the city of Kyiv, as well as in the Dnipropetrovsk, Lviv, Odessa and Kharkiv regions.

Fig. 2. Distribution of educational institutions implementing educational programs in the field of higher education by forms of ownership [8]

The dynamics of the number of HEIs indicates a rapid trend of their decrease (Table 1).

Table 1

Since the NPP is the main source of changes in education, it is worth noting the structure of the NPP. As of the beginning of 2024, 82,091 records of scientific and pedagogical, pedagogical or scientific workers were presented in the YEDEBO database. Among the teaching staff, women (57%) predominate over men (43%) (Figure 3).

Fig. 3. Gender balance [9]

The structure of the NPP by qualification level is as follows, 86.2% of people have scientific degrees: 20.4% of employees have a doctorate, 65.8% – doctor of philosophy / doctor of arts / candidate of sciences and 13.8% of employees do not have a scientific degree. Among men, 27.9% are doctors of sciences, 59.8% – doctors of philosophy / doctors of arts / candidates of sciences, 12.3% of men do not have a scientific degree. Among women, 14.7% are doctors of sciences, 70.4%

– doctors of philosophy / doctors of arts / candidates of sciences, 14.9% of women do not have a scientific degree. 62.4% of employees have academic titles: 15.5% have a professor’s certificate (of which 1.4% also have a senior research associate’s certificate), 43.8% have an associate professor’s certificate, 3.1% have a senior research associate’s certificate (of which 0.4% also have an associate professor’s certificate). At the same time, 37.6% of employees in higher education institutions do not have academic titles.

The gender balance is as follows: 21.8% of men and 10.7% of women have a professor’s certificate, 39.8% of men and 46.8% of women have an associate professor’s certificate, 4.3% of men and 2.2% of women have a senior research associate’s certificate, 31.1% of men and 40.2% of women do not have a scientific title.

The number of students is also decreasing: in 2020, 1.142 million people studied in higher education institutions, in 2024 – 956 thousand people. The number of entrants in 2024 was 199 thousand, which is also less than in previous years.

Analysis of the prospects for the development of HEIs allows us to conclude that transformational changes will become a real strategy for each HEI. The change management system in higher education institutions (HEIs) of Ukraine is currently undergoing an active transformation aimed at increasing autonomy, transparency, quality of education and adaptation to modern challenges, in particular martial law and digital transformation.

The main characteristics and elements of the change management system in HEIs of Ukraine:

  • increasing the autonomy and financial sustainability of HEIs
  • which should provide HEIs with greater independence in decision-making and ensure their financial capacity, which contributes to improving the quality of education;
  • the creation and functioning of the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (NAQAHE)
  • to carry out external impartial control over compliance with standards, accredit educational programs, reduce corruption risks and increase the transparency of the educational process;
  • individual educational trajectories of students, which
  • in accordance with the new law, provides applicants with the opportunity to independently choose the terms of study, subjects (specialized and interdisciplinary), as well as change their specialty after the start of studies, which makes the educational process more flexible and personalized;
  • free interruption and resumption of studies, which allows each applicant to
  • exercise the right to freely interrupt studies, withdraw from and resume studies in their own or another higher education institution without unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles;
  • strengthening the role of supervisory boards and competitive appointment of managers;
  • digital transformation of education and science;
  • reviewing and standardizing the names of educational programs, which requires the management of higher education institutions to be in constant search for new programs and their adaptation to market requirements;
    • introduction of a student grant support system;
    • implementation of the WINWIN 2030 Strategy and support for

The government has approved a strategy for the digital development of innovation activities until 2030, which defines the vision of Ukraine as a leader in the field of technology and innovation, which also affects the change management system in higher education.

Conclusions. Thus, the change management system in higher education institutions of Ukraine is based on the principles of autonomy, transparency, digitalization, flexibility of educational trajectories, as well as strengthening control and accountability. It is aimed at improving the quality of education, adapting to modern challenges, and integrating into the European educational space.

In 2023–2025, significant changes took place in higher education in Ukraine, aimed at increasing the flexibility of the educational process, expanding students’ rights, supporting scientific activity, and adapting to martial law conditions.

The educational process is being adapted to wartime conditions, in particular, the development of distance and blended learning, the introduction of flexible forms of organizing classes, and supporting students and teachers in crisis situations. 

References:

  1. Gibson J. L. Organizations: behavior, structure, processes [Text] / Gibson J. L., Ivantsevich D. M., Donelli D. H.; trans. with English – M.: Infra – M, 2000. – 662 p., P. 608
  2. Grant M. Contemporary strategic analysis [Text] / R. M. Grant; trans. with English under the editorship V.N. Funtova. 5th ed. – St. Petersburg: Peter, 2008. – 560 p., P. 312
  3. Adaptive management: transformation in educational institutions of different levels of organization and the effectiveness of its practical implementation. Coll. Monograph: V. El’nikova, I.P. Annenkova, G.Yu. Kravchenko, S.G. Nemchenko, V.S. Ul’yanova. General and scientific editor G.V. El’nikova, Kharkiv: Machulin, 2021. 398 p.
  1. Adizes K. Change management; trans. from English by T. Semigin. K.: Book Chef, 2018. 640 p. https://www.business inform.net/article/?year=2022&abstract=202 2_10_0_219_225
  2. Pichugina T.S. Change Management / T.S. Pichugina, S.S. Tkacheva, O.P. Tkachenko. Kharkiv: KhDUHT, 2017. 226 p. http://lib.istu.edu.ua/index. php?p=23&id=3947&par=420&page=1
  3. Philosophy: https://dovidka.biz.ua/aristotel-osnovni-ideyi/
  4. Robins S. Fundamentals of Management [Text] / S. Robins, D. DeCenzo; [trans. from English. Oliynyk et al.]. – K.: Fundamentals, 2013. – P. 296., p. 296
  5. Change management: theory, methodology and practice: Monograph ЦGarafonova O.I. – K.: KNUTD, 2014
  1. Quality report https://naqa.gov.ua/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/%D0%94% D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%96%D0%B4%D1%8C-2023%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BA%D1%83.pdf