Active learning methods for developing professional competencies of future managers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33910/2686-9527-2026-8-2-231-249Keywords:
professionally important qualities of managers, active learning methods, business simulations, business games, expert ranking, individual activity style, compensatory mechanisms, managerial competencies, situational tasks, experiential learningAbstract
Introduction. Modern management practice requires fundamentally new approaches to developing professionally important qualities (PIQs) of managers. Traditional teaching methods show limited effectiveness in developing behavioral competencies. Existing educational programs distribute learning time evenly across various competencies without considering their relative importance for managerial effectiveness. There is no evidence-based system for selecting active learning methods for the targeted development of priority PIQs based on an expert-established hierarchy of importance. The study aims to design a system of active learning methods to develop priority PIQs of future managers by integrating expert ranking of qualities and a systematic analysis of the effectiveness of developmental interventions.
Materials and Methods. A mixed methodology was implemented, integrating a quantitative analysis of expert assessments and a qualitative systematic review. An expert panel (N = 12) evaluated the significance of 34 managerial qualities on a 10-point scale. Consistency was verified using Kendall’s coefficient of concordance. The systematic review was conducted using the Web of Science, Scopus, and Elibrary.ru databases, identifying 16 empirical publications on the effectiveness of active learning methods published in 2019–2024.
Results. The study identified a stable ‘core of PIQs’ consisting of ten priority qualities (led by responsibility, strategic thinking, and self-control) and a ‘risk map’ of five critical counterproductive (negative) qualities. Optimal active learning methods were established for each priority PIQ: online simulations are effective for strategic thinking, combined interventions with stress role-plays for self-control, and role-plays with standardized participants lasting 7+ hours for communication skills. Specific situational tasks and cases were designed to foster the top-10 PIQs, alongside corrective methods for negative qualities (15–20 hours).
Conclusion. The findings provide an evidence base for designing manager training programs that optimize learning time allocation according to the priority of the qualities to be developed. The theory of individual activity style substantiates the need to create a ‘zone of uncertainty’ for developing personalized compensatory strategies when certain PIQs are lacking.
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