Adapting business methods to school management: an academic review

The relevance of this study stems from the increasing pressure exerted on schools by the external environment (stricter oversight, parental demands, and market mechanisms in education), which necessitates the search for new management tools. However, the mechanical transfer of corporate models to the educational sphere often leads to a conflict of values. Consequently, there is an urgent need for a theoretical rationale regarding the limits and methods of adapting business approaches without undermining the school’s pedagogical mission. The study aims to provide a theoretical justification for the feasibility and specific nature of adapting business methods to the management of a general education institution, while identifying criteria for their relevance to the school environment. The research objectives are: 1) to analyze scientific literature and existing management practices regarding the use of business tools in education; 2) to identify the internal and external prerequisites for introducing business methods into school management; 3) to develop and substantiate a system of criteria (characteristics) for the adaptability of business methods to schools; and 4) to define the principles and limitations of transforming business approaches, taking into account the social nature of educational organizations. Methods of theoretical analysis and synthesis were employed to identify the essential characteristics of business methods and project them onto school management; a comparative method was used to identify similarities and differences between the management of commercial and educational organizations; ...a modeling method used to construct a system of prerequisites and criteria for adaptation. No empirical research was conducted; the conclusions are based on a logical synthesis of existing theoretical and practical data. Results obtained: internal prerequisites (need for resource optimization, increased managerial workload) and external prerequisites (regulatory requirements, social mandates) for the application of business tools were identified; three key characteristics of the method’s adaptability were substantiated: informational-managerial (alignment with school data collection and processing cycles), administrative-organizational (compatibility with the school’s management structure), and socio-pedagogical relevance (alignment with educational and developmental goals); it was demonstrated that while the direct adoption of business approaches is not feasible, their substantive transformation can enhance management efficiency, provided that pedagogical principles are observed and the school’s humanistic orientation is preserved. Research prospects: further development of practical mechanisms for adapting specific business tools (project management, lean production, KPI systems) to school operations; development of criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of their implementation; and empirical validation of the proposed theoretical models in actual educational institutions.

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