Keyword: «complicated social conditions»

In the context of the development of the knowledge economy and hyper-competition, human capital management is becoming a key factor in national progress that requires reconsidering of traditional approaches to education and leadership. The problem is particularly acute in education, especially in schools operating in difficult socio-economic conditions. Traditional models of strategic management based on directive planning and reactive problem solving are ineffective, which requires the development of more adaptive approaches to development. The aim of the study is to develop and test a scientifically based approach to the formation of an effective development strategy for schools operating in difficult social conditions, taking into account the principles of emergence, continuous organizational learning and distributed leadership - key elements of the scientific school of strategic management "Learning School". The concepts of Henry Mintzberg, Peter Senge, Richard Rumelt and other scientists, who consider strategy as a result of self-organization, collective experience and continuous experimentation, served as the theoretical basis for the study. The research methodology included theoretical analysis, qualitative methods (case studies of successful schools), and quantitative analysis of educational achievement monitoring data. The results of the study confirm that reliance on the concept of a learning organization ensures greater sustainability and adaptability of strategic management than traditional approaches. The strategy, built on local initiatives of teachers, microsteps, diagnostics of the social context and reflection, improved the quality of education and strengthened trust in the school community. The leader transformed from an administrative executor into an “architect of opportunities”. The theoretical significance lies in deepening the understanding of the nature of emergent strategies in the educational sphere and proving their productivity in the context of limited resources and social complication. The practical value of the study is expressed in the fact that the model proposed by the authors can be used to develop and implement programs to improve the quality of education in similar organizations. The data obtained allow us to recommend the "Learning School" as a promising paradigm of strategic management for educational organizations striving for sustainable development in the context of multidimensional challenges of our time.