From May 11 to May 15, 2026, the Department of Management and Smart Innovations of the Faculty of Management and Business Design held  the Management Week at KNUTD "MANAGEMENT DAY: LEVEL UP!". The program included a variety of events: Training "Time Management in the Style of BANI: Navigating Chaos", Master Class "Psychological Adaptation of Youth in New Conditions", Project Competition "HR Manager in the BANI World", Battle "Soft-skills zone". The course of the events is described in more detail below.

The training "Time Management in the Style of BANI: Navigating Chaos" was held at our university on May 11, 2026.  The moderator of the event was Professor of the Department of Management, Doctor of Economics, Svitlana Bondarenko.

During the mini-lecture, the participants got acquainted with the concept of BANI, a modern model of the world that describes reality through instability, chaotic, anxiety and unpredictability. Particular attention was paid to the influence of these factors on the organization of time, productivity and emotional state of a person.

The practical part of the training involved the implementation of interactive tasks. Students worked on the "Chaos Map", identifying their own sources of overload, loss of efficiency, and stressors. This made it possible to form individual approaches to adaptive time management.

The participants also created the "Energy Map of the Day" – a tool for effective management of time, concentration, energy and productivity in a BANI environment. The training was held in a friendly, creative atmosphere and became a useful platform for developing skills of self-organization and adaptation to the challenges of the modern world.

On May 13, 2026, a topical master class on the topic "Psychological adaptation of young people in new conditions" was held. The event brought together students of various specialties who seek to develop skills of stress resistance and quick adaptation to changing life circumstances. During the meeting, the participants, together with a psychologist, analyzed the mechanisms of the psyche's reaction to changes and learned how to turn stressful situations into opportunities for personal growth. The program of the event included:

1. self-help techniques – practical exercises to reduce the level of anxiety "here and now";
2. adaptation strategies – how to effectively integrate into a new educational and social environment;
3. Resource state – where to look for inspiration and how to maintain mental health while studying.

Of particular interest was the practical part of the lesson, where metaphorical associative maps (MAC) were used to practice adaptation techniques. This tool helped participants to work deeper into internal barriers, find hidden resources, and find their own ways to overcome difficulties through visual images.

Additionally, students took part in the experiment "Group Effects of Thinking", which aimed to demonstrate how task context, authority and group dynamics affect group dynamics and decision-making.

During the lesson, a well-known social experiment with portraits was reproduced, which made it possible to demonstrate how such effects as authority, groupthink, conformism, framing, as well as cognitive distortions such as labeling or the gala effect are manifested in group discussion. 

The importance of the MasterClass is due to the fact that today's youth are forced to learn and develop in a world that constantly poses new challenges. The organizers of the event emphasized that psychological flexibility is becoming one of the key Soft Skills for a modern specialist, regardless of the chosen specialty.

"Such events help students feel supported and understand that they are not alone with their experiences. Our goal is to provide them with real tools to maintain internal balance," said the moderator of the event, Professor of the Department of Management, Doctor of Economics. Elena Vartanova.

On May 15, 2026, a dynamic and bright battle "SOFT SKILLS ZONE" took place among 2nd  year students of the specialty "Management" as part of the study of the discipline "HR Management".

The moderator of the event was the lecturer of the Department of Management Svitlana Nevmerzhytska, Ph.D., Associate Professor.

The battle was held in an atmosphere of team interaction, positivity and healthy competition. The participants of the battle united into two teams and had the opportunity to show their professional and communication skills, demonstrating the ability to interact effectively, make quick decisions, think creatively and work in a team.

The program of the event included a number of interactive competitions:

1. "Profession in skills" – teams identified professions according to a set of soft skills;
2. "Word without borders" – team representatives explained words without using root words, gestures and translation, and other team members determined which concept or term was encrypted;
3. "Truth or Falsehood" – the teams determined whether the statements given were true or myth;
4. "The Power of Team Interaction" – participants demonstrated cooperation skills when assembling puzzles for the speed and coherence of teamwork.

General evaluation criteria included: correctness of tasks; speed of decision-making; level of team interaction; communication skills; creativity and out-of-the-box thinking; activity and involvement of all team members.

The project competition "HR Manager in the BANI World" was held  on May 14 in order to form a modern vision of the role of an HR manager in an unstable, non-linear, incomprehensible and fragile (BANI) environment. The participants of the competition actively participated in the discussions, presented their projects using digital tools, demonstrating adaptability, flexibility and digital competencies - the key qualities of a modern HR manager in the BANI world.

The moderator of the event is a senior lecturer of the Department of Management, Ph.D. in Economics. Natalia Kyrylko.

The main objectives of the competition were: development of analytical and critical thinking of students; formation of practical skills in the field of HR management; deepening knowledge of digital business transformation; development of skills in working with cases and making managerial decisions.

The participants of the competition presented their own project works on the following topics:

1. HR management in the context of digital business transformation: challenges and opportunities;
2. HR management in today's conditions (the case of "Pozhmashina": from survival to a new personnel policy);
3. Features of the work of an HR manager.

Projects were evaluated according to the relevance of the topic, depth of analysis, and practical value of the proposed HR solutions. Innovation, logic of structure, quality of presentation and ability to answer questions were also taken into account. The ethics of decisions and compliance with the challenges of the BANI environment were assessed separately. All participants of the competition demonstrated bright presentations with a holistic story and interesting visual design.

The winners of the competition according to the results of the secret ballot of the present  applicants for higher education and teachers of the Department of Management were:

First place – Vadym Kravchenko and Shamro Oleksandr;

II place – Lisa Case;

Third place – Anna Wuhan and Daria Chesnokova.

The winners of the competition were awarded certificates, and all participants received gratitude for their active participation. Participants were separately noted for their creativity in self-presentation, high level of motivation as future HR leaders and effective interaction with the audience.

The project competition "HR Manager in the BANI World" demonstrated the high level of training of students, their ability to analyze modern challenges and offer effective HR solutions in conditions of uncertainty. The presented projects were distinguished by their practical orientation, innovation and taking into account the realities of today in Ukraine.

The event was held in a friendly and positive atmosphere and was a great opportunity for students to develop teamwork, leadership, critical thinking, effective communication; psychological adaptation in difficult conditions – competencies that are extremely important for future managers.

28.05.2026