Transformation of the Publishing Complex Management of the National Academy of Sciences during Independence

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the transformational processes within the management system of the publishing complex of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU) during the period of independence, and to identify the fundamental causes of the management crisis that led to the liquidation of the flagship academic publishing house «Naukova Dumka» amidst the transition to a market economy and rapid digitalization.

The methodological basis of the study is the comprehensive application of general scientific and specific research methods. It includes the historical and chronological method to trace the evolution of the NASU publishing sector from 1922 to the present, systemic-structural analysis to examine institutional interactions between the Presidium, the Scientific-Publishing Council, and publishing houses, as well as the method of critical document analysis for evaluating regulatory acts and enterprise charters.

Research results. The transition of academic book publishing from a command-administrative to a market-oriented management model was investigated. It was established that the key factor in the loss of competitiveness of «Naukova Dumka» was its management's short-sighted refusal to create a modern printing base, in contrast to the Publishing House «Akademperiodyka». The study analyzes the negative impact of chronic state underfunding, lack of commercial strategies, weak product diversification, and neglect of digital marketing. Furthermore, it reveals that the extreme conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic and the full-scale invasion critically exacerbated existing managerial dysfunctions. This culminated in the NASU Presidium's decision on October 2, 2024, to liquidate the enterprise while strategically transferring its fundamental projects to «Akademperiodyka».

The novelty of the study lies in the systematic generalization of the historical experience of managing the NASU publishing complex through the prism of modern crisis management, as well as in the first comprehensive scientific assessment of the objective and subjective factors that led to the unprecedented liquidation of the oldest academic publishing house in Ukraine in 2024.

The practical significance lies in the possibility of using the formulated conclusions to optimize management processes within the scientific publishing sector, develop effective anti-crisis strategies for state-owned publishing houses, and implement modern digital marketing tools. The research provides a factual foundation for adapting conservative scientific institutions to a highly competitive information environment.

Key words: publishing management, «Naukova Dumka» publishing house, publishing complex, transformational processes, management system, scientific book publishing, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.