ANDRAGOGICAL MECHANISMS FOR DEVELOPING SOFT COMPETENCIES OF LEADERSHIP PERSONNEL IN CORPORATE HIGHER EDUCATION

 This article examines the persistent gap between the growing demand for leadership soft competencies in corporate higher education and the predominantly child-oriented pedagogical logic that continues to underpin many corporate training programs. Drawing on competence theory and Malcolm Knowles’ theory of andragogy, the study investigates how the six core assumptions of adult learning can be systematically translated into concrete developmental mechanisms for leadership personnel rather than being treated merely as a general philosophical orientation.

Using a theoretical-conceptual methodology that combines a comparative-typological analysis of international literature published between 1955 and 2026 with structural-functional modeling, the study first distinguishes andragogical mechanisms from generic pedagogical approaches according to four analytical criteria: locus of control, role of prior experience, orientation of learning content, and source of motivation. On this basis, the article develops an integrated Andragogical Mechanism Model, which maps each of Knowles’ six assumptions—self-concept, experience, readiness to learn, orientation to learning, internal motivation, and the need to know—onto corresponding clusters of corporate learning mechanisms. These include autonomy-supportive instructional design, experience-based learning cycles, job-embedded learning triggers, problem-centered learning formats, psychologically safe motivational climates, and transparency-based curriculum framing.

The model is further elaborated through the organizational conditions necessary for effective implementation, including trainers’ and mentors’ andragogical competence, alignment with organizational culture, appropriate diagnostic infrastructure, and institutional integration into human-resource development policies and practices. The study contributes a differentiated and theoretically grounded typology of andragogical mechanisms that can be applied by corporate universities, business schools, and human-resource development practitioners to redesign leadership development programs. It also establishes a conceptual basis for empirical testing of the proposed model and identifies opportunities for future research, particularly in the context of corporate education and leadership development in Central Asian settings.