RELATIONSHIP MARKETING OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS WITH STAKEHOLDERS IN THE CONTEXT OF DIGITALIZATION: EMERGENT MATRIX OF MULTI-STAKEHOLDER INTERACTION
Abstract
The article addresses the urgent problem of transforming the marketing management logic of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) under the influence of global megatrends: total digitalization, globalization, and the transition to a multi-stakeholder philosophy. It is substantiated that in the volatile environment of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the modern university ceases to function as a closed hierarchical structure and increasingly acquires the properties of a complex open sociotechnical system. In such a system, educational, scientific, cultural, and innovative flows intersect, requiring fundamentally new approaches to management. The theoretical and methodological basis of the study is formed by a synthesis of the theory of complex adaptive systems (Bertalanffy, Holland), the cybernetic law of requisite variety (Ashby), the theory of social systems (Luhmann), the concept of the network society (Castells), and the Triple Helix model of innovation (Etzkowitz). Based on these approaches, the author develops a conceptual model of the «Emergent Matrix of Multi-Stakeholder Interaction». This model describes the transition from linear-functional management to a network-centric approach, where the source of resilience and development is not vertical control, but the density and quality of horizontal connections. The article details the structure of the proposed matrix, which consists of eight hierarchical but interconnected levels: from the basic «Human–Human» level (micro-level of trust and mentoring) and «Institution–Business» (strategic partnerships) to the «Institution–Clusters» level (innovation ecosystems) and «Institution–Global Actors» (macro-level of soft power and diplomacy). A key element of scientific novelty is the definition of the strategic role of the «digital layer» – a continuous communicative superstructure that ensures integration, analytics, and interoperability between all levels. It is proven that the digital layer acts as an autopoietic environment that enables the phenomenon of emergence – the generation of new values (interdisciplinary projects, startups, social capital) that are unpredictable at the level of individual elements. The practical significance of the study lies in providing HEI management with a diagnostic tool for identifying communication gaps, optimizing resource allocation, and building resilient partnership networks capable of withstanding global crises.
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