PECULIARITIES OF THE FORMATION OF INSTITUTIONAL THINKING OF FUTURE BORDER OFFICERS

The article is devoted to the study of the peculiarities of the formation of institutional thinking in future border officers of Ukraine.The author's team, which includes specialists from the Bohdan Khmelnytskyi National Academy of the State Border Service of Ukraine, emphasizes the importance of developing this type of thinking for effective management and state formation in the conditions of modern challenges, in particular full-scale war.The purpose of the study was to study the specifics of the formation of institutional thinking in future border guards, as well as to develop measures for its improvement.To achieve this goal, the authors used a set of methods, including bibliographic analysis, surveys, mathematical statistics (Pearson's test) and pedagogical experiment.The results of a survey of 75 active border service officers showed that most of them experience a lack of knowledge in the field of management and public administration.Only 22% of respondents were familiar with the concept of "institutional thinking", which indicates a low level of its formation.Based on these data, the authors developed a special elective course "Fundamentals of management and leadership in the border service", which included modules on public administration, strategic analysis, leadership and other key aspects.An experimental group of 50 cadets who completed this course demonstrated a significantly higher level of institutional thinking compared to the control group.Statistical data processing using the Pearson test confirmed the significance of the differences ( = 32.278 at a critical value of 5.991).This shows the effectiveness of the proposed course.The authors concluded that the formation of institutional thinking in future border officers should take place at the stage of their training in higher educational institutions.For this, it is necessary to implement specialized disciplines aimed at developing management and analytical skills.Special attention should be paid to practical tasks such as analysis of political processes, strategic planning and work with subordinates.The study emphasizes that investment in education is a key factor in the transformation of Ukrainian society.The formation of a new generation of officers with developed institutional thinking will allow Ukraine to effectively face modern challenges and ensure the sustainable development of the state.