Development of managerial competencies in virtual communities: experience of managing Minecraft clans

This article explores the development of managerial competencies within virtual communities, using the example of Minecraft clan management. The relevance of the study is determined by the growing role of digital platforms in developing management skills among youth and the need to adapt educational programs to new interaction formats. Virtual gaming communities are increasingly becoming environments where future managers can safely and effectively test and apply managerial functions under conditions close to real-world scenarios. The purpose of this research is to identify the specific features of managerial skills development within Minecraft clans and to substantiate the possibility of transferring these competencies to formal management education. Within the framework of the study, a number of tasks were accomplished, including an analytical review on gamification and digital management; empirical observation of the functioning of five active Minecraft clans; identification of core management functions implemented in the game environment; classification of competencies into hard skills and soft skills; and justification of the practical potential of applying these findings in professional training. The methodological framework combines a content analysis of 133 academic sources with four weeks of structured observation of clan activities on open servers. As a result, the article presents a model of applying fundamental management functions (planning, organizing, motivating, controlling, communicating, and decision-making) in a virtual context. A comparative analysis with traditional business management environments is provided, along with a typology of key competencies formed through game-based experience. The scientific novelty lies in integrating gamified managerial practice with classical management theory, positioning Minecraft as an innovative platform for developing the next generation of leaders.