TRANSFORMATION OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS OF TRANSPORT ENTERPRISES: FROM CLASSICAL THEORIES TO ADAPTIVE MODELS UNDER GLOBAL AND WARTIME CHALLENGES

Abstract

The transformation of personnel management in the transport sector is especially relevant for Ukraine because transport enterprises operate simultaneously as economic organizations, employers and elements of critical infrastructure. Prolonged wartime pressure, damaged routes and facilities, migration, mobilization and an uneven regional supply of labour have changed the usual relationship between operational efficiency and personnel policy. At the same time, digital monitoring, automated planning, electronic documentation and closer integration with the European transport area are raising the requirements for professional, digital and communication competencies. These processes make it necessary to reconsider how transport enterprises recruit, train, retain and support employees whose decisions directly affect continuity of service and safety. The article discusses the contemporary meaning of scientific management, administrative coordination, human relations and organizational behaviour for high-risk transport operations. Particular attention is paid to the boundary between useful digital supervision and excessive control, the delegation of authority during communication or infrastructure disruptions, the preservation of organizational knowledge, and the role of trust between line managers and employees. The discussion also covers workforce displacement, occupational fatigue, psychological safety, gender diversification of traditionally male occupations, return-to-work pathways for veterans, and cooperation between enterprises that compete for scarce specialists. The article considers the need to connect human resource management with scenario-based learning, succession for critical roles, ethical use of employee data, accessible psychological support, workplace adaptation and partnerships with educational institutions and local communities. The relevance of these issues increases as Ukrainian transport organizations prepare for reconstruction, implementation of European safety and interoperability requirements, and participation in the trans-European transport network. A human-centred and adaptive approach to personnel management is therefore discussed as an essential condition for organizational resilience, responsible modernization and the long-term attractiveness of transport professions.