From Competition to Cooperation: Finding the Optimal Format for a Serious Game for Future Civil Servants

The article is dedicated to the description of a business game model developed to prepare civil servants for the challenges of digital transformation and sustainable development. The aim of the study is to analyze the characteristics of the educational environment created by a modular business game incorporating elements of uncertainty and to determine how such an environment contributes to the development of cross-cutting competencies essential for modern public service. The methodological basis of the study employs a mixed-methods approach: expert interviews to articulate the educational demand, participant questionnaires for self-reflection, behavioral observations of team dynamics, and analysis of activity outputs (text-based case solutions, reasoning, and proposed success criteria). The theoretical foundation of the research is grounded in the concepts of cross-competency education, gamified learning, and the competency model of public service. Analysis of the collected data suggests that a business game with elements of uncertainty can be considered a model of a managerial environment, demonstrating the potential for developing strategic-management, digital, communicative-role, and value-meaning cross-cutting competencies among students, graduate students, and young professionals engaged in public administration and related training programs. The collaborative stage of the game promoted joint discussion and integration of the ESG agenda, whereas the competitive stage created conditions for decision-making under resource constraints. Participant interactions in some cases led to the formation of temporary alliances, indicating that the game has the potential to simultaneously support both cooperative and competitive elements.