Planning, People, and Horizontal Connections: Three Factors of the Resilience of Ukrainian Businesses

However, those plans proved to be of limited usefulness and inadequately adapted to the real conditions on the ground. Nevertheless, they remained indispensable. When the crisis unfolded, and deviations from the original plan became apparent, importantly, we knew what to do first and had a sense of what actions to avoid and what options were doomed to fail.

For example, we analyzed the possibility of a one-time mass evacuation for our personnel and their families. There were over 600 employees and more than two thousand if we included their family members. In collaborating closely with security consultants, our objective was to organize a successful evacuation of this large number of people from Kyiv under wartime conditions. However, we came to a simple conclusion: it was impossible. As we had predicted, the roads became impassable, making it nearly impossible to guess which way to go. Therefore, instead of wasting precious time on that, we swiftly shifted our focus toward exploring other viable options.

We were well aware that regardless of the circumstances, we would encounter problems with our IT infrastructure. Therefore, we took proactive measures to ensure that not a single piece of data would be lost. We implemented robust safeguards, including on internal, external, and client-related data. We also extended our assistance to some of our clients.

Second, even more important, story is about people. In those initial days, a substantial number of people from the business and public spheres seemed to vanish. In some companies only 20% of employees remained, while others had 50% or 80%. In my experience, those who spontaneously disappeared were either random or redundant, while those who remained formed the resilient backbone of every organization. Fortunately, there was a sufficient number of these committed people who, despite the prevailing uncertainty, remained rather united and motivated to act. Despite many challenges, businesses demonstrated that almost every company had a team.

The third story is about horizontal connections. Standard procedures, plans, and even the IT system suffered significant disruptions in the initial weeks of the invasion. Developing alternative action plans was a time-consuming task, and attempting to modify business processes while our people were taking refuge in bomb shelters or residing in occupied areas like Sumy and Kherson was far from ideal. 

Fortunately, we successfully evacuated people, and they maintained their work continuity through the power of horizontal connections. Even in the absence of managers, people reached out to one another, forming connections and resolving issues swiftly. This phenomenon mirrored the Maidan events in 2014 when Russia initiated a war in the eastern regions, as well as during the onset of full-scale invasion. People engaged in horizontal dialogues, collectively designing optimal approaches. Although mistakes were made along the way, it was far better than simply sitting there in limbo. 

Over the course of the year and a half of this full-scale war, we have witnessed significant changes within the business landscape. Primarily, revenue sources altered substantially. In response to the challenges posed by the war, we have done a lot: we have allocated additional resources to certain areas while in others, we have acquired new competencies.

However, all this does not necessarily imply that we had a far-sighted plan in place or that we have learned a lesson that will forever guide our actions. Rather, it shows the importance of swift and appropriate reactions. This has been a powerful lesson for me personally: not to excessively rely on rigid procedures and strategies (although they do provide a useful thinking framework). Proper decisions are made not during planning but within the moment as responses to specific challenges that arise.