2023-01-06T19:00:00+02:00 Politics 2024-09-15T06:02:41+03:00

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INTERACTION: what principles should Ukraine live by in 2023 for fast recovery and sustainable development

INTERACTION: what principles should Ukraine live by in 2023 for fast recovery and sustainable development

In Ukraine, 2023 can give rise to numerous non-political interactions. That is the conclusion reached by the participants of ad hoc think tank “INTERACTION ” that started in Kyiv at the end of 2022. The first meeting of the Chatham House wide-known format were held, RBC-Ukraine reports.

The topic to start was announced: “The Results of 2022 and Modeling of the Main Trends of 2023.” The different experts were invited in order to perform a cross-sectoral conjoint analysis. A banker, an IT specialist, a marketer, an auditor, a lawyer, an educator, a journalist and a political consultant met at the round table in order to come to joint conclusions.

From the beginning, there was a hypothesis that interaction would help Ukrainian society to be more effective in the coming year.

The practical cases shared by the participants proved the extraordinary potential of this mechanism. The war of 2022 once again revealed the ability of Ukrainians to unite under the influence of external threats. The experience has shown the following: those problems that the state does not solve for years, a few barely familiar persons are able to solve in a few days. Personal connections turned out to be more powerful than the bureaucratic machine.

From the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Ukrainians immediately united in order to provide humanitarian aid, to buy pickups, or to equip the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Ukrainian technical specialists of IT companies working in different parts of the world united for joint hacker attacks against Russians. And there are a lot of such examples.

Thus, horizontal interaction between Ukrainians works extremely powerfully. However, how to activate it consciously, and not situationally? What principles should be followed in order to get a guaranteed result? The meeting has provided answers to these questions.

The mechanism of horizontal interaction should be hardly novel to Ukraine. The society actively used it during the two Maidans and during the volunteer movement in 2014.

According to the participants of think tank, the ability to unite claims to be the national evolutionary phenomenon. It is not just a team game as described in management textbooks. In the Ukrainian version, the horizontal connections gave birth to a powerful energy that was not common to the group members alone. It was this powerful, even sacred energy that actually solved all issues.

The participants of the discussion reached the opinion that the mechanism of uniting can be mastered, used at the level of communities and allocated for the development of Ukraine after our Victory.

It is already known what will happen if do not get this chance. The experience of the two Maidans and the volunteer movement in 2014 is notorious. Thousands and even millions of people made significant developments, but then they lost everything. They gave the heritage to the politicians that marched under the right slogans, but those politicians began to pursue only their own interests as soon as they gained power.

There is a risk that after the victory over the Russians, the distressing experience that citizens have had related to “Nasha Ukraina”, BYuT, BPP and “Narodnyi Front” will be repeated. Some politicians are already trying to stream the insane energy of uniting in order to build their own image. This is done, including before the elections that are predicted by many persons for the summer-autumn of 2023.

If Ukrainians do not want to once again lose their influence on the organization of public life, they should act now. Not to be engaged in politics, but to take joint actions for the development of Ukraine, to introduce the interaction between the government bodies and the population.

So, in the process of discussion, the initial idea turned into an instrumental solution.

The mechanism described above is a classic civil society, as described in typical political science textbooks. This is exactly what Ukraine needs so much. As a result, there has not been a permanently functioning civil society lately. Horizontal projects flashed from time to time, including in the winter of 2013, but soon they faded away. Their place was taken by a pseudo-civil society.

The people that call themselves activists in the last ten years are usually under someone’s influence. Only professional associations (Employer Association, industry associations, etc.) and networking clubs (for example, SEO Club) remain a more or less classic form of associations in Ukraine.

The idea that was put in “INTERACTION ” is to promote the interests of Ukrainian citizens in general through horizontal connections. Participants of such systems will not be professionally engaged in civic activities like politicians. They will not lobby for the interests of oligarchs or specific businesses. They will not receive grants for the implementation of programs. However, they will influence the development of Ukraine.

Why do you need to start work right now? It is clear that all the attention of Ukrainians should be focused on defeating the enemy. But it is also true that there will not be any transitional period to a peaceful life after our Victory.

Experience shows that it is too late to analyze and plan anything in the pre-election period. The society will soon be dealing with the technologies aimed at winning elections. Thus, after the Victory, the population of Ukraine risks again to turn into a passive observer, who has to elect from what is offered.

It is impossible to predict what the year 2023 will be, but it is necessary to create the tools that will allow us to act effectively regardless of the challenges we will face.

THREE OBSTACLES AND THREE RULES

The practical consideration showed that the mechanism of interaction between Ukrainians has three significant shortcomings.

The first is temporary nature. Horizontal interactions instantly appear, but they disappear just as quickly as the problem is solved. Sometimes they gave birth to formal structures – for example, production of drones or buggies for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. But in these cases, the main thing was lost – the system of horizontal connections with its unique properties.

The second shortcoming is situational nature. Ukrainians unite quickly in order to solve insignificant tactical issues, but for some reason they do not want to unite for strategic influence. They do not surface permanent leaders, do not create control systems, and they are not able to agree on long-term principles of interaction.

To these two shortcomings, we can add a third one – traditionally difficult communication between Ukrainians in peacetime. The culture of accepting each other’s opinions is so low that long ago turned into a meme. The phrase “Two Ukrainians, three hetmans” is exactly about that.

The same people that easily unite in order to fight a common enemy are not able to agree on how to manage a multi-story building or a cottage condominium. Such uncertainty is the main obstacle to the creation of a civil society in Ukraine.

Think tank “INTERACTION ” had to find an antidote that would stop these shameful phenomena. The organizers came to the conclusion that uniting needs special adapters, which the participants called Principles. In order to make these Principles practical and living, they should not be imagined in a quiet office, but taken from a real life. Precisely because of this, the experts with rich and diverse experience were attracted to think tank.

Even before the search for the adapters, three important rules were laid down for the scientific model of “INTERACTION .”

The first rule is an intellectual format. The support to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and volunteering have demonstrated the ability of Ukrainians to interact at the level of emotions and prompt response. The challenge of this think tank consisted precisely in search for the principles that would unite people with high intellectual potential, but different outlooks and unique experiences. The criterion for the efficiency of the work was uniting at the level of strategic vision.

The second rule is no political ambitions or lobbying of business interests. For interaction in the Chatham House format, the experts rejected their political preferences in order to create a joint product. This example was later extrapolated into the Principles.

The third rule is constant expansion of the interaction. The project aims to involve thousands of proactive people from various spheres of life. The ideal is to create a powerful system of interaction in which professionals from various spheres jointly create high standards of common life.

Working in accordance with these rules, think tank “INTERACTION ” developed twelve Principles. Most likely, their formulations will be slightly modified in the next expert meetings. However, the very ideological basis will remain unchanged.

THE TWELVE PRINCIPLES OF INTERACTION

Applying these Principles, it is possible to transform any group of conscious Ukrainians into a single organism with a high energy of interaction.

The first and leading principle is the principle of INTERACTION and CO-CREATION.

“This principle should be understood as the principle of formation of a set of stable horizontal connections, the effectiveness of which is multiplied due to the development of emotional intelligence, effective teamwork and project work. This is the ability of people to unite in order to create the effect of potential multiplication, when they understand that COMMON will always be more than the simple mathematical sum of its component parts,” explained political consultant Denys Markishev.

Denys Markishev

Emotional intelligence has already become a regular tool of corporate culture in the West. Its adaptation for Ukraine will allow to avoid annoying misunderstandings and small obstacles that severely harm the process of communication.

The second principle is a MORATORIUM ON THE INTERNAL COMPETITION IN PUBLIC RELATIONS DURING 2023.

“We understand it as a tool for consolidation of the efforts of Ukrainians not only before an external threat or an external enemy, but also after the disappearance of any threats, during the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine. This is a voluntary rejection of internal competition in various spheres of social life in order to reinforce the internal markets and to direct the energy of competition to foreign markets," said journalist Serhii Liamets.

Sergii Liamets

The war proved that the greatest victories are the result of teamwork. If we seek Victories in peaceful life as well, and not only in the fight against the aggressor, it is worth to join forces, and not to waste energy on conflicts with each other.

The third principle is EXPANSION.

“It means the spread of Ukraine’s influence on the informational, cultural, economic, financial, digital and other spheres of life in the international arena. Ukraine is a very powerful, self-sufficient country, and we know how to work well, but we rarely talk about it. For example, due to the measured decisions and good teamwork during the war and crisis, our bank was able to gain profitability at the end of the year. In Ukraine, there are interesting solutions in the field of digitization of banking services – in this we could actually have much to teach the world. And this can be our financial expansion. On the one hand, we are grateful to our partners for their assistance, and on the other hand, we understand that the growth of credit dependence on other countries is a risky path for Ukraine. Therefore, not so much credits as access to Western markets and technologies is important for us, and we definitely have something to offer to these markets,” said Svitlana Demyanenko, a shareholder and the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of JSC "UKRCONSTINVESTBANK". 

Svitlana Demyanenko

The fourth principle is the correct DISTRIBUTION OF ROLES and PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY.

“We understand it as a competent relevance to the position and role with a corresponding equitable reward, the personal responsibility of everyone at any level and in any situation, since there can only be collective irresponsibility. We must learn to be responsible. Because this is one of the most important features of both the individual and society. American psychologist Carl Rogers defines responsibility as the main feature of a formed personality. That is, a mature and a self-sufficient individual, as well as a mature society, defines responsibility as one of the greatest virtues, which mean proactive actions of people and organizations for the sake of the prosperity of Ukraine. In order to implement the principle of responsibility, we need to properly assign roles to employees so that their knowledge and skills correspond to the stated authority and status. Any manageable process assumes that there is a leader who takes responsibility for the common cause. When choosing the position of a leader or a partner in a cause, each of the participants can choose the most acceptable format of interaction,” noted Svitlana Demyanenko, a shareholder and the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of JSC "UKRCONSTINVESTBANK". 

The fifth is the principle of TRANSPARENCY.

“We understand it as openness and publicity of business and public life of managers, formation of open registers of information on income, assets, biographies of officials of all levels, formation of the institute of reputation in the political and public life of an individual,” said Ihor Shevchenko, a lawyer and the Head of the Charitable Foundation “Successful Ukraine”.

Ihor Shevchenko

Transparency of social life concerns not only officials. Ukraine’s accession to the EU requires every Ukrainian to move to a different lifestyle that combines freedom and responsibility.

The sixth principle is HONESTY.

“We are convinced in the importance of rejection of hypocrisy, relevance to the position stated by an individual and honesty with oneself primarily. It is assumed that the social ‘rules’ are common to everyone, and they are known in advance,” said Hanna Kirichenko, a candidate of sciences in public administration, a researcher of the Department of Problems of Agrarian, Land, Environmental and Space Law of the V.M. Koretskyi Institute of State and Law at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

Hanna Kirichenko

In a certain way, this is the tool that will help to divert the extra attention of Ukrainians from the past and switch it to an active life in the present.

The seventh principle is the FOCUS ON LONG-TERM PLANNING, STRATEGIC AND SYSTEMIC THINKING in the management of the state at all levels.

“We are talking about the formation of a culture of succession in the political and social life of the country, the ‘continuity between generations’ on the basis of an understanding of causal relationships,” said the Participant of the meeting, a Candidate of Economic Sciences, an Associate Professor, who wished to remain anonymous according to the principles of Chatham House.

In simpler words, Ukrainians should plan their own future not only for the coming year, but also for several generations ahead.

The eighth principle – MENTORSHIP – is extremely important for preserving and increasing the intellectual potential of Ukraine.

“We understand it as a proactive position of everyone to contribute to the development of their own and common ecosystem in order to increase their efficiency; a transfer of skills, a transfer and a multiplication of unique knowledge, including ‘generic’ ones. This is especially important in Ukraine in the conditions of disturbed educational processes and training of specialists at different levels,” said Oleksii Planida, the Technical Director of Amber Ukraine.

Oleksii Planida

The ninth principle – UNDERSTANDING – is the key to the project’s success.

“Understanding is a requirement for effective communication at all levels, formation of a critical thinking of the nation, which leads to an understanding of one’s own responsibility for one’s life and the life of the country,” said Oleksii Planida.

In his opinion, now Ukrainians finally have, perhaps, the only chance to adapt their own phenomena of cohesion, tactical actions and mentoring into a strategic program of development and reconstruction after the war. And the principles developed at the meetings of the expert groups will assist to form a clear and transparent vision of the next steps. This is crucial for IT because digital industry will be an example of development and reform in the next 10-15 years (let’s not have any illusions about the current state of the IT market and the problems that we will face after the victory).

The tenth principle is SHARED CONSUMPTION (the principle of sharing) concerns a fundamentally different regime for the use of material values.

“The principle is based on the fact that the modern generation is more interested in using rather than owning, and now there are a lot of people who are ready to share with others what they do not use themselves. This principle is especially concerns to young people, and this should be taken into account in particular when developing educational programs,” said Oleksandra Humenna, a scientist, a candidate of economic sciences, the Rector of the Salvador Dali Academy of Contemporary Arts.

Oleksandra Humenna

The shared consumption is a certain evolutionary step for Ukrainian society, which is historically built on the accumulation of individual values.

The eleventh is the principle of CONSERVATION OF INNER RESOURCES. It concerns to human capital as the most important of Ukraine’s wealth.

“We are talking about the preservation of inner human resources from the point of view of priority goals and time management in the context of existing infrastructure and financial constraints. Now it is very important to preserve the physical and mental health of people,” explained Oleksandr Sokolynskyi, a co-owner of the advertising and marketing agency “Spilna Peremoha”

Oleksandr Sokolynskyi

Finally, the twelfth principle is SYSTEMATIC EVALUATION OF EFFICIENCY. The quality of each process requires an adequate evaluation.

“We understand it as an indicator of the success of the system functioning in order to achieve the established goals; the result (effect) of the activity that a society, an enterprise or an individual receives per unit of resources used (or applied),” explained Kateryna Kislitsyna, a tax specialist.

Kateryna Kislitsyna

Against the backdrop of the war, 2022 has become one of the most difficult years for the Ukrainian society, economy, business and each individual. The unprecedented events forced every manager to quickly adapt to the new reality, to flexibly solve complex problems related to the survival of both business and employees, to seek for non-standard solutions.

At the same time, given the limited resources in the war conditions, the question of effective management of the resources that remained or became available precisely in these circumstances arose.

According to the experts, an important benchmark in 2023 will be the development of appropriate tools for systematic evaluation of the efficiency of the implementation of certain decisions, compliance with the principle of substance prevailing over form, as well as evaluation of the economic effect that will be obtained as a result of such decisions both for the society as a whole and for each Ukrainian.

Primary source RBC-Ukraine.