BUSINESS EDUCATION TODAY

A high level of uncertainty, constant risks, and rapid change are shaping a new reality for company owners and top executives. In such conditions, traditional management approaches and standard MBA programs often fail to deliver sufficient practical value: decisions must be made here and now, tools have to work immediately, and strategic thinking must help anticipate multiple scenarios and adapt quickly.

Business School (KSE GBS) is reshaping Ukrainian business education to meet these challenges, combining international practices, local context, and real-life cases – enabling leaders to make effective decisions even when complete information is unavailable.

Below is an interview with VALENTYNA SAKHNO, Head of KSE GBS, on how the school’s programs help Ukrainian businesses operate amid the full-scale war and prepare for post-war reconstruction and Ukraine’s European integration.

Ukrainian businesses are operating amid war and a high level of uncertainty. What practical value does KSE GBS business education offer executives today – not “after victory”?

We start from the premise that education must work here and now. Our programs are designed so that participants immediately apply what they learn within their own companies. In conditions of full-scale war and constant turbulence, traditional courses often fail to provide concrete tools for decision-making in crisis situations.

Today, business education is about the ability to make decisions under the pressure of uncertainty. That is why we adapt our programs to the real challenges businesses face – from strategic thinking and risk analysis to team leadership under extreme pressure and resource constraints.

For example, we recently launched a course on business strategy viewed through the lens of military and philosophical logic. It is a highly practical decision-making tool for real-time situations where the cost of error is exceptionally high.

How is KSE GBS fundamentally different from a traditional MBA?

KSE GBS has long been about more than just a portfolio of educational programs. We operate as a European business education hub, preparing Ukrainian businesses for Ukraine's recovery, security, and sustainable economic growth. We collect, systematize, and transform Ukraine’s unique managerial experience of resilience and business transformation into globally relevant leadership practice.

Our focus is on practical impact, global perspective, and the Ukrainian context. We combine best international practices, global cases, and faculty with experience in leading business schools, with a deep understanding of Ukraine’s economy and the challenges of wartime. This enables participants to work not only with tools, but with thinking frameworks: how to build strategy, assess risk, and scale businesses amid uncertainty. We do not create an “educational bubble” – our programs integrate real cases from Ukrainian businesses and the startup ecosystem, including hands-on experience in technology commercialization and innovation.

The principles of KSE GBS business education are grounded in results orientation, multidisciplinarity, and entrepreneurial and technological thinking. We teach opportunity recognition and complex decision-making built around a clear objective, where outcomes matter more than process. Systems thinking allows leaders to view business challenges at scale, accounting for sociocultural context, technology, and economics. We want entrepreneurs to focus on opportunities rather than constraints – transforming students from passive learners into co-creators of solutions. At KSE GBS, we teach logical and strategic thinking, precise impact assessment, and the use of data and technology as tools for scaling, systemic impact, and value creation.

You mentioned startups. How does KSE GBS work with technology and innovation projects?

Our approach differs from a purely technological one. In Ukraine, the focus is often placed on TRL – the Technology Readiness Level – moving from prototype to implementation. But not every technology is ready for commercialization. We teach leaders to look at the market and the potential customer already at the product creation stage, to plan market entry and engagement with investors without losing control of their business.

We also analyse the broader ecosystem – the interaction between universities, the corporate sector, government institutions, innovation hubs, and investment funds. Only through this can startups grow organically and scale effectively. This approach is based on MIT practices, but adapted to the Ukrainian context.

What management challenges does business most often come with?

The needs vary depending on the management level. Top executives are interested in dynamic leadership and shifting management models, strategic decision-making in times of turbulence, and scaling companies to international markets. Middle managers seek support in financial thinking, understanding processes, and building practical tools for their teams.

There is also growing demand for ESG, corporate programs, and targeted courses tailored to specific industries. All of this makes it possible to create an integrated learning ecosystem where every leadership level gains the skills it needs.

Why is it more important today to teach strategic thinking than simply to provide tools?

Tools become outdated quickly. Strategic thinking allows leaders to adapt to new challenges and make decisions based on data, scenarios, and analysis. We teach participants to use frameworks for assessing risks, forecasting scenarios, and communicating effectively with stakeholders.

How does studying at KSE GBS help leaders make decisions under uncertainty?

We deliberately combine practice, conceptual thinking, and technology. Students work with real cases from Ukrainian and international companies: they test hypotheses, analyse risks and opportunities, and make decisions with limited data and high uncertainty – before those decisions carry real financial or strategic consequences.

Technology strengthens this approach. For example, we created a web-based case generator that uses company data and learning objectives to produce a Harvard-style case in under an hour. So far, nine such cases (Renault, Nissan, FIFA, Grammarly, Theranos, and others) have been reviewed by faculty and are now used across two MBA programs.

We also integrate AI into learning simulations. During MBA Open Day, students managed virtual companies and received contextual responses from AI agents. At one of the bootcamps, an AI consultant helped participants choose electives – turning an administrative process into a training ground for strategic thinking and negotiation skills.

As a result, education at KSE GBS becomes a data-driven environment for complex decision-making: with real-world context, rapid feedback, and a safe space where mistakes become a source of learning rather than risk.

Who is your core audience, and how has the profile of the Ukrainian manager changed?

Today, it is successful business owners and top executives who seek a global perspective and are ready to scale their companies. Over the past two years, they have become more practical, more strategic, and more demanding of themselves and their teams. They are looking for comprehensive toolkits that enable decision-making based on analysis rather than intuition alone.

How can a business measure the impact of learning?

We assess career growth, financial performance, and strategic changes within companies. But the most important indicator for us is real, firsthand feedback from participants. When leaders say that a program helped them avoid years of managerial mistakes and apply the knowledge immediately, that is the strongest measure of effectiveness.

What role should business education play in Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction?

Reconstruction is not only about infrastructure – it is also about managerial capacity. Business education must prepare companies for investment, scaling, and operating in international markets. The country needs leaders who can make complex decisions, manage resources effectively, and drive innovation.

KSE GBS is building this critical mass of managers who are capable of transforming Ukrainian business and the economy as a whole.

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