Strengthening the strategy and organizational capacity of the Union of North-West Ukrainian Students

The Union of Rural Green Tourism of Ukraine, as one of the winners of the competition of the Academy for the Development of Business Associations of the National SME Platform, continues to actively participate in the implementation of the project aimed at increasing the efficiency and sustainable development of business associations.
On October 23-25, the third module of the training program – “Strategy and Organizational Capacity” – was held in Kyiv. The participants of the event were representatives of business associations from different regions of Ukraine, united by a common desire to increase management efficiency, master modern strategic planning tools and develop internal capacity for rapid adaptation to market challenges.
The module became a deep dive into the development and implementation of effective strategies – a journey full of not only theoretical knowledge, but also practical tools and interesting historical examples.

Strategic Thinking as the Art of Foresight

The training began with an understanding of the very essence of strategic thinking — the ability to see the “big picture,” anticipate challenges and opportunities, and only then form a specific plan of action. Practical issues that arise during the development of strategies were discussed — from choosing a direction to managing risks and ensuring consistency within the organization.
One of the brightest moments was the analysis of the case “The Expedition of Christopher Columbus” by Alexandra Baklanova. This historical event was considered not only as a geographical discovery, but also as an example of strategic management with its triumphs and mistakes. We evaluated Columbus’ actions as a manager — what became a successful decision, and what led to risks or losses. This analysis helped to look at strategic thinking through the prism of historical experience and conclude: strategy should combine foresight with realism, ethics, and the ability to adapt to unforeseen circumstances.

Values, mission and vision as the basis of development

No strategy can be effective without a solid foundation – a system of values, a clear mission and an inspiring vision. We sought answers to three key questions:
Why do we exist? – the current purpose of our activities;
Who do we want to become? – an ambitious image of the future;
How will we act? – ethical guidelines that shape corporate culture.
We discussed how to make these elements not just a declaration, but a real guide in daily work. After all, a successful strategy is consistent with these fundamental principles, which serve as an internal compass in times of crisis.

Dialogue with leaders and inspiration from practitioners

The participants received a powerful charge of energy and new ideas during meetings with leading speakers.
Among them:

Olexandr Palazov – Director of the Department of Regulatory Policy and Entrepreneurship of the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine;
Volodymyr Patis – Chairman of the Board of the Ukrainian Association of Furniture Manufacturers;
Giorgi Tshakaya – Expert in State Economic Policy and Deregulation, Advisor to the First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine.
The meetings provided an understanding of how the strategic goals of business associations can be aligned with state priorities, and showed that effective dialogue between the authorities and business is the key to sustainable development. The experience of Volodymyr Patis became a convincing example of how a bold strategy of the association can lift an entire industry even in difficult conditions, and the position of Giorgi Tshakaya emphasized the importance of flexible state policy for the implementation of innovations.

Visits to innovation hubs

To broaden their understanding of modern approaches to organizational capacity development, participants visited:

Design Hub “Mlyn” — founder Roman Mykhaylov showed how the combination of creativity, design, and collaboration creates new opportunities for business;
UNIT.City — during the visit, which was accompanied by Pavlo Mykhaylyuk, Deputy Director for Ecosystem Development, participants saw how the innovation ecosystem functions and what strategies help startups develop.

I would like to thank the organizers of the Academy of Business Association Development program of the National SME Platform for valuable knowledge and the opportunity to join the community that is shaping a new culture of strategic thinking in Ukraine. I am sincerely grateful to my colleagues from the Union of Rural Green Tourism of Ukraine, in particular Natalia Vengerska, for their support and cooperation. The experience gained will definitely be useful for the further development of rural tourism and the strengthening of our organization.

The project “Business Association Development Academy: Strengthening the Organizational Capacity of Ukrainian Business Associations as Intermediaries between Micro, Small and Medium-sized, and Large Businesses” is implemented by the National Platform of Small and Medium-sized Businesses with the assistance of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Ukraine and financial support from the Government of Japan provided within the framework of the “Transformational Recovery for the Security of People in Ukraine” initiative.

member of the NGO
“Union of Rural Green Tourism of Ukraine”
Vita Los