Does army leadership differ from business leadership? What kind of challenges do leaders on the battlefield face? These and other leadership-related questions were discussed at the MODUS Initiative conference. Oleksandr Sudarkin, MBA programs director of MIM-Kyiv moderated the discussion. Representatives of the defense agencies of Ukraine, military officers, civil activists, veterans, and partners of Ukrainian armed forces took part in the event. 

- Business schools offer a range of educational services to military people, volunteers, etc. For many veterans, business schools are providers of choice for after-war adaptation. Adjusting to the new organizational culture is one of the challenges. We use our knowledge of high-performing organizations and their leaders to help our veterans accommodate the new conditions. When helping the veterans we learn their best experiences and integrate them into our courses and activities. Some business schools study military leadership and teach that to civilians. MIM-Kyiv’s experience is in teaching military people, Oleksandr Sudarkin said. 

Understanding military organizational culture and its transformation is the focus of the MODUS Initiative conference. The fruit of the transformation is obvious for outside partners. Mike Repass, CEO for Able Global Solutions LLC and major general (retired) underlined that the changes are there. In his opinion, Eastern European military people behaviors are similar to the behaviors of their American peers.

“Come Back Alive” Foundation, Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, and NATO representative office in Ukraine organized the conference.