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2025/2026  KAN-CGMAA5009U  Resilience - The Ukrainian Experience

English Title
Resilience - The Ukrainian Experience

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 3 ECTS
Type Elective
Level Full Degree Master
Duration Summer
Start time of the course Summer
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Min. participants 30
Max. participants 60
Study board
Study Board for Governance, Law, Accounting & Management Analytics
Programme Master of Science (MSc) in Economics and Business Administration - General Management and Analytics (GMA)
Course coordinator
  • Martin Jes Iversen - Department of Strategy and Innovation (SI)
Co-teacher - Nataliya Popovich.
For academic questions, please contact Martin Jes Iversen (mji.si@cbs.dk)
Main academic disciplines
  • International political economy
  • Organisation
  • Strategy
Teaching methods
  • Face-to-face teaching
Last updated on 03/11/2025

Relevant links
Learning objectives
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
  • Explain the conceptual foundations of organizational resilience and their relevance in the Ukrainian business context.
  • Analyze the evolution of resilience strategies between 2019–2025, identifying key drivers of adaptability, innovation, and leadership.
  • Critically assess case studies from diverse sectors to distinguish effective practices and common pitfalls.
  • Apply resilience frameworks and tools (e.g. scenario planning, diagnostics) to evaluate organizational sustainability.
  • Integrate insights from guest sessions and research findings into their own understanding of organizational resilience in practice.
Examination
Resilience - The Ukrainian Experience:
Exam ECTS 3
Examination form Active participation

The completion of this course is based on active student participation in class. The course will be considered as passed if the students participation - based on an overall assessment - in the class activities fulfill the learning objectives of the course. The individual student’s participation is assessed by the teacher.
The student must participate in A combination of assignment and presentation
Individual or group exam Individual exam
Grading scale Pass / Fail
Examiner(s) Assessed solely by the teacher
Exam period Summer
Make-up exam/re-exam Oral exam based on written product
In order to participate in the oral exam, the written product must be handed in before the oral exam; by the set deadline. The grade is based on an overall assessment of the written product and the individual oral performance.
Size of written product: Max. 5 pages
Assignment type: Essay
Duration: 20 min. per student, including examiners' discussion of grade, and informing plus explaining the grade
Examiner(s): If it is an internal examination, there will be a second internal examiner at the re-exam. If it is an external examination, there will be an external examiner.
Description of activities
A combination of assignment and presentation: The student must participate in minimum 80% of the scheduled teaching.

The student have to participate in the formulation of a group-based synopsis and a following presentation of the project which will be video recorded
Course content, structure and pedagogical approach

This course examines the concept of organisational resilience through the lens of Ukraine's unique history — from the COVID-19 pandemic to four years of full-scale war. This turbulent context provides a rare opportunity to study how organisations sustain themselves, adapt and transform in the face of prolonged uncertainty and challenges. By combining theoretical foundations with empirical research, students will gain an academically rigorous yet practice-oriented understanding of organizational resilience that is relevant not only in times of crisis but also for building future-proofing organizations.

 

The course is based on a combination of lectures, case discussions and guest sessions. Lectures provide conceptual foundations and global perspectives on resilience; case studies and guest lectures illustrate how Ukrainian enterprises across diverse sectors have developed their resilience capabilities and adapted their management approaches. The pedagogical approach emphasises active participation, critical thinking and cross-sectoral learning.

 

Key topics:

  • The structure of organizational resilience – frameworks for assessment and dimensions such as purpose, innovation, adaptability, stakeholder engagement, and leadership.
  • The nature of Ukrainian resilience – historical, cultural, and institutional factors shaping organizational and societal resilience.
  • Transformation of the mindsets and resilience strategies – how approaches have evolved in response to the challenges of war and global transformations since 2019.
  • Leadership and organizational culture under pressure – the role of values, communication, innovation/digitalization and team cohesion in sustaining resilience.
  • Case studies of Ukrainian businesses – analysis of resilience practices across IT, agriculture, retail, finance, and industrial sectors.
  • Global lessons and future outlook – what international management and policy communities can learn from the Ukrainian experience of resilience.
Research-based teaching
CBS’ programmes and teaching are research-based. The following types of research-based knowledge and research-like activities are included in this course:
Research-based knowledge
  • Classic and basic theory
  • Teacher’s own research
Research-like activities
  • Development of research questions
  • Analysis
  • Discussion, critical reflection, modelling
Description of the teaching methods
The pedagogical approach is based on a mix of the following activities:
Lectures drawing on five years of annual Resilience Research, providing students with theoretical foundations and empirical insights into organizational resilience.
Guest sessions and dialogues with Ukrainian business leaders and resilience practitioners, offering first-hand perspectives on leadership, adaptation, and decision-making under pressure.
Class discussions and critical reflections on case material and research findings, encouraging students to connect theory with practice and to articulate their own perspectives on resilience.
Feedback during the teaching period
The students will receive feedback in relation to the class discussions. The class--room feedback will be combined with group feedback based on the presentations of the synopsis.
Student workload
Teaching 18 hours
Preparation and readings 66 hours
Further Information

This is an intensive 2-week course that cannot be combined with any other course.
Expected literature

Mamediieva, G. Ukraine’s Digital Transformation: Innovation for Resilience. Harvard Kennedy School. Retrieved from  https:/​/​www.hks.harvard.edu/​centers/​cid/​voices/​ukraines-digital-transformation-innovation-resilience

Berbyuk Lindström, N., Razmerita, L., Prokopenko, S., & Popovich, N. (2024). Building Digital Resilience in Major Shocks: How Ukrainian Organizations Enact Digital Transformation in Times of War. Proceedings of the 57th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. Retrieved from  https:/​/​aisel.aisnet.org/​cgi/​viewcontent.cgi?article=1864&context=hicss-57

Horowitz, B. (2011, April 14). Peacetime CEO/Wartime CEO. Andreessen Horowitz. Retrieved from  https:/​/​a16z.com/​peacetime-ceo-wartime-ceo/​

Goodwin, R., Hamama-Raz, Y., Leshem, E., & Ben-Ezra, M. (2023). National resilience in Ukraine following the 2022 Russian invasion. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 85, 103487.  https:/​/​doi.org/​10.1016/​j.ijdrr.2022.103487 

Timtchenko, I. (2023, June). Strengthening Ukrainian Resiliency in the Medium to Long Term. The Intelligence Project, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School.  https:/​/​www.belfercenter.org/​sites/​default/​files/​2024-10/​Strengthening%20Ukrainian%20Resiliency%20in%20the%20Medium%20to%20Long%20Term%20report.pdf

Li, J,, Li,, L., Yang, Z., Tian, X.. Managing Disruptions in OInternational Distribution Channels: Education, Business Model Innovation, and Channel Resilience, Journal of International Business Studies, 2024   
Last updated on 03/11/2025