The UNDP project "Strengthening the member business associations of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in Ukraine" was created in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and with the support of Switzerland. This project aims to accelerate the development of the MSME sector by strengthening the potential of member business associations (BOs).
Three training days were devoted to the business game "Protection of the BO strategy." At the introductory session, the author of the game and the teacher of kmbs, Olena Sapozhkova, familiarized the module participants with the rules and distribution of roles. Each is part of two teams: "managers" who present BO strategies and "supervisory board." The task of the supervisory board is to evaluate each design against a particular set of criteria and ultimately choose the best proposal. In turn, managers assess the supervisory board's role capacity collegially.
Participation in the business game became an exciting and valuable experience for BO members. Thus, Iryna Bessarabova (Poltava Business Association) shared: "I am grateful for the opportunity to test drive the strategy in safe and at the same time close to real life conditions: when everyone plays their role when we try to understand the reason for the behavior of another person and our behavior I saw, even more, the importance of the rules: the rules of the game, the rules of activity, the rules of interaction within the association. The clearer the rules, the better they are understood, the better the result will be."
Olena Korogod (GS "Organic Ukraine") said: "Now, at the final modules, we are presenting draft documents, according to which BO will develop in the coming years. We learn and immediately create unique documents that we certainly would not have done alone. Communication with like-minded people, the opportunity to hear 27 strategies, express your opinion, and be heard is precious. And the most important thing is that everyone is interested in improving each strategy."
Vasyl Masyuk, a project participant, said: "Participation in the game is beneficial because it is an opportunity to see, hear and feel different BO strategies and benchmark ideas and strategies. Chairing the "supervisory board" was beneficial and very instructive. It made it possible to understand the effectiveness of the evaluation algorithm — revaluation. I think this algorithm can be used when choosing strategies and projects in the future.
On the second day of the module, the participants met to discuss the standard of the member business association developed as part of the project together with Natalia Balandina, a UNDP expert on the development of MSME platforms and coalitions.
The educational module ended with a reflection moderated by kmbs deputy dean Eduard Maltsev, during which participants shared conclusions and insights. The participants, in particular, noted the importance of an ambitious super-idea in the mission of each BO, but one that is grounded in reality; selection of a clear focus of activity and development of BO; the importance of criteria when deciding; a clear definition of rules and roles in joint activities; the matter of a high-quality presentation of the results of work; the ability to hear the position of another person.
Ahead of the participants is a module where team members will change roles and continue collegial work. And the experience gained during these three days will help them achieve the best results and generate the most powerful solutions for their BOs.
