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In an era of perpetual uncertainty and rapid transformation, technology alone no longer guarantees success. Genuine change originates not from processes, regulations, or IT solutions, but from people: their fears, expectations, and their readiness to move forward together.
This very topic was the focus of a lecture by Roman Romanenko, Chief HR Officer at Kitsoft, delivered as part of the “Vidvazhna 3. The Digital Evolution of Business” programme.
In his presentation, Roman emphasised that resistance to change is a natural reaction within any organisation. The fear of losing what is familiar is consistently more powerful than the excitement of the new; therefore, the emotional support provided during transformations is often more critical than formal instructions or regulations. Ultimately, people do not fear change itself—they fear being left to navigate it alone.
Using the transformation of Kitsoft as an example—a Ukrainian technology company with over 20 years of experience in GovTech and products used by millions of Ukrainians—the speaker demonstrated how systemic changes can scale a business. From a startup with just 16 employees in 2017, the company has grown into an international structure with 165 specialists, while maintaining a steadfast focus on the digital transformation of public services, cybersecurity, and user trust.
Roman placed particular emphasis on the role of the leader amidst change. A modern executive must do more than just implement decisions; they must act as a navigator through the transformation process — leading by example, demonstrating vulnerability, speaking candidly about challenges, and actively supporting the team. The core takeaway is clear: if changes do not ultimately improve the quality of life for employees, trust evaporates — and even the most sophisticated strategy will fail to deliver results.
The lecture also examined the different types of employees encountered during transformation—ranging from visionaries and innovators to critics and conservatives—and explored the Adizes Organisational Lifecycle model. The speaker emphasised that universal “best practices” often falter under conditions of extreme uncertainty. Instead, genuine progress is achieved through incremental steps, fostering a sense of early success, and the gradual, meaningful involvement of people in the change process.
Roman highlighted several practical tools for overcoming resistance: researching the genuine needs of teams, clearly articulating the purpose of change, addressing fears openly, providing training, involving skeptics in co-creating new rules, and empowering change ambassadors. He identified trust as the primary currency of change — without it, no digital or organisational transformation can be sustained.
The new season of the visionary women’s accelerator Vidvazhna 3. The Digital Evolution of Business is delivered by the Diia.Business network of entrepreneurship support centres in cooperation with the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine and the Entrepreneurship and Export Promotion Office, with the support of UNDP in Ukraine and financial assistance from the Government of Japan under the project Transformational Recovery for Human Security in Ukraine, and within the framework of the global initiative She’s Next Empowered by Visa, in partnership with the IT Ukraine Association.
