Myths vs Reality: Business Culture in Ukraine’s Tech Industry

Right from the early 90s, when the first tech companies appeared in Ukraine, Ukrainian software engineers started working for such tech giants as General Electric. Ever since the connections between Ukraine and Western tech countries have only been growing tighter. Over three decades of close-knit collaboration with international clients, the business culture in Ukraine has absorbed common practices of the Western business culture to meet the high standards of foreign clients.

As of now, the lion’s share of Ukrainian tech companies use the same meeting etiquette and communication rituals and have the same perception of hierarchy as tech businesses in the US and the EU.

Just like Daxx, which was founded by Dutch entrepreneurs, many Ukrainian tech companies were set up by residents from Western Europe and the US.

1.Business Communication Style in the Tech Industry in Ukraine

Business communication in the tech industry in Ukraine is very similar to that of the Western business culture. Just like in the West, people use a semi-formal communication style and value time allocated for business communication. 

At the beginning of the collaboration, people tend to act in a reserved manner, but with time they tend to get friendlier. One of the distinguishing characteristics of Ukrainian tech specialists is that they openly communicate their successes and challenges. 

Traditionally, more experienced tech specialists tend to express their opinions more freely while talking with a client. Team-wise, people are eager to share their knowledge with colleagues regardless of company size.

2. Business Ethics and Etiquette in Ukraine’s Tech Industry

You may find that the business meeting etiquette and even the stages of meetings in any Ukrainian tech company look just the same as they do in Germany, Poland, or the Netherlands.

At the beginning of negotiations, clients communicate with sales, accounting, and department managers. Later, companies introduce tech specialists who help to provide more accurate estimates.

If you want to hire developers in Ukraine, you should take into consideration that people working in tech are pragmatic and frank, they value transparency. To build trustful and lasting relationships, clients are advised to play with open cards and allocate enough time to tell tech vendors about their business needs in great detail during the initial phases of collaboration.

It’s also not recommended to use ultimatums and condescending attitudes as they won’t be taken lightly. In fact, decision-makers in Ukrainian tech companies are oriented at building long-term collaboration, and that’s why they show flexibility during negotiations.

Hierarchy has lost its importance in the tech industry, while expertise levels are taken more seriously. That’s why you’ll see that meetings are usually facilitated by those tech specialists who have the deepest knowledge of the subject matter.

3. The Mentality of People in the Tech Industry in Ukraine

Hardworking, dedicated to their job, and great problem solvers — these are the three distinctive characteristics of Ukrainian programmers. The new generation of tech specialists are go-getters who have shown great results in managing large tech projects, using cutting-edge technologies, and building world-class tech products. 

Despite the common misconception, Ukrainian tech specialists enjoy autonomy and perform well in both managerial and functional roles without being given precise instructions.

More than 75% of experts in Ukrainian tech use their free time for self-education and professional development. The majority of tech specialists choose to learn by reading professional literature. The wide availability of educational bootcamps, online courses, and workshops only boosts interest in self-education even further. 

Business Culture: Myths vs Reality

Author: Kateryna Kachkovska – Content Marketing Manager at Daxx

Read more on the related topic: The Culture Map – the Netherlands & Ukraine

Post details
Related
Menu