3Shape Ukraine's project on a system for identifying and developing leaders took 1st place in the Learning & Development category of the national People First Award 2026. We did not build this project for the award. We built it because the team deserved a tool that would help it grow.
The People First Award is a national award in Ukraine that recognizes the best HR projects of the year. It is founded by the People First Club — a community of HR professionals and L&D practitioners across the industry.
In 2026, the Learning & Development category featured 11 projects — from large national brands to specialized educational programs. The jury and the professional community chose 3Shape Ukraine's project as the winner.
As a fast-growing technology company with 28 offices worldwide, 3Shape Ukraine faced a classic problem: the formal org chart showed managers and roles, but the real leaders — the people who launched initiatives, held critical processes together, and grew teams — often did not match that structure.
The classic answer is to hire leaders from outside. An expensive, slow, and culturally risky decision. Especially during the war, which radically transformed the Ukrainian labor market.
We chose a different path. To find out who is already a leader in the company — not by title, but by impact. And to give those people a tool that confirms their role and lets it grow.
The 3Shape Ukraine P&C team built a leadership competency matrix — a structured assessment system grounded in 3Shape's global standards, but adapted to the Ukrainian market and the realities of wartime.
The matrix did not replace the formal org structure. It works in parallel — as a tool for diagnostics, development, and career conversations.
Made visible the leaders who were previously "invisible" in the org structure
Gave a shared language for talking about leadership — between a manager and an employee, between teams, between offices
Created a clear development path: from the current level to the next, with concrete steps
Aligned the Ukrainian approach with 3Shape's global methodology without destroying the local culture
An award is external recognition of the work, but it is not the work itself. The real result of a project is measured by what stays in the company after the presentations are closed, the jury has spoken, and the team has gone back to everyday tasks.
We gained a tool we use every day. A system in which a manager and an employee speak the same language about development. A list of people whose real impact on the company is now visible — not by title, but by fact.
Winning the Learning & Development category confirmed that we did the right work. But it was never the goal. The goal was the system — and it works now.
The Leadership Competency Matrix — integrated into the daily work of 3Shape Ukraine's P&C team and managers. Used in onboarding, performance dialogues, and career planning.
A shared vocabulary of leadership competencies between the Ukrainian office and the global headquarters. Aligned, but not uniform — with respect for the local culture.
1st place in the Learning & Development category at People First Award 2026 — a national award voted on by the HR community and the jury.
"Leadership is not a position. Leaders are not appointed. It is an inner state: understanding people, understanding processes, a clear goal, and ownership of reaching it. Play to win."
Before creating the matrix, we ran in-depth interviews with managers and employees. We asked not "who is your manager," but "who helps you grow." It turned out — these were often different people.
We did not invent the competencies from scratch. The base was 3Shape's global model. But the wording, examples, and rating scales are fully Ukrainian. No translation. That is the difference between adaptation and imposition.
We deliberately did NOT tie the matrix to compensation or career decisions "automatically." The matrix is a reason for a conversation. The decision is made by the manager together with the person. It is slower, but it works.
The project presentation, created by the 3Shape Ukraine team for the People First Award 2026 nomination. Here is the full story: from problem to solution, from methodology to results.
The winners announcement was published on the official People First Club website on June 03, 2026. 3Shape Ukraine — winner of the Learning & Development category among 11 projects.
View on People First Club →
This project is about a system. But a winning story is always about people.
Thank you to the 3Shape Ukraine team, without whom there would be no project, no tool, and no result. Every person who gave feedback, who went through the assessment, who believed in a new language of leadership — is part of this win.
Thank you to the People First Club for creating an award that measures not the outer shine, but the real work.
Thank you to our colleagues at 3Shape Global headquarters in Copenhagen — for trusting the Ukraine office and for the freedom to build our own methodology on the foundation of global standards.