HeadHunter PLC (A): The Calm Before the Storm
The HH.ru case series tracks the development of a respected NASDAQ-listed Russian technology company as it struggles with the fallout of the Russian invasion (“Strategic Military Operation”) of the Ukraine. While the senior leadership team at HH did not welcome the invasion, they face the nearly insurmountable challenges of maintaining the company’s values while defending their business in the highly stressed environment of post-invasion Russia. The case series includes five separate linked cases. The HH (A) case is the most comprehensive and covers the company’s history and reviews its values. It ends just before the start of the Russian invasion. The (A) case helps students appreciate that HH is a well-run, Western-oriented technology company with values fully consistent with those in the West. The (B) case captures the events in the company immediately after the invasion and raises important questions for how leaders should engage employees on potentially contentious issues. The (C) case jumps forward four months and reviews the company’s efforts to bring order and calm to employees who are in trauma. It also captures the actions of an HH leader who has seemingly broken with company protocol and brought the company into potentially direct conflict with State security forces. The (D) case focuses on the impact of Putin’s partial mobilization order of September 21, 2022, with the consequence that many of HH’s more talented employees are now fleeing the country. The (E) case provides an epilogue and update and reviews some of the lessons learned by HH leaders.
1. Develop an appreciation that bad things often happen to good companies (and people) and that a crisis may be hiding around the corner for even the best company.
2. Broaden their understanding of how crises are a powerful force that test and potentially undermine a company’s core values more specifically and culture more broadly
3. Articulate what leaders can do to help employees cope with the debilitating stresses that often accompany crises.
4. Better understand the importance of effective communication—both internally and externally—in helping a company maneuver through a crisis.
