It's Day 4 of the 10 day Korea Facing coaching series. The lessons' share hints for Korea facing business. In part, content will be excerpts from Korea Facing: Secrets for Korean Global Business. Plus, I will include some timely comments based on recent consultancy.
Lesson 4 Similar
but Different
Following
a recent client engagement, I had the opportunity to chat with the local subsidiary's
Korean CEO. He hoped I'd shared with his team how the company in Korea and the
US differed from the Group's sister firms--many wrongly assuming a high level
of conformity across the Group. I assured him that "yes," I shared in
the training how even within the Group each company had it's own unique
culture. And, not only did sister companies differ, but how the Koreans
recruited and working at companies within the Group were different. On parting
I added, and the CEO agreed, that a key point to be shared was that Koreans
dispatched to support the division's overseas operation over time came to see
things differently than the Korea-based teams.
Building
on this...
Prior to
a global workshop on the ever changing Korean workplace, a senior Korean
executive once asked that I also explain to the group that despite perceived
outward appearances and their homogenous society that no two Koreans are
alike....In other words he asked that I help dispel common stereotypes, etc.
I agreed,
and did my best to pass on the message that like Westerners--behaviors,
mindset, and experience varied among Koreans...this despite strong corporate
culture and indoctrination.
In
particular, factors contributing to how Koreans might differ can include:
generational issues, global travel, work, and educational experiences, and
significantly how they were mentored in a management style.
As for
the later, during a team building workshop held several years ago, a senior
Korean manager openly shared some insights on Korean management styles. He
noted that within his Korean division teams were mentored by seniors in one of
several styles.... For example, some senior managers fostered a
"soft" management style of collaboration, while others used a
"hard" autocratic style. Elaborating more about how he was mentored,
he learned to first present the challenge to his team, then ask his juniors.
And in the case of working in the overseas' subsidiary he learned to ask the
American colleagues for their ideas vs. directing the team on what to do--a
style he'd been taught by his longtime boss.
Other
Management Styles?
That
said, what other styles have you experienced with Korea based companies? Please
share.
DS
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