Saturday, July 06, 2019

Korean Business Talking Points

American holidays allow me to step back, see what I may be missing, take a deep breath and uncover the best solutions to current challenges.  My goal is to provide frank insights and pro-active recommendations. Below are a couple helpful talking points. 
Talking Point #1
As with all individuals, no two of us are alike—and the same goes for westerners and Koreans .... Each has his or her unique cultural workplace strengths, skills, and experiences.
That said, one topic I constantly revisit is the assumption that executives and teams engaged in Korea facing business will simply "get it" and “learn as they go.” Without ongoing coaching, this common default seldom works. More damaging is that some team members without support and mentoring may “never get it.”
Arguments that such support can wait often come with a price tag—missteps along the way, poor productivity, and miscommunications. 
Push back attributed to the costs for support is often cited, too, as well as what appears to be dismissing or delaying any action until there is a real unavoidable need. The later can range from denial with hopes that things will work out—to concealing these issues because they might reflect poorly on some in local management. Again, regardless of such hopes to dismiss and not engage fail to recognize what I see as decades of history to the contrary.  
Talking Point #2
Most non-Korean executives employed to run Korean business divisions are veterans of their industry. They know the business. They are experts. Sadly, they can know little of Korean business and/or feel their past work knowledge is sufficient. 

Even more significant, I found that some feel that given time, they will get Koreans to do business their way following the model and methods they polished and acquired working for other firms—often Japanese or German. 

Contrary to this hope and recognizing the considerable work practices and corporate structure changes underway in Korea, such as dress codes, fewer hierarchical titles, and a more balanced workday, I do not see Korean firms changing much in their core and deeply rooted business values and processes. More so, American, German, or Japanese business practices like Korean are rooted in their own respective intrinsic cultures.  

My suggestion for division executives eager to bring change is to first become fully versed in Korean methods. Learn about the company and their partners. Learn how Koreans manage. Drill deep.

This learning does not occur without considerable insight, mentoring and coaching. In turn, once this groundwork is completed, I have found and can offer some sound approaches for introducing new business methods and practices without push back. 
In both cases…
Ongoing support of non-Korean management is a must for all Korea facing organizations. Mentoring and coaching is the key. Experience and skills vary, so support must be tailored to address individual needs. 

More significant, mentoring requires a deep mutual understanding of both Korean and western business, not to mention the specific Western and Korea-based firms and the industry in general.
I look forward to answering any questions and providing recommendations.
Don

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