Everything Korea Office Chat Similar Brings Us Together 2021

I often say Similar bring us together

Global business requires colleagues of different cultures to work together on a daily basis.

How we see each other culturally is often in the differences, like language and in similarities such as shared values like family. I like to focus on the later; as differences can pull us apart and similarities brings us together.

Particularly for western teams engaged in all ways with Korean operations, I believe in the importance of deep learning about the workplace in Korea — the 2021 norms, practices, and day-to-day life. They do change and most often we can get fixed on what could have been tainted by here say — or an altogether lack of understanding.

The same learning goes for Korean global teams assigned to support overseas’ operations. They need to become learners — savvy in the wide range of local overseas practices. Expecting global teams to bend to Korean business norms rarely works, too. It just leads to delays and stalled projects.

As I note above, recognizing similarities is one of the most powerful cross-cultural bridges. In other words, how can you relate to the nuances in communications and day-to-day life. This requires identifying the local beliefs, values, expectations, traditions, and culture.

These insights allow us to better understand our mutual teams’ thoughts and expectations.