Go to contents

‘Revolutionary vacation’ changes Korea’s corporate culture

‘Revolutionary vacation’ changes Korea’s corporate culture

Posted July. 04, 2015 01:25,   

한국어

At Google, there is a position titled ‘Head of Innovation & Creativity Programs.’ Frederik G. Pferdt, the head who is in charge of the internet giant’s innovation and creativity, has named transparency and the right to speak as major driving forces behind innovation during his visit to Korea in May. Google discloses all on-going projects to around 50,000 employees, including interns to the CEO. According to the tech company, it can avoid redundancy of works and encourage employees to help each other as they know what others do. However, more representative Google’s creativity program is to allocate 20 % of the work hours for side projects, which are not an individual’s own assignment.

Many researches demonstrate that doing other stuff besides one’s own assignment can boost creativity. “Excessive information hinders creative ideas. Stop meetings,” said Professor Daniel C. Smith at Kelly School of Business of Indiana University, the U.S. It means that creative ideas pop up out of blue when having thoughts, sleeping, working out, and having time with family. Culture psychologist Kim Jeong-woon, the writer of ‘Person good at playing can succeed,’ argues that spending time for fun boosts creativity.

Samsung Electronics has introduced the self-development leave system, which allows employees to have a leave up to 1 year for competence building. Whether it is a long-term overseas travel or a language program, the company gives time for personal development unconditionally when an employee submits a plan. Maternity leave for both male and female employees has been extended from 1 year to 2 years. In an effort to transform itself from ‘iron-handed Samsung’ to a creative company, Samsung has been implementing the flexible working time system since last year in which an individual can decide when to start and end the work hours, as long as the individual work for 40 hours a week.

According to the OECD statistics, Koreans work for the second longest hours (in 2013) among the 34 OECD member countries. Korea had topped the list for a long time and gave the first place to Mexico in 2008 when the five work-days system and the flexible working time system were expanded. There are many harsh comments about the Korean corporate culture on the Glass Door, the world’s largest company review website. “People cannot go home after six, even though they have completed their assignments, because they have to read the superior’s mind,” someone has left this comment on the website. It gives a glimpse why the right to speak is one of the major driving forces behind innovation. It would be great if the fun and revolutionary vacation system can be a catalyst to change Korea’s corporate culture.



ysshin@donga.com