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HRD Training Thursday: FKCCI supports global leaders in enhancing multicultural team management skills in Korea
On March 21st, the FKCCI held its first HRD training seminar in 2024, organized in collaboration with the KGCCI (Korean German Chamber of Commerce and Industry) and the Austcham (Australian Chamber of Commerce in Korea). 16 global business managers with varying levels of experience in Korea gathered to learn about effective two-way communication with their multicultural teams under the theme of “How to lead and steer Korean Teams within a Multinational.”
The seminar was led by Mr. Simon Bureau, CEO of Vectis, a seasoned coach with 35 years of expertise in international business and development, including 20 years in Korea. Mr. Bureau provided insights into cross-cultural differences and leadership styles and helped expatriate managers understand their Korean teams, and implement effective strategies in their workplace.
During the session, participants explored the differences between Korean and Western cultures with historical, societal, and cultural approaches. Mr. Bureau highlighted particularly the concept of silence in Korean culture and the difference between Korea’s collectivist culture focusing on preserving relations and the individualistic Western culture. The latter is reflected in famous TV shows and classic paintings, where Koreans tend to regard themselves as members of groups such as family, school, and company, and therefore within society as a whole. Mr. Bureau mentioned that these cultural differences explain the contrast between Westerners’ low-context culture and the high-context culture of Korean society, where colleagues don’t always confront their leaders out of fear of disrespecting hierarchy and “losing face,” and instead prefer to read between the lines, as they grew up learning the concept of “Noon-Chi”, the ability to understand social cues.
In this regard, Mr. Bureau presented the ways on how these differences in leadership styles can be leveraged, covering different approaches for different levels and situations, from younger talents fresh out of school to experienced middle or senior managers. Participants had the opportunity to interact with the coach during sessions to share their own pain points in the field and get to know diverse techniques and strategies to solicit honest feedback and foster trust within the organization.
The participants unanimously appreciated the open discussion as it allowed them to learn from real-world examples and hear from others. "I enjoyed the whole training; it was a wonderful mix of large and smaller companies' experiences and for me, the most interesting part was about managing Gen MZ." said one of the participants. Additionally, participants found the tips on conducting effective team meetings highly beneficial and gained a deeper understanding of their Korean teams by adopting their perspectives.
