Mgt 501
Trident University International
Ignacio GradyCorral
Module 1-CA
MGT 501 Mgmt. and Org. Behavior
Dr. Jeff Gabbert
12 January 2013
This case assignment has us study how institutions and their management are effected by culture and environments. In the fiction article The Would-Be Pioneer (Green, 2011); the author explores the challenges faced by Ms. Linda Meyers when she accepts a job as the Vice President of SK Telecom, a South Korean Mobile Telecommunications company. In this case assignment we shall cover what went wrong with Ms. Meyer’s tenure, the problem Ms. Meyer’s encountered using Hofstede’s five dimensions of culture, and finally make a recommendation of three specific changes Ms. Meyer’s could have made to her management style.
The Problem
One of the first clues that there were going to be issues at SK Telecom originated before she accepted the Job. The agency that was hired to recruit a VP referred to her as “Mr.”, she continued with the process and assumed it was a mistake. Green’s article points out clearly to the fact that the South Korean culture is very different than the U.S. She was facing a male dominated society that held ones title, age, and status in the highest of regards, specifically among men. This understanding quickly put Ms. Myers in a difficult position early into her job. Although the caution signs were there, she had ignored them and failed to effectively research and learn what would be the expectations and norms of her new environment and it was making things very challenging for her to fit in and begin making changes, which is what she felt she was hired to do (Green, 2011).
On top of Ms. Meyer’s being unprepared to face a male dominant South Korean Society, she also failed to prepare for the language barrier. South Korea is extremely homogeneous and only 2.4% of its population is foreign. The understanding of the Korean language is almost a necessity if one hopes to find great success in working with their
Ignacio GradyCorral
Module 1-CA
MGT 501 Mgmt. and Org. Behavior
Dr. Jeff Gabbert
12 January 2013
This case assignment has us study how institutions and their management are effected by culture and environments. In the fiction article The Would-Be Pioneer (Green, 2011); the author explores the challenges faced by Ms. Linda Meyers when she accepts a job as the Vice President of SK Telecom, a South Korean Mobile Telecommunications company. In this case assignment we shall cover what went wrong with Ms. Meyer’s tenure, the problem Ms. Meyer’s encountered using Hofstede’s five dimensions of culture, and finally make a recommendation of three specific changes Ms. Meyer’s could have made to her management style.
The Problem
One of the first clues that there were going to be issues at SK Telecom originated before she accepted the Job. The agency that was hired to recruit a VP referred to her as “Mr.”, she continued with the process and assumed it was a mistake. Green’s article points out clearly to the fact that the South Korean culture is very different than the U.S. She was facing a male dominated society that held ones title, age, and status in the highest of regards, specifically among men. This understanding quickly put Ms. Myers in a difficult position early into her job. Although the caution signs were there, she had ignored them and failed to effectively research and learn what would be the expectations and norms of her new environment and it was making things very challenging for her to fit in and begin making changes, which is what she felt she was hired to do (Green, 2011).
On top of Ms. Meyer’s being unprepared to face a male dominant South Korean Society, she also failed to prepare for the language barrier. South Korea is extremely homogeneous and only 2.4% of its population is foreign. The understanding of the Korean language is almost a necessity if one hopes to find great success in working with their
References: Geert-Hofstede. (2012). Retrieved JANUARY 10, 2013, from Geert-Hofstede: http://geert-hofstede.com/south-korea.html Mind Tools. (2012). Retrieved January 10, 2013, from Hofstede 's cultural dimensions: Understanding workplace values around the world: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_66.htm Green, S. (2011). The Would-Be Pioneer. Harvard Business Review, 124-126.