tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869680.post113599095542194917..comments2023-11-12T00:30:15.262+09:00Comments on Monster Island (actually a peninsula)*: Korea's productivity gone southkushibohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10306033998028548550noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869680.post-28159995859298982112010-04-10T12:00:25.548+09:002010-04-10T12:00:25.548+09:00In a hierarchial social system, personal responsib...In a hierarchial social system, personal responsibility is a non issue mostly, because it'll fall under the no one sees, no foul idea. I worked in Gangnam, and I met some people that worked at companies with these ideas, but mostly they didnt. You know who were the most miserable, my few Samsung students. They worked all the time, and for what? From what I gather, just the prestige...Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16884674690672017416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869680.post-1136142872374218732006-01-02T04:14:00.000+09:002006-01-02T04:14:00.000+09:00Actually, some academic refugees aren't bucking th...Actually, some academic refugees aren't bucking the system, but rather beating the system by trying to slip through the 특례입학 loophole.DogwoodTree05https://www.blogger.com/profile/17039860673929141575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869680.post-1136142353213176392006-01-02T04:05:00.000+09:002006-01-02T04:05:00.000+09:00Kushibo, You are right. I should have realized th...Kushibo, <BR/><BR/>You are right. I should have realized that since some of my students are academic refugees from Korea. Their fathers continue to live and work in Korea while their mothers live with them here. Apart from one 게으름뱅이, they all work really hard but still have personal time and get a good night's sleep every night. The academic refugees I taught in China didn't really get a break as Chinese cities are full of 학원 that suck the money and life out of poor Korean kids who spend all evening there after spending all day at an international school.DogwoodTree05https://www.blogger.com/profile/17039860673929141575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869680.post-1136086594734200282006-01-01T12:36:00.000+09:002006-01-01T12:36:00.000+09:00I am still waiting to meet one brave Korean mother...<B>I am still waiting to meet one brave Korean mother and child who will buck the system and let the kid get a good night's sleep every night.</B><BR/><BR/>Korean mothers who buck the system are all in the United States.kushibohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10306033998028548550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869680.post-1136077607150919072006-01-01T10:06:00.000+09:002006-01-01T10:06:00.000+09:00Gerry,I nodded at every point you made, especially...Gerry,<BR/><BR/>I nodded at every point you made, especially #6, lack of planning. That one frustrated me more than anything else while I was living and working in Korea.<BR/><BR/>Kushibo,<BR/><BR/>Maybe you could write a sequel about the silly "sleep four hours, pass; sleep five, fail" approach to preparing for the entrance exam. I am still waiting to meet one brave Korean mother and child who will buck the system and let the kid get a good night's sleep every night.DogwoodTree05https://www.blogger.com/profile/17039860673929141575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869680.post-1136070300322711682006-01-01T08:05:00.000+09:002006-01-01T08:05:00.000+09:00Here are a few things I have noticed in the Korean...Here are a few things I have noticed in the Korean workplace:<BR/><BR/>1) <B>Lack of supervision.</B> Koreans seem to take a lot of coffee breaks, and sometimes disappear for hours at time, often going to a sauna to relieve the hangover from the previous night's office party.<BR/><BR/>2) <B>Lacking of training.</B> Some Koreans use word processors to prepare spreadsheets, and presentation software to prepare documents because they do not know how to use the appropriate application. <BR/><BR/>3) <B>Lack of experience.</B> Many times employees are moved to a different job just as they were starting to learn their previous job.<BR/><BR/>4) <B>Lack of teamwork.</B> Koreans often hoard information in an attempt to protect their jobs from better qualified underlings. Supervisors will give those in their charge a fish without telling them how to catch the fish, which means the employee must keep coming back to them for another fish. This is a big waste of time.<BR/><BR/>5) <B>Lack of motivation.</B> In Korea, the rule is usually "do your time and get promoted"; not "work hard and get promoted."<BR/><BR/>6) <B>Lack of planning.</B> Koreans often begin a project without the proper planning, choosing instead to fix the mistakes along the way. Many times a director or manager will just tell his or her people to do a job without telling them how he wants the job done. This is done because the director or manager does not know exactly what he or she wants, but feels he or she will know it when he or she sees it. A lot of time is wasted this way.<BR/><BR/>7) <B>Lack of delegation.</B> Sometimes it takes a whole day to write one letter because the letter is usually written by an underling who must get it approved by his assisstant manager, who must get it approved by the manager, who must get it approved by the deputy general manager, who must get it approved by the general manager, who then takes it to the director to get his stamp. In each step of the approval process, the approving supervisor often feels the need to make some change in the letter to show his authority and superior intellect. This results in a letter that is rewritten as many as six or seven times.<BR/><BR/>8) <B>Too much alcohol.</B> Korean companies seem to use alcohol for bonding and as a way to keep their employees from realizing they have crappy jobs. This often leaves employees too tired or too hungover to do much work the next day.<BR/><BR/>I think I will stop here.Gerry Bevershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14311939520870098017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869680.post-1136056122399667872006-01-01T04:08:00.001+09:002006-01-01T04:08:00.001+09:00Oh, Happy New Year!Oh, Happy New Year!Hastlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01506861229484928704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869680.post-1136056091383509812006-01-01T04:08:00.000+09:002006-01-01T04:08:00.000+09:00You have the point here about the problems with th...You have the point here about the problems with the work systems. The old systems came from fierce competition, both from outside and within, that instilled into most corporate heads the "more workhours, more production" mentality, which seems quite out of place today, tho.<BR/><BR/>Admitting, however, that the past Korean economy "has been" driven mostly by the mass production system, I want to add that the concept of "work efficiency" is the one very recently being adopted by the Korean corporate environment, along with human resources management and some more, however long ago they were first introduced.<BR/><BR/>The 5-day workweek is one example of how Korean economy is adopting itself to such concepts that were usually forieng to them.Hastlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01506861229484928704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869680.post-1136023247675843542005-12-31T19:00:00.001+09:002005-12-31T19:00:00.001+09:00happy new year by the wayhappy new year by the waySan Nakjihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08817117832993227739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869680.post-1136023228395995442005-12-31T19:00:00.000+09:002005-12-31T19:00:00.000+09:001000 people working there, but only one line ever ...1000 people working there, but only one line ever seems to be operating...San Nakjihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08817117832993227739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869680.post-1135997007770837452005-12-31T11:43:00.000+09:002005-12-31T11:43:00.000+09:00What do you mean about the Immigration Department?...What do you mean about the Immigration Department?kushibohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10306033998028548550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3869680.post-1135992391583746542005-12-31T10:26:00.000+09:002005-12-31T10:26:00.000+09:00This is a bloody good post. I have been arguing th...This is a bloody good post. I have been arguing this for years with Koreans. If you want a vision of non-productivity, check out the Immigration Dept!San Nakjihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08817117832993227739noreply@blogger.com