Russia is one of the top crude oil producers in the world, alongside Saudi Arabia. Russia’s oil taxation is responsible for over 50% of it’s federal budget, a significant portion of its economic flexibility (Aleksashenko, 2016). As a result, when the price of oil barrels began plummeting at the end of 2014, and eventually sinking to rock bottom by the end of 2015, Russia’s economic forecast was looking grim, and the people, even more so– the people were beginning to lose faith in Russia’s economic stability and growth (Krauss, 2016). Russia was continuing to produce massive amounts of crude oil despite the speculation of many analysts that it would deplete its reserves, if oil production rates remained the same (Gusovsky, 2016). However, Russia had entered a standoff, one that would affect the entire global economy. When Saudi Arabia, the other top crude oil producer in the world didn’t appear to be slowing down its oil production rates either, some sort of compromise had to be made before Russia’s economy continued to vastly decline (Gusovsky, 2016). The big challenge here was the geopolitics that are inherently involved. Would Russia cooperate with Saudi Arabia despite staunch differences in views on energy policy and terrorism (Pakhomov, 2016)? Despite these vastly differing stances, Russia and Saudi Arabia were able to enter an agreement on oil production cuts, effectively forecasting an improvement for the Russian economy (Lian et al., 2016). Russia’s cooperation with Saudi Arabia has proven to be an effective decision, one that is supported by the cultural dimensions of Uncertainty Avoidance, Long-term Orientation and models of a non-zero sum game.

Hofstede (n.d) describes Uncertainty Avoidance as the way in which a society behaves and prepares for uncertainty in the future, but most importantly, it describes the societal perception of threat due to ambiguity. Russia scores a 95 in Uncertainty Avoidance, effectively making them a country with one the highest scores in this cultural dimension (Hofstede, n.d). Hofstede (n.d) also states that Russia has established one of the most complex bureaucracies in the world; allocate extensive background information prior to negotiations; prefer formality and an appearance of being distant when interacting with strangers. With Russia’s high Uncertainty Avoidance, it’s no surprise that dealing with Saudi Arabia was a complex task. How do you deal with a country that has open relations with jihadist groups in Syria (Pakhomov, 2016)? Though one thing was certain– Russia’s oil prices needed to stabilize and Saudi Arabia was interested in improving its overall market position outside of oil production (Pakhomov, 2016). Russia kept most global analysts guessing for a while– were they going to put a halt to oil productions or are they just bluffing (Gusovsky, 2016)?

Despite the differences between Russia and Saudi Arabia on these geopolitical stances, Russia’s identity of high Long Term Orientation was evident, when in early September of 2016, Russia made an agreement with Saudi Arabia to cooperate in lowering oil production rates, forecasting an improvement for Russia’s economy as well as the global economy (Defterios & Riley, 2016). Hofstede (n.d) explains that high Long Term Orientation scores represent a society that possesses a pragmatic mindset. A pragmatic society demonstrates adaptability based on changing conditions and situations, and the perseverance in achieving results (Hofstede, n.d). Results were markedly visible when Russia’s decision to cooperate with Saudi Arabia boosted oil pries from a low of $27 to a stable $50 (Lian et al., 2016). However, Russia’s decision to cooperate has had greater influence than original anticipations could have foreseen. On November 30th, OPEC members had made a pledge to remove 1.2 million barrels per day from global oil productions with the cooperation of non-OPEC countries like Russia (The Economist, 2016). These combined efforts would yield nearly a 2% global production cut, revitalizing public faith in OPEC (The Economist, 2016). These global oil production cuts would improve overall oil prices and it is likely that these results wouldn’t have been possible without Russia. Their pragmatic approach and high Long Term Orientation identity had made a global impact.

 

Russia, along with Saudi Arabia and other top oil producers were playing a non-zero sum game. By definition, a non-zero sum game involves two or more players (in this case, two or more countries) to either cooperate for a win/win scenario or the failure to cooperate for a lose/lose scenario (Wright, 2000) . In our example, Russia and Saudi Arabia are the big players of the game (along with many other smaller players) and the less competition they have, the more profitable they are in their own rights because of their ability to control market price. If Russia continued about extremely high oil production rates, competing crude oil producers would need to match high oil production rates to prevent Russia from controlling the market, outright. Though, because of limited supply and demand, low and competitive prices would impact the profitability of all the involved countries in their ability to maintain higher market prices. If however, the oil producers involved were to find a balance on lowering prices based on current supply and demand, profitability would be maximized across all participants– an inherently difficult task as history has shown us. Cooperation is never an easy task when individuals stand to gain more at the expense of another. However, in recent events, Russia has demonstrated their pragmatic ability in accordance with their Long-term Orientation and Uncertainty Avoidance, effectively improving both the individual and global markets.

 

Aleksashenko, S. (2016, July 1). Is Russia’s Economy Doomed to Collapse? The National Interest.
Retrieved from http://nationalinterest.org/feature/russias-economy-doomed-collapse-16821?page=2

Defterios, J. & Riley, C. (2016, September 5). Oil jumps as Saudi Arabia and Russia agree to work together. CNN Money.
Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/2016/09/05/investing/saudi-arabia-russia-oil-market/

The Economist. (2016, December 3). OPEC reaches a deal to cut production. The Economist. 
Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21711088-oil-prices-surge-saudi-arabia-and-iran-sign-deal-opecs-meeting

Gusovsky, D. (2016, February 4). Russia and the Saudis: A 10-billion barrel game of oil bluff. CNBC.
Retrieved from http://www.cnbc.com/2016/02/04/russia-and-the-saudis-a-10-billion-barrel-game-of-oil-bluff.html

Hofstede, G. (n.d). What about Russia? Geert Hofstede.
Retrieved from https://geert-hofstede.com/russia.html

Holodny, E. (2016, September 6). Saudi-Arabia-Russia-Putin [Online Image].
Retrieved from http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/56aa756ec08a809e2f8bac6c/the-russia-saudi-oil-cooperation-is-actually-a-sign-of-extreme-economic-duress.jpg

Kim, A. J. (2012, November 9). Non-Zero-Sum Game [Online Image].
Retrieved from http://amyjokim.com/blog/2012/11/09/coop-first-non-zero-sum-games-are-reshaping-our-digital-world/

Krauss, C. (2016, December 1. a). Oil Prices: What’s Behind the Volatility? Simple Economics. The New York Times.
Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/business/energy-environment/oil-prices.html?_r=0

Krauss, C. (2016, December 1. b). Oil Explainer [Online Image].
Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/business/energy-environment/oil-prices.html?_r=0

Lian, R., Mason, J., Gamal, R. E. (2016, September 6). Saudi Arabia, Russia sign oil pact, may limit output in future. Reuters.
Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/article/us-g20-china-saudi-russia-oil-idUSKCN11B0UF

Pakhomov, N. (2016, May 26). Russia and Saudi Arabia Are Headed for a Showdown. The National Interest.
Retrieved from http://nationalinterest.org/feature/russia-saudi-arabia-are-headed-showdown-16362?page=2

Wright, R. (2000). NONZERO THE LOGIC OF HUMAN DESTINY. Nonzero.org.
Retrieved from http://www.nonzero.org/gametheory.htm

Post World War II, Japan centralized its focus on rebuilding itself from the ground-up, beginning with its crippled economy with the help of policies proposed by General Douglas A. MacArthur (Office of the Historian, n.d). By 1970, Japan had mostly caught up with the other industrial economies in the world, and their initial goal of rapid economic development was a major success; their rapid economic recovery is referred by many as the “Miracle Recovery” (Otsubo, 2007). Japan had quickly and successfully established a main bank, a market system, corporate governance and official public policies (Otsubo, 2007). By the early 1980’s, Japan became so successful with their collectivistic economic repair approach, their GDP per capita rivaled or surpassed many western countries and eventually boasted the second largest economy in the world, just behind the United States (Colombo, 2012). Japan’s economy was bolstered by mega corporations like Sony, Mitsubishi, Honda, Datsun (Nissan), Hitachi and Nintendo, whom all shared a common, yet super effective approach in the recovery of the Japanese economy– create more efficient Western products and sell the improved products back to the West (Colombo, 2012). However, by the early 1990’s, Japan’s overwhelming economic success came to a screeching halt with the stock bubble and real estate bubble implosions, an economic disaster that has persisted and continues to affect the livelihood of Japanese millennials today (Colomobo, 2012). It is believed the Japanese economic bubble was the result of the failure to adapt, poor corporate governance and the absence of innovative investment opportunities, however, this may not wholly account for the persistence of Japan’s economic stagnation (Colombo, 2012). Currently, Japan is threatened with the world’s most rapidly aging population, alongside its continuing decline of birth rates and immigration; resulting in an estimated loss of a million people a year for the next couple decades (Shmuel, 2016). It is suspected the culprit to Japan’s continued economic stagnation lies within Japan’s crippling combination of high Masculinity and high Uncertainty Avoidance according to Hofstede’s 6-D model; a double-edged blade responsible for both Japan’s initial economic thriving and also its economic stifling (Hofstede, n.d).

According to Hofstede (n.d), a high Masculinity score indicates a society that promotes competition, achievement and success. Hofstede (n.d) also states that high Masculinity is founded on the basis of success which is measured by a “winner” or “best-in-the-field” mentality. This type of value system is reflected through the everyday behaviors and actions of the society in question. As a basis, the United States is considered a highly Masculine society that promotes competitiveness, achievement and success; indicative by their Masculinity score of 62. However, by comparison, it is revealed that Japan possesses an even more extraordinary Masculinity score of 95; the highest score of all of the countries cataloged by Hofstede, toppling over all western countries (Clearly Cultural, 2016). Such a high score leaves little room for alternative behavior outside the norms of absolute achievement and excellence. Japan, however, utilizes this high masculinity atypically and demonstrates it in a group verse group setting due to their mild collectivism (Hofstede, n.d). In essence, the Japanese people are constantly fighting to win for their representative groups, companies or teams; Hofstede (n.d) argues that this behavior can be witnessed as early as in Kindergarten, during sports day competitions where children are broken into 2 opposing teams and aim for victory. In the construct of education, the Japanese children are constantly reminded about the “race to the top” mentality, due to the continued, extreme competitiveness that awaits in their adulthood (Berlatsky, 2013). The “race to the top” mentality proved to be effective and compatible during Japan’s economic high up until the late 1980’s; an effective strategy for a capitalistic society (Berlatsky, 2013). However, as Japan continues trudging through its three decade economic slump, with more than a third of its population on an irregular employment schedule, and below the poverty line; a new strategy must be implemented to rescue Japan’s drowning economy (Berlatsky, 2013).

Uncertainty Avoidance in Japan is also remarkably high with a score of 92; effectively placing Japan as a country with one of the largest uncertainty avoidance scores according to Hofstede (n.d). Because Uncertainty Avoidance dictates societal behavior associated with disinterest in ambiguity and the unforeseeable future, this dimension is especially important when considering Japan’s ability to break free from their economic status quo (Hofstede, n.d). The high Uncertainty Avoidance score is evident in how Japanese people pay particular attention to societal predictability and their strong adherence to societal norms. Cultural uniformity and predictability is consistent among all Japanese people in behaviors and event procedures, such as school ceremonies, weddings, funerals, and other social events (Hofstede, n.d). Because there is such a great emphasis on predictability, individuals will rarely consider risky or unusual behavior. In the corporate world, Japanese managers are expected to prepare facts, figures and risk factors in full detail before embarking on any project or decision (Hofstede, n.d). It is unsurprising that Hofstede (n.d) argues that Japan’s high need for Uncertainty Avoidance is a major obstacle in Japan’s ability to make change. Uncertainty avoidance has crippled Japan’s ability to develop new and different solutions to tackle its issues at hand, including the country’s reluctance to employ more women and hire the less than extraordinary. Among these issues, one of the most concerning problems involve low birth rates. According to Jozuka & Ripley (2016), nearly half of Japanese millennials are single and unwilling to commit to marriage with the existing financial and job insecurities (Jozuka & Ripley, 2016). This statistic is especially significant because of Japan’s current birth rate ratios of 1.46 children per woman; far short of the 2.1 estimate needed for population growth (Shmuel, 2016).

Japan’s initial economic thriving was a major success with the country’s cumulative efforts in “catching up” toward the pre-established economies of the western world (Crawford, 1998). The concept of catching up was especially effective because of its super-linear and directive goal, which was complimentary to Japan’s high Masculinity and Uncertainty Avoidance. Japan had a unanimous goal– divert all energy towards creating a strong economic foundation and starting anew. In this process, Japan took all of what was great in the western worlds and greatly succeeded in making many products better, and most importantly, profitable (Crawford, 1998). Since reaching it’s goal over 30 years ago, Japan is still in need of a new strategy to revitalize its economy from its current state of affairs. Though high Uncertainty Avoidance and high Masculinity are key features of the Japanese identity, a compromise in these domains may be needed for steps in the right direction, perhaps a different form of ‘catching up’.

 

Berlatsky, N. (2013, November 22). Japan’s Cutthroat School System: A Cautionary Tale for the U.S. The Atlantic.
Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/11/japans-cutthroat-school-system-a-cautionary-tale-for-the-us/281612/

Clearly Cultural. (2016). Masculinity. Clearly Cultural. 
Retrieved from http://www.clearlycultural.com/geert-hofstede-cultural-dimensions/masculinity/

Colombo, J. (2012, June 4). Japan’s Bubble Economy of the 1980s. The Bubble Bubble. 
Retrieved from http://www.thebubblebubble.com/japan-bubble/

Crawford, R. J. (1998, February). Reinterpreting the Japanese Economic Miracle. Harvard Business Review. 
Retrieved from https://hbr.org/1998/01/reinterpreting-the-japanese-economic-miracle

Hofstede, G. (n.d). What About Japan? Geert Hofstede. 
Retrieved from https://geert-hofstede.com/japan.html

International Dove. (2015, November 15). Newborns in Need [Online image].
Retrieved from http://internationaldove.com/newborns-in-need/

Jozuka, E. & Ripley, W. (2016, September 20). Why are almost half of Japan’s millennials still virgins? CNN.
Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/20/asia/japanese-millennials-virgins/

Office of the Historian. (n.d). Occupation and Reconstruction of Japan, 1945-52. Office of The Historian.
Retrieved from https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/japan-reconstruction

Otsubo, S. T. (2007, April). Post-war Development of the Japanese Economy.
Retrieved from http://www.gsid.nagoya-u.ac.jp/sotsubo/Postwar_Development_of_the_Japanese%20Economy(Otsubo_NagoyaU).pdf

Royalty Free Stock Photo. (n.d). Rise and fall graph [Online image].
Retrieved from https://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-photo-rise-fall-graph-image10023735

Schmuel, J. (2016, August 11). Trapped by its past success, Japan aims to fix economy with Abenomics’ ‘three arrows’. Financial Post.
Retrieved from http://business.financialpost.com/news/economy/japan-in-transition-world-watching-to-see-if-abenomics-works

Tour East Holidays Inc. (2016). Japan [Online Image].
Retrieved from http://en.toureast.com/destinations/asia/japan

 

Over the past few decades, South America has capitalized on the development of several different industries– namely agriculture, mining, manufacturing, service and banking (The Pennsylvania State University, n.d). The result of these economic progresses are evident in the overall improvement of education and technology as well as substantial modernization in buildings and structures (The Pennsylvania State University, n.d). At the forefront of this economic growth and advancements is Brazil; Brazil has been indicated to have become the eight largest economy in the world, largely due to their efforts in the logging and mining industries (The Pennsylvania State University, n.d). In light of these economic improvements, Brazil has spurred further economic growth through their investments and expansion in tourism; resulting in popular, modern attractions such as hiking, skiing and snowboarding (The Pennsylvania State University, n.d). However, despite Brazil’s shining economic success in recent years, they may now be facing the longest recession since the 1930’s and suffering from great inflation, political tension and corruption (Gillespie, 2016). Although this economic crisis appears to be targeting Brazil and South America as a whole, it may in fact be a worldwide issue– a global recession that we’ll all soon feel. As we continue to approach a more globally interconnected state, we must be culturally aware and our attention must be wholesome to recognize all matters including those outside of our own. As global leaders, our ability to demonstrate cultural synergy is imperative for our global success and survival.

Since last December, Brazil’s inflation has risen over 10.7% from the prior year; the largest inflation rate the country has seen in over 12 years (Gillespie, 2016). To make matters worse, the unemployment rate is ever-increasing, delivering a massive blow to the middle-class and further widening the already existing economic gap (Snyder, 2016). So what exactly were the denominators that contributed to this economic crisis? Debts and a collapsing oil market (Snyder, 2016). During Brazil’s major economic, upward hike, the governments and business of South America took out enormous loans in U.S. denominations; to pay back these loans now, is even more difficult due to the increasing disparity between the appreciating U.S. currency and depreciating South American currencies (Snyder, 2016). To make matters worse, the collapsing oil prices has devastated South America as a whole; South America relies greatly on exporting these goods which are now worth far less than they were before (Snyder, 2016). As a result of inflation and depreciation, South America’s import trade has taken a significant hit as well, greatly affecting the middle class and small business owners. The lack of import goods such as wheat has even spurred a craze among citizens resulting in attempts to hoard basic supplies in advance, resulting in food shortages. For example, Snyder (2016) indicates that the economic impacts on Venezuela has been “absolutely frightening” with several Venezuelan bakeries hanging cardboard signs on their door, warning, “No Bread”. Even more frightening, this reduction of import trade has also affected a range of items including medicine and toilet paper (Snyder, 2016).

Stuenkel (2016) indicates that until only a few years ago, Brazil had still been on the forefront of the developing world and boasted some of the most active foreign policies. Brazil had built an “impressive network of embassies and consulates” with over 60 posts during the 2000’s all over Africa, Asia and more (Snyder, 2016). Snyder (2016) also indicates that these foreign policies extended into debates ranging from humanitarian intervention in Libya to rethinking development aid and other relation interventions. However, Brazil has now been victim to the worst economic crisis since the 1930’s and was further worsened by poor leadership and public contempt of former president, Dilma Rousseff (Snyder, 2016). Rousseff, according to several critics, was incompetent, indifferent and ignorant to all of the country’s political and economic conflicts and failed to address any real issues alongside her deep-rooted corruption (Snyder, 2016). Dilma Rousseff was impeached and removed from office on August 31, 2016 after a senate vote of 61 to 20 (Romero, 2016). Despite, her removal from office, Brazil still faces the same political and economic issues. Even worse, Brazil now has to confront the new acting president, Michel Temer, a man who has been found guilty of violating campaign finance limits and has allegations of being a beneficiary to a $300,000 bribe (Romero, 2016).

Aside from Brazil’s economic and political corruption, there are several other vulnerable countries that contribute to the global matter including China and the United States. Snyder (2016) indicates that Chinese state industries are planning to lay off over 5 million workers and U.S. factory orders has now fallen for 15 months in a row with the corporate default rate in the U.S. higher than Lehman Brothers during their collapse. Snyder (2016) says that the “hard economic numbers” indicate a significant slow-down to overall global economic activity and is representative of a new global recession that has already begun. The economic and political mayhem that is consuming Brazil may not appear to be a relative matter for others countries just yet, however, as we’ve seen with the result of Venezuelan economic slow-down; the economic impacts of one country intrinsically impacts the economic status of another. Though the trickle affects of Brazil’s current economic and political status may already be affecting us, it is not too late to educate, proliferate and employ concepts of cultural synergy. The Pennsylvania State University (n.d) defines synergy as cooperative or combined action, which occurs when diverse or disparate individuals or groups collaborate for a common cause. The objective is to “increase effectiveness by sharing perceptions and experiences, insights and knowledge; The Pennsylvania State University (n.d) also defines high cultural synergy as the embodiment of highly cooperative and community-oriented thinking, with the good of all in mind. By employing high cultural synergy and forward thinking as a global leader and community, we are capable of creating solutions for our entire worldwide community. The effectiveness of our group cohesion is contingent on multiple factors including our ability to accept and familiarize ourselves with each other, on several different planes; cultural, social, financial, political, and more. As Venezuelan and Brazilian inflation and depreciation has demonstrated for us; our global community is highly interconnected, and the negative results can be devastating.

Acualitix. (2016). South America – Inflation Rate [image]. Retrieved from
http://en.actualitix.com/country/amsu/south-america-inflation-rate.php

Gillespie, P. (2016, January 11). Latin America’s brutal start to 2016. CNN Money. Retrieved from
http://money.cnn.com/2016/01/11/news/economy/latin-america-2016/

Lysenkov, S. (n.d). Stock Photo [image]. Retrieved from
http://previews.123rf.com/images/copacool/copacool1502/copacool150200677/36777056-cultural-synergy-words-on-digital-screen-with-world-map-Stock-Photo.jpg

Pirnia, G. (2015, May 15). Blue Oven Bakery [image]. Retrieved from
https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/05/farmers-market-fetish-findlay-market-cincinnati-oh.html

Romero, S. (2016, August 31). Dilma Rousseff Is Ousted as Brazil’s President in Impeachment Vote. The New York Times. Retrieved from
www.nytimes.com/2016/09/01/world/americas/brazil-dilma-rousseff-impeached-removed-president.html

Snyder, M. (2016, March 04). The Economic Collapse Of South America Is Well Underway. Activist Post. Retrieved from
www.activistpost.com/2016/03/the-economic-collapse-of-south-america-is-well-underway.html

Stuenkel, O. (2016, April 25). How Brazil’s Crisis Is Bleeding into the Rest of South America. Americas Quarterly. Retrieved from
http://www.americasquarterly.org/content/how-brazils-crisis-bleeding-rest-south-america

The Pennsylvania State University. (n.d.a.). Lesson 06: Cultural Synergy. The Pennsylvania State University. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1802572/modules/items/21179088

The Pennsylvania State University. (n.d.b).  Lesson 08: South America: Focus on Brazil. The Pennsylvania State University. Retrieved from
https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1802572/modules/items/21179106

The world today continues to move forward quickly and energetically, towards a more efficient and interconnected state. In this global stride, leaders from organizations of every corner of the world continue to seek new opportunities in business, relationships and other interactions. In these efforts, we recognize that success is contingent on our efficiency in understanding one another; whether these understandings are of people in our own culture, or on foreigners we may have potential relations with. No matter the location, gender, race, ethnicity or other boundary may lie between two individuals, we recognize that we are social creatures and rely on each other to reach new plateaus in science, achievement and success. However, in communicating with one another, there may exist conflict in understanding or cultural gaffe with those unfamiliar to us. The Pennsylvania State University (n.d) on Leadership in a Global Context compares ethnocentrism to that of a self-inflicted debilitation, that significantly hinders our ability in advancing potential leadership opportunities; all around the globe. According to the Pennsylvania State University (n.d), the solution is simple– to gain a global perspective. However, in this solution we realize that it is not so simple and recognize that every culture practices different overarching beliefs and practices, some that may be seemingly similar, but in reality are entirely different. On the dimension of individualism versus collectivism, we see that these two entirely different perspectives reveal oppositely derived social norms. We will take a closer look at one example; South Korea, a collectivist society that scores an 18 on Individualism and 100 on Long Term Orientation (Hofstede, n.d). Afterwards, we will examine the history of South Korea and its deeply rooted practice of Confucianism.

South Korea according to Hoftsede (n.d) possesses an extraordinarily low Individualism score of just 18; by comparison, the United States reveals a score of a whopping 91. These numbers indicate “the degree of interdependence a society maintains among its members”; a low number indicates a more collectivist society in comparison to a higher number that indicates a more individualistic society (Hofstede, n.d). But what exactly does it mean to be a more individualistic or a more collective society? We’ll take a brief look at the properties that define these characteristics. To be individualistic means to have limited interest in others outside of yourself and direct family, whereas collectivist societies are people who are committed to units that are in groups and inherently take care of one another (Hofstede, n.d). South Korea, as a collectivist country reveals a society that places enormous value on interdependence; Koreans develop a sense of identity through relationships of their social connections (Ahn, 2011).

The core of South Korean culture revolves around the close involvement and inclusion of others. By interacting in a group and participating in group activities as opposed to individual activities, their interdependence is constantly reinforced and strengthened. The interesting thing however, is the modernization of collectivist thought and behavior that persists in the work environment, including large organizations and groups (Ahn, 2011). According to Lee (2012) it is found that Korean people feel they “owe” loyalty to parents, authority figures, organizational leaders, elders as well as the organization they work for. In part, demonstrating this loyalty is equivalent to demonstrating “Inhwa” or “harmony” which is a key principle that revolves around South Korean business culture (Lee, 2012). As such, anything that disrupts this harmony is equivalent to losing face and bringing dishonor to the organization or group. However, this concept of “Inhwa” does not translate to any specific concept in any other countries in its whole meaning. “Inhwa” is a conflicting concept for out-groups to understand, for instance in the United States, people do not consider conflicts with others’ opinions as disturbing harmony; instead, brainstorming (Lee, 2012). The mere suggestion of unwarranted body language, eye contact or gesture is considered highly offensive and disrupt the flow of the group. Although, the concept of “Inhwa” has evolved through modernism, its root and basic principles date all the way back to the time of Confucianism.

Confucianism and its principles highly influence the personal lives and business relations of the people of Korea. Confucianism is an ancient Chinese way of thought that dates back to 500 BC, where Confucius taught 5 moral disciplines to his students:

1. Justice and righteousness should mark the relations between sovereign and subject;
2. There should be proper rapport between father and son;
3. Separation of function between husband and wife;
4. The younger should give precedence to the elder;
5. Faith and trust should reign over relationships between friends (Lee, 2012).

These five principles have taken sovereign over many East Asian countries, namely China and Korea and has persisted since its first realization. Under close inspection, these 5 moral disciplines are still practiced to date in South Korean society and serves as the basis of basic responsibility and accountability. The collective discipline shapes the Korean societal outlook on status, contacts, relationships and is contingent on factors such as age, gender, education, family background, wealth, occupation and political ideology (Lee, 2012). The most important factor however is the aspect of respect and social contacts; a blend of Confucius disciplines. In the social context, Korean people are required to place an incredible emphasis on the group they belong to; the individuals of interest are expected to always consider the benefits and interests for the whole group they belong to and demonstrate group loyalty. As a matter of fact, individuals of a group are expected to always be prepared to make self-sacrifice and be responsible in representing their group at all times.

It is apparent that the South Korean culture is a complicated, yet relatively straightforward one that leaves minimal guesswork in expected behavior. It is also apparent that despite how straightforward a culture may be, it is still paramount to demonstrate cultural competency as to avoid any unnecessary social gaffes. In order to succeed in interpersonal relationships and potential business endeavors in South Korea, one must keep in mind their social practices in collectivism and their root in the principles of Confucianism. It is apparent that cultural diversity, subtleties and nuances are not revealed simply by classifying a country as one that practices a particular dimension of Cultural Diversity; one must study more than a tourist guidebook to avoid potential cultural gaffes.

Jonathan Yuh

Ahn, D. D. (2011). Individualism and Collectivism in a Korean Population. Claremont Colleges: Scholarship @ Claremont.
Retrieved from http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1110&context=scripps_theses

Hofstede, G. (n.d). What about South Korea? Geert Hofstede. 
Retrieved from https://geert-hofstede.com/south-korea.html

Lee, C. Y. (2012, October 2). Korean Culture and Its Influence on Business Practice in South Korea. The Journal of International Management Studies, Volume 7, Number 2.
Retrieved from http://www.jimsjournal.org/21%20Choong%20Y.%20Lee.pdf

Pennsylvania State University. (n.d). Lesson 02: Ethnocentrism: Values. Introduction to Leadership in a Global Context.
Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1802572/modules/items/21179054

 

Hi Everyone!

My name is Jonathan Yuh and am currently a volunteer over at NYU School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry. I currently live in New Jersey, roughly 10 minutes from the shore and I am currently studying Psychology with a focus in the Natural Sciences; this will be my second OLEAD course which I had the pleasure of discovering after a fabulous semester with Dr. Redmond.

I returned to college this past summer after taking roughly 9 years off, during which time I mainly focused on establishing my business, purchasing my first home and serving at my local church. I have been practicing martial arts for over 17 years of my life, 12 of which I have dedicated to instructing students ages 3 to 60. In the past year, I made a critical decision to return back to school and now aspire to study medicine. I’m currently a third year student that is hoping to graduate by the fall of 2017 and plan to begin studying for the MCAT upon completion of this semester. During the work week I volunteer over at NYU School of Medicine in their department of Psychiatry, where my colleagues and I work with the doctors to help coordinate different research studies.

During my time working in the martial arts industry, I had the pleasure of overseeing the proliferation of the business including the establishment of 4 additional satellite locations within the state over the span of 10 years. I first started at the company as an Assistant Instructor back in 2004 and eventually became General Manager and Head Instructor in 2011, and a Co-Owner by 2014. My responsibilities included overseeing day-to-day operations including supervision of all staff and facilitating the proper environment to help students increase self-confidence, self-esteem, discipline, and fitness. Upon my departure from the industry earlier this year, my specific location had seen a 140% increase in active enrollment and the collective student count between all locations had peaked at over 1,500 actively training students.

One of my favorite quotes is by Albert Einstein, “The only thing more dangerous than ignorance is arrogance”. This quote holds special meaning to me because it served as inspiration for change during past struggles of complacency and self-righteousness.

Some other interesting things– I am getting married on October 2nd, 2016 over at the Poconos, P.A.! My lovely fiance and I have been getting ready over the past several months to organize the upcoming festivities (scrambling to get dance lessons too; desperately needed), during which time I would kindly ask all of you to forgive me if I’m not prompt in communication. I don’t have any children (yet), though my fiance and I plan to have some in the next few years. I spend most of my free time working on my car or catching up television series like House of Cards and Game of Thrones with my fiance.

I hope everyone learned a little about me and I’m looking forward to getting to know you all much better as the semester goes on. Good Luck!

Cheers,
Jonathan