Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Adventurer]

Is it rather common for Korean managers to rather overbearing? I know you find that kind of thing world-wide, but in many cases managers have no management training and seem to focus on hollering out orders and in many cases such behavior doesn't work too well on many foreigners. Do you think many Korean managers run into problems, because foreigners are not so accustomed to simply being doormats? It seems there is too much reliance on positions, being forceful rather than on logic, modern methods of management taught in business schools etc...I understand it's a different culture. I just wanted to know what old-timers have observed over here.

[RACETRAITOR]

I find most managers I've worked with didn't have the guts to discuss problems with me, until they allow it to get to a serious point ("We're reducing your pay this month because you didn't ________").

By the way, agressivity, good word.

[Juregen]

I do believe that any lack of insight in the HR department creates a lot of problems.

There is this belief that the boss knows best and he just has to belch out his wishes.

I Wonder why they hire such culturally insensitive people to do a very delicate job.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

I think you mean agressiveness? (If not I didn't know agressivity is a word).

The ones familiar to dealing with waegooks likely have a rather different attitude. I think that their problems generally fall into three categories: teachers who have no conception of the Koran workplace; teachers who are terribly unprofessional; and teachers who are too professional for their hagwons. They also seem to have no idea when and when not to show aggression.

[ernie]

'aggression' FTW!

[Lukychrm42]

[Adventurer]

[quote="Yu_Bum_suk"]I think you mean agressiveness? (If not I didn't know agressivity is a word).

quote]

aggressive Definition
ag�gres�sive (ə gres′iv)

adjective

aggressing or inclined to aggress; starting fights or quarrels
ready or willing to take issue or engage in direct action; militant
full of enterprise and initiative; bold and active; pushing
Psychiatry of or involving aggression

Related Forms:

aggressively ag�gres′�sively adverb
aggressiveness ag�gres′�sive�ness noun
aggressivity ag�gres�siv�ity (ag′res iv′ə tē, ə gres′-) noun

[Unposter]

Ha Ha. People sure got aggressive about agressivity.

[asylum seeker]

[quote="Adventurer"]

[Adventurer]

[quote="asylum seeker"]

[EzeWong]

Well I haven't experienced the dark side of Korean employment yet, it's been peachy zen so far. So I can't say from personal experience. But I can talk about the dark side of western managment:

US management is like this disco ball pretending to be high and mighty up there chandliering, but basically the whole things unsubstantive and they're hoping that you're satisifed with this flashy colored light show they give you.

I'm not the only one that thinks this, people complain all the time about evaluations that mean jack squat and all this useless management crap aimed at peaking performance actually being counterproductive. Half that crap I learned in management school and when trying to apply it to real life... utter utter shit. Nobody believes in it except lucid idealists.

I personally never liked middle management bosses either. They use all these passive aggressive whinning to try to get you to do something and use "incentives" and all this meaningless motivation.

Personal preference, I prefer the direct way. Things get done faster if the underlings (yes I'm using the derogatory term) would just listen and do what we said everything would be peachy. But everyone needs some kind of justification, or explanation, or this or that. I worked as a manager and when I asked politely for people to do their job, I expected them to get done. Rather I was questioned to no end. The US workforce is spoiled beyond belief. Everyone wants equal say and power and when you allow it to them they make stupid ass decesions.

But that's really the dark side of it all. Of course there are some benefits to our system, such as a happier employees etc etc...

[Freakstar]

[ernie]

i just prefer not to use an adjective ending followed by a noun ending. it's inelegant, redundant, and UGLY.

kind of like saying 'Confucianiveness' instead of 'Confucianism'. much too confusivenessing to me.

[jkelly80]

[EzeWong]