Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok of Incheon Metropolitan City with Richard Kessler, Dean of Mannes Schools of Music ( Photo: BusinessKorea)
Incheon Metropolitan City Signs MOU with Mannes Schools of Music
The Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority (IFEZ) has announced that Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Mannes Schools of Music for the establishment of an “Expanded Campus.”
At the signing ceremony, Mayor Yoo was accompanied by Linda E. Rappaport, Chair of the Board of Trustees of The New School, the parent institution of Mannes School of Music, and Richard Kessler, Dean of Mannes School of Music. Also in attendance from South Korea was Dr. Yoon Won-seok, Commissioner of the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority, and home of the Songdo District’s Incheon Global Campus (IGC).
The Mannes School of Music is one of the top music schools in America and is affiliated with The New School in New York. It was founded in 1916 by David Mannes (1866–1969), a renowned violinist, conductor, and one of the most important music educators in the United States. Alongside Mannes, the New School programs include the Parsons School of Design, which is the world’s top-ranked fashion university.
An Expanded Campus
Plans are underway for the Mannes School of Music to join the five foreign universities already located within Songdo’s Incheon Global Campus (IGC), which includes the State University of New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology. This will expand the appeal of the IGC and establish a hub for cultural and arts education in the area.
Commenting on this vision, BusinessKorea reports Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok expressed his hopes, noting, “The establishment of Mannes School of Music in Incheon is expected not only to foster talent but also to contribute to Incheon’s growth as an international city in the cultural sector.” The Mayor added, “We look forward to collaborations between our city, IFEZ, and the Mannes School of Music, and we will actively support the expedited establishment of the campus.”
Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok of Incheon Metropolitan City with Richard Kessler, Dean of Mannes Schools of Music ( Photo: BusinessKorea)
As a trusted friend constantly reminds me, “Don, no one does what you do.”
I strive to ensure success and sustainability in dealing with Korea-facing business partnerships through well-communicated expectations and cross-cultural understanding.
It also requires a unique skill set—groomed over decades of working with an ever-changing Korea.
I like the story that shortly after an engineer retires, a machine at his former factory stops working. They try everything they can do to fix it, to no avail. Finally, the boss calls up the engineer and asks him to come in and fix it.
The engineer agrees to do so as a paid consultant. He comes in, walks around the machine, looks at a few things, takes out a hammer, and whacks the machine. It whirrs into life.
The engineer presents his former boss with a bill for $5,000. The boss says, “This is ridiculous! What did you even do? I need an itemized bill.”
The engineer provides a new invoice that states:
· Hitting machine with a hammer: $5.00
· Knowing where to hit the machine: $4,995
Nuff said…
My work is knowing when and where to use the ‘hammer’, catching issues early, and then as needed providing work-throughs as projects can so easily get sidetracked. Many assume when initial talks and progress seem smooth things will continue to move forward—which is rarely the case.
It’s one thing, too, for those well-experienced in global business who are now engaged in Korean projects to expect experience in the West will be enough to work through what can be escalating challenges—but in fact, what many will find out is that they are poorly suited to adapting and being flexible (a very Korea business approach and norm).
At the very least, working through issues can become a lengthy learning process. Both ways are time-consuming and costly.
My long-time approach when providing work-throughs is to step back and look for underlying concerns and nuances that are easily missed. Then knowing the Korean processes and mindset work for a resolution. Again, this is more art than science.
To summarize, impasses are common in all business—but what may work in the West to overcome issues will take a different approach in Korea.
The best model is to be constantly aware and sensitive to what may unfold. Use less direct and non-confrontational ways to gain deeper insights into any challenges and be open to alternative approaches at work-throughs.
As always, I look forward to discussing any challenges, and any questions you may have.
I’ll have my hammer ready, too. And here, ready for your call or email.
I am delighted to share my latest work, which explores global business trends and is featured as a Special Edition in the Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ) Journal.
Along with my Special Edition article, I provided both the translation of the Journal into English and the editorial review.
It was an honor to be asked to share my insights, cultural understanding, and experience with Korea’s leading Free Economic Zone and the City of Incheon.
I’ve been asked how I support businesses… the short answer is I bring solutions to Korean global business, and global firms working with Korea.
I also seek exciting opportunities and challenges. If you encounter a deadlock, stalled work, or a potential issue that needs resolution, let’s discuss it.
Hubs offers R&D and Manufacturing resources, expertise, and talent.
Always great to see media picking up. The topic centers on Foreign Direct Investment, which I craft content on Songdo, South Korea.
I’ve been asked how I support businesses… the short answer is I bring solutions to Korean global business, as well as, global firms working with Korea.
I, too, look for exciting opportunities, and challenges, so here if you have an impasse, stalled work, or a potential issue that needs to be resolved.
All said, here is this week’s look at global business with a Korean twist–as seen in Branding in Asia.
Globally biopharmaceutical companies look to advance the development of a molecule from the laboratory to the clinic and then the market as soon as possible. This must unfold without sacrificing product quality, process efficiency, or patient safety.
To achieve this goal, companies must navigate the complexities of business planning, cell line development, process development, technology, and regulatory and risk assessment. This takes the right mix of resources, expertise, and talent.
In this context, APAC nations South Korea and Singapore are standouts. Specifically, their biopharma hubs aim to provide essential research and development activities in the biopharmaceutical industry.
In many cases, this may be a biopharma scale-up lab with separate areas for cell-line development, media screening, clone selection, upstream and downstream process development, and small-scale production for 200L pre-clinical studies.
The hubs also include large-scale manufacturing facilities and the ability to provide end-to-end biopharmaceutical manufacturing services. This enables domestic and foreign companies to quickly enter the global biologics and biosimilars market while reducing the time it takes to bring their products to market.
Bioclusters offers world-class biopharmaceutical production capacity.
For example, as cited by Invest Korea industry-leading pharmaceutical companies like Saint-Gobain, Janssen Pharmaceutical, Celltrion, Samsung Biologics, Dong-a Socio Group, and Binex are all located in the Songdo Biocluster.
In turn, as noted by the Singapore Economic Development Board, pharmaceutical industry leaders like Pfizer, Novartis, MSD, Sanofi, AbbVie, and Amgen have established global manufacturing hubs in Singapore, where they develop a wide range of products.
Many are engaged in a range of services including Contract Manufacturing Organization (CMO) of biopharmaceuticals, or developing and producing biosimilars based on their proprietary technologies.
Contract Manufacturing Organization (CMO).
A contract manufacturing organization, or CMO, helps pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies manufacture innovative drug substances. Their offerings include commercial production, drug development, formal stability, formulation development, method development, pre-formulation, and registration batches.
The strength of these bioclusters, too, lies in their production capacity. The biopharmaceutical production capacity of Songdo is 560,000 liters going head-to-head with San Francisco (440,000 liters), Singapore (270,000 liters), and Ireland (230,000 liters).
Finally, as biopharmaceuticals are made from cell cultures, it is critical to import and export products before products deteriorate during the storage and transportation process.
This means there is a need for a nearby airport and port for transporting chilled goods and frozen logistics.
And we find again standouts–Korea with the Incheon International Airport and Singapore home to the Changi Airport—both with their state-of-the-art logistics.
Meanwhile, local government efforts are being made for Greenfield sites to create additional biocluster facilities.
What is a Greenfield?
The term greenfield refers to buildings constructed on undeveloped lands where there was no previous development– that was, literally, green. The word green is also synonymous with the word new, which alludes to new construction projects. These greenfield developments are generally made by multinational companies that begin a new venture from the ground up.
To conclude, it is expected that within the next decade, the clusters in Korea, Singapore, and APAC will double to meet the growing global demand. Additionally, local governments will provide new support and incentives for domestic and international partnerships.
I have a long history supporting Songdo, an urban business community on the West Coast of South Kore
I recall an early visit to Incheon and what would be Songdo and looking out at acres of land reclaimed from the sea. Over time buildings, parks, and infrastructure soon emerged from the sand. The photo was a view from my Songdo office in 2018.
Stepping back some… the community, now called Songdo International City, was developed with Western amenities and covers roughly 1500 Acres complete with a Central Park, an international school, and a Jack Nichols-designed golf course–all within a short distance of the Incheon shipping port and the international airport.
It was also an early adopter of buildings with LEED certification, which provides a framework for healthy, highly efficient, and cost-saving green buildings. Plus, Songdo was seen as a frontrunner as a Smart City innovator. Today, it is one of 3 districts of the Incheon Free Economic Zone and home to the Incheon Global Campus.
Today, I am happy to continue to share and highlight Songdo
For over 20+ years, I have presented Korea 101 programs to more than 10,000 participants across the globe. Korea 101: The Book shares insights and experiences with my ‘boots on the ground’ in the classroom, boardroom, and, more recently, remotely.”
Building on the past, this revised edition, too, looks at the transition to Smart Mobility and the corresponding workplace overhaul to become an agile global player.
As I shared in Korea Perspective (2015) there is an interconnectedness in the Korean workplace. In particular, complex relationships abound.
This is true whether workplace operations are in South Korea, Germany, Brazil, India, or the Americas.
Directives and requests originating in Korean headquarters radiate to global operations.
In turn, inputs from local working teams, Korean and Western, make their way back to Korea impacting decisions by leadership. Relationships also play a strong part in this process.
What may appear one-sided and perhaps top-down may be the result of months of study, benchmarking, and research, as well as internal discussions and Korean peer input.
For reasons unclear to local overseas teams, projects can stall, while others re-boot.
Amid the disruptive business conditions, how overseas teams, Korean and Western, working in collaboration matters.
We all recognize that within divergent cultures and mindsets, both sides must bend, compromise, and adapt, as both are parts of a greater whole.
That said, at times tensions culminate in relationships between Korean and Western teams that can become confrontational or stall.
The good news in this era of disruptive business the most strained relationships can be repaired.
A negative relationship turned positive can be a very strong one.
Here are some key takeaways from the Harvard Business Review article, “Fixing a Work Relationship Gone Sour” (2014).
1. Give up on who’s wrong or right
2. Look forward, not back. You can take a solution-focused approach.
3. Understand from the other person’s perspective. “How do they see things?” “What are their contextual factors that need to be considered?”
4. Instead of debating what went wrong and who is at fault, create a space where you’re aligned. It can be helpful to focus on the bigger picture — the common, shared goal.
5. Don’t assume that things will change immediately ¬— repairing relationships can take time
All said, my work is focused on working through challenges and providing teams with solutions. As always, let’s talk and discuss the options.
There has been an expectation that Korean, Vietnamese, and other APAC companies would strive to fully localize as they expand overseas business operations in markets like North and South America, the UK, and the EU. With COVID we saw a change from the past with an annual dispatching of teams from Asia-Pacific HQs to a more reduced and limited role for expatriates.
There is a strong argument that local operations are best managed locally with minimal day-to-day oversight from the company’s HQ expatriate team. The exceptions in many cases, are expatriates assigned in a “designated” support capacity often in tech support and engineering.
As a thought leader in global business trends, I suggest a potential shift in global governance.
A limited expatriate support role has been a long-term goal. It’s costly, and the acculturalization for any expat in a new market takes time and an openness to learn and adapt.
This said, one constant is change. What potentially might have been the plan to reduce oversight may be altered to strengthen expat engagement and input in day-to-day business decisions and management. This frankly has been a cycle I have witnessed over the years. The current mode of reduced engagement has been, too, rooted in COVID where new overseas assignments were all but eliminated.
There are justifications and reasonings for the increased local engagement. One possible option for effective communication with APAC HQs is to assign expatriates for daily direct communication during evening hours, considering the time and work hour differences.
Expatriates can provide valuable insights into the HQ strategy, particularly in clarifying recent mandates and initiatives for local management.
Moreover, there is a growing need for broader HQ fiscal oversight during the rapid shift to capital-intensive ventures such as mobility, which requires significant infrastructure investment.
I want to mention that many Western brands, too, have long contemplated the right balance between a centralized company business strategy versus one driven by localization.
Bottom line… In today’s rapidly changing global economy, it is vital to comprehend the intricacies of Asia Pacific business, including the hows and whys, and to engage with local APAC teams.
Some suggestions:
For those in the West, it may be the first time working with a team from Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines, or Singapore. This opportunity requires an understanding of the new partner’s culture and expectations.
The assumption that local and expatriate teams can bridge cultural gaps through practical on–the–job experience might work with those few highly intuitive individuals with the exceptional ability to assimilate cultures.
What stands out in numerous studies, such as Forbes however, is the need for ongoing multicultural training, that can successfully impact people, especially those who need to quickly adapt to new or changing business culture and values, while fostering sensitivity and teamwork among all company members.
Finally, best practices have shown that a tiered service model with training, mentoring, and ongoing strategic support is the most effective approach for an organization. Leadership can greatly benefit from one-on-one coaching, too.
To conclude, to answer the question “Is it better to manage local operations locally?” International companies must seek the right balance between global oversight and striving for localization. This includes the best mix of an HQ team’s engagement in day-to-day oversight and decision-making while creating a level of direct communication to ensure expectations are addressed, especially aligning with global strategies and fiscal concerns.
Two Best Sellers: Korea 101: The Book, Hyundai Way
Two of Our Most Popular Books… Korea 101 and Hyundai Way: Hyundai Speed, The Third Edition
Korea 101: The Book https://a.co/d/4k0nNaQ
For over 20+ years, I have presented Korea 101 programs to more than 10,000 participants across the globe. Korea 101: The Book shares insights and experiences with my ‘boots on the ground’ in the classroom, boardroom, and, more recently, remotely.”
Hyundai Way https://a.co/d/dHJdwYy
Building on the past, this revised edition, too, looks at the transition to Smart Mobility and the corresponding workplace overhaul to become an agile global player.
Have a Korea-facing question? Just ask dsoutherton@bridgingculture.com
Don Southerton