Vision is one of the important concepts of strategic management and every leader ought to have the vision to run a business successfully. Managers in both North and South Korea have well-defined visions that guide the day-to-day operations coupled with specifying future goals. The Confucianism culture is common in the two countries and it holds that managers are the sole decision-makers, they command respect from their subordinates, and thus they need to have a well-defined vision to run organizations effectively.
North and South Korea exhibit a homogeneous culture (Rowley & Paik, 2009). As opposed to other countries in the world, which are multicultural, the countries have homogeneity in their culture. They have their language and dressing codes, which are dissimilar from those of the neighboring countries. The Korean culture borrows heavily from Chinese culture due to the interaction between the two nations.
The uniqueness of the Korean culture influences the management systems in both South and North Korea since managers must consider the cultural aspects of their customers when formulating their visions. Confucianism is one of the most influential cultural aspects that shape the vision of leaders in the two countries. Confucianism requires persons of high ranking to be highly respected (Rowley & Paik, 2009). Therefore, employees tend to exercise loyalty to their leaders and they rarely question the managers’ decisions. This provision is an important driver for the Korean management systems and it influences leaders’ vision greatly.
Both South and North Korean management systems and leadership visions are influenced significantly by the principles of what (Rowley & Paik, 2009). In what makes provisions that guide the relationship between managers and their subordinates. It underscores the importance of maintaining harmony amongst employees from different levels in the workplace. Guided by these principles, managers tend to emphasize teamwork to achieve the organizations’ objectives.
Nemawashi, which is a Japanese system of governance, has some significance in the vision of the Korean leaders (Rowley & Paik, 2009). The system emphasizes the need to involve employees in the decision-making processes. Delegation of duties is a common phenomenon in both South and North Korea (Rowley & Paik, 2009). Managers expect employees to perform their duties without unreasonable interruption from their seniors. This aspect is based on the culture of trust as cultivated by managers in organizations. Managers expect their subordinates to perform certain duties independently.
Both South and North Korean managers are guided by similar principles while executing their management roles (Rowley & Paik, 2009). The spirit of teamwork and the inclusion of employees in the decision-making process guide them. Their visions are interrelated as they organize their employees and mobilize resources to achieve the set objectives (Rowley & Bae, 2003). The similarity can be explained in terms of the homogeneity of culture in the two countries since culture is too significant in shaping the organizations’ visions.
In both South and North Korea, vision is a key component of management. However, North and South Korean managers exhibit some differences regarding their vision. As compared to North Korean managers, the South Korean managers are stricter they and value professionalism and expertise. The dissimilarity is evident, especially in the Art industry. While South Korea takes art as a profitable business, North Korea considers it as leisure, and thus professionalism is ignored. North Korea has been reluctant to accept business with neighboring countries, and thus it has been focusing on the local trade until recently when it opened up its business operations to western countries.
References
Rowley, C., & Bae, J. (2003). Culture and management in South Korea. In M. Warner (Ed.), Culture and management in Asia (pp.187-209). New York, NY: Routledge.
Rowley, C., & Paik, Y. (2009). The changing face of Korean management. New York, NY: Routledge.