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How can the educational system respond, to the global needs. By Steven B. McKinney, McKinney Consulting, Inc.
First, there are positive things about the Korean educational system but like other education systems around the world there is still room for improvement.
Based upon my experience of serving on two different boards of education in Korea during the past decade, and as a guest lecturer to several university’s and in my role as an executive search consultant and executive coach to senior executives which the majority are bi-lingual Koreans who work for multinational companies I have formed some opinions on this subject of education.
I would like for you to consider 4 ideas that I have on this subject. First idea…
No Iron Rice Bowl!
CEO of your Own Career
Earlier in the drama of Korea’s economic miracle life-time employment was the general expectation of the educated young. Young professionals and recent college graduates all believed the iron rice bowl was their due for playing their roles in the play.
Knowing that it was an essential part of attracting and keeping the best talent, companies, like it or not, also thought it was an essential part of "Capitalism with Korean characteristics." This is a good time to say "That was then this is now." We all know how the third-act played out. The Asian crisis hit, employee lay-offs and company shut downs were written into the script for the first time and have been a part of "the way things are" ever since. Life-time employment no longer exists. There are no guarantees. There is no iron rice bowl. (Note: Look at the situation that we are in now.)
English, English, English
English is spoken in 90 countries by about 2.4 billion people.
Welcome back to the future. In the ‘good old days’, before industrialization, before we expected to be handed jobs (however meaningless), we were master’s of our own fate. And lived and died by our skills and the decisions we made. We wrote the script ourselves. We piloted our own airplane and hoped we didn’t crash and burn. If we needed a helping hand, we could count on finding one at the end of our arm. In that sense, the good old days are back. As many of us have come to realize first hand, this reality is a stark one, in which the flip side of "I’m in charge of my own life!" is "I’ve no one to blame but me."
For some in Korea, as it was in America in the 1980’s, this concept is still difficult to grasp. In a society where "collectivism" is the heart of the culture, an individualistic concept such as "managing your own career" can truly be a foreign concept.
Third idea … more cross-cultural education should be provided.
Individualism is "the opposite of collectivism; together they form on the dimensions of national cultures.
Individualism stands for a society in which the ties between individuals are loose:
everyone is expected to look after himself or herself and his or her immediate
family only."
Collectivism “stands for a society in which people from birth onwards are integrated into strong cohesive groups, which throughout people’s life time continue to protect them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty
Today, however, no matter where you are in the world, an effective career management plan is as essential as your suit and tie. You would not leave home without them. Managing one’s career is now the norm. We have to get used to it.
We should not, of course, ignore the lessons from the life-time employment model of the past or act like it never existed. Indeed, we do career management so that we can restore that same sense of well-being and security that life-time employment once offered, but now without the rigidness, marriage to an organization, or lock-step career promotion schedule of the old system.
So how do we do career management? Here is another opportunity for the educational system to help us out.
Fourth and final idea or suggestion:
Job Search Coaching
Career Counseling
CV/Resume & cover letters
Generation of Potential Employers List
Job Hunt Strategy
Preparation for selection tests
Interviewing Techniques
Communication Techniques
All the old advice is still relevant today along with some new economy additions. Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer. Keep your favorite executive recruiter on speed dial. Honestly, though, I’m not talking about selling out. I’m talking about taking the steps today to be prepared for whatever may come – opportunity or crisis.
Steven B. McKinney, Certified Master Coach and President of McKinney Consulting, Inc., a retained Executive Search & Coaching firm based in Seoul, South Korea. With over 25 years of experience in Asia, he has a refined expertise in helping multinational companies and leaders succeed in the region. Steve is a member of the International Coaching Council. McKinney Consulting is a member of AESC The Worldwide Association for Retained Executive Search Consulting Firms.
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