South Korea is currently ranked as the world’s most innovative country, beating out countries like Japan, Germany, USA, and China. This Course, “Creative Geniuses or Hard Workers: Innovation Insights from South Korea,” is designed to raise awareness of the culture of Creativity and Innovation in South Korea as well as other Asian countries. Special attention is placed on what makes Korean culture so innovative – are they a highly creative people or is it rooted in a hardworking Asian culture? We look at the role of national culture in two of Korea’s best known creative industries, namely electronics, Kpop and online gaming, to more deeply understand the local and global business contexts that have made companies like Samsung, Hyundai, MBC, and NCSoft, some of the most innovative in the world. We will also compare and contrast Korea and other nations (China and USA) on innovation, to better understand how national systems of innovation are created. 

Participants will learn about Korean creativity and innovation through international immersion, lectures by local professors and industry experts in Korea, interactions with local Korean students, visits to Seoul-based electronics and game development companies, and meetings with Korean innovators, gamers, and business leaders. Participants are expected to deepen their understanding about: 

• The concepts of creativity and innovation, as they apply in the cultural contexts of the South Korea, China and the US

• The society, politics, culture and economy of South Korea

• The various aspects of economic development that support national systems of innovation in South Korea

• Macro-environmental forces affecting organizational and industry level innovation

• Different business models for bringing new product innovations to market

Reading List (A): Cases (TBD)

1. Samsung: Joon Nak Choi, J., Ho, M. 2019. Samsung as a Silicon Valley Company. Harvard Business Review.

2. K-Pop: Robert D. Austin, R., Zhuo, M. 2018. Big Hit Entertainment and BTS: K-Pop Reaches for a Global Breakthrough. Ivy Publishing.

3. AmorePacific: Rhee, M., Shin, D., Barnett, W., 2017. The Rise of AmorePacific. Harvard Business Review.

4. Hyundai Motor: Chung, K., Kim, Y., Bencuya, S. 2014. Hyundai Motor Company: Design Takes the Driver's Seat. Harvard Business Review.

5. Paris Baguette: Han, J. Yong, S., Mittal, S., Joshi, H. 2017. Paris Baguette: Quintessentially French with Love from Korea. Harvard Business Review.

Reading List (B): Articles

1. Alston, J. 1989. Wa, Guanxi, and Inhwa: Managerial Principles in Japan, China, and Korea, Harvard Business Review.

2. Farhoomand, A., Tsang, S. 2005. National Innovation Systems of China and the Asian newly industrialized economies: A comparative analysis. The Asia Case Research Centre: The University of Hong Kong. HKU392.

3. Gupta, N., Healey, D., Stein, A., Shipp, S. 2013. Innovation Policies of South Korea 2013. Institute for Defense Analyses. https://www.ida.org/-/media/feature/publications/i/in/innovation-policies-of-south-korea/ida-d-4984.ashx (retrieved Feb 4, 2024)

Reading List (C): Videos

1. Video Clips on Design Thinking and Creativity. IDEO’s David Kelley is interviewed by Charlie Rose on CBS’s 60 Minutes http://www.ideo.com/60minutes/ 

2. PESTEL analysis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYn4CyL3r5w 

3. Porter’s five forces: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziI_BF6lWjg 

4. Business model canvas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IP0cUBWTgpY&t=9s 

Learning Methods

A large part of this course is experiential, with an inductive learning model. You will have intensive experiences you could not have in the traditional classroom setting. These experiences will deepen your understanding and provide the stimulus for critical reflection about managerial lessons, cultural experiences and life experiences that will broaden your insights as a manager.

Participation is expected to help both your learning and that of your peers. Please come prepared by completing assigned readings. Attend all the modules and events, participate during the class sessions and the company visits.

Evaluation

The course requirements consist of individual article assignments, individual reflection paper, group project and class participation. The relative weights of these components are as follows:

• Participation in scheduled events 60%

• One individual article-summary 5%

• Individual reflection paper 20%

• Case team Presentation 15%

Groups consist of a maximum of 6 students

By the end of this course, the students will be able to:

1. Broaden their understanding of the social, cultural, political, economic, and managerial differences between the US and Korea.

2. Deepen their knowledge of creativity and innovation concepts.

3. Broaden their skills in industry analysis and strategic analysis.

4. Apply tools, concepts and frameworks that will allow them to conduct a more comprehensive analysis of industries and companies in a cross-cultural context.