Rea: Finnish Employees’ Perspective and Thematic Analysis
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Cultural and communicational challenges when working in South Ko- rea: Finnish employees’ perspective and thematic analysis Marla Ylikortes Bachelor’s Thesis Degree Programme in Interna- tional Sales and Marketing Abstract 31.12.2020 Author(s) Marla Ylikortes Degree programme International sales and marketing Report/thesis title Number of pages Cultural and communicational challenges when working in South and appendix pages Korea: Finnish employees’ perspective and thematic analysis 56 + 2 This research paper aims to identify, explain, and analyse the aspects of South Korean culture which have an impact on cross-cultural communication with Finnish employees in the South Korean work environment. It investigates parts of the national culture which may influence communication. The theoretical framework is a combination of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory and Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner’s framework for understanding cultural differences in business and management. The data analysis is done through six dimensions picked from the theories and reflected in the context of South Korean culture. The data was gathered from 10 Finnish employees with experience of working with South Koreans in South Korea. The data was gathered as semi-structured interviews conducted in face-to-face meetings, through phone or by email. The aim was to acquire experiences and opinions about the challenges and differences employees have faced when working with South Koreans. The interviews were conducted during spring, summer and autumn 2020 in Seoul, South Korea. The results suggest that there are clear factors influencing the communication that can be traced to the national culture of South Korea. Cultural dimen- sions like high for power distance index, strong collectivism, and diffuse way of perceiving social relationships shape the way of communication between South Korean and Finnish employees. Almost all Finnish employees had adapted to the present organizational cul- ture and followed the social norms and rules in some ways. Korean language played an important part in the communication and the use of it in work environment required careful consideration of the words and ways of saying things. It seemed to have a distinctive im- pact on how strongly the norms and expectations of the culture were followed. The re- search revealed important aspects that explained the challenges in cross-cultural commu- nication. Cross-cultural communication with South Koreans and Finnish employees is highly complex and would require further studies to investigate the multiple different factors and their impact on communication and organizational culture in general. Keywords South Korea, culture, communication, Finland Table of contents 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Aim and objectives .................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Purpose and motivation ............................................................................................ 2 2 Theoretical framework ....................................................................................................... 3 2.1 Hofstede .................................................................................................................... 4 2.2 Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner ......................................................................... 6 2.3 Comparison of the two theories ................................................................................ 9 2.4 Criticism .................................................................................................................... 9 3 South Korea’s national culture ........................................................................................ 10 3.1 South Korea ............................................................................................................ 10 3.2 History and economic growth ................................................................................. 11 3.3 Religions ................................................................................................................. 12 3.4 Korean language ..................................................................................................... 14 3.5 Contemporary work culture..................................................................................... 16 4 Dimensions and Korean culture ...................................................................................... 17 4.1 Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and Korean culture ............................................... 17 4.1.1 Power distance ............................................................................................ 18 4.1.2 Individualism versus collectivism ................................................................ 19 4.1.3 Long term orientation................................................................................... 20 4.2 Hofstede and Finland .............................................................................................. 21 4.3 Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner’s dimension and Korean culture .................. 21 4.3.1 Universalism versus particularism ............................................................... 22 4.3.2 Specific versus diffuse ................................................................................. 23 4.3.3 Sequential time versus synchronous time .................................................. 25 4.4 Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner and Finland ...................................................... 25 5 Methodology .................................................................................................................... 26 5.1 Interview as research method ................................................................................ 26 5.1.1 Interviewees ................................................................................................. 27 5.1.2 Interview questions ...................................................................................... 27 5.2 Sample .................................................................................................................... 28 5.3 Analytical approach; thematic analysis .................................................................. 29 5.4 Limitations ............................................................................................................... 31 6 Results ............................................................................................................................. 32 6.1 Power distance ....................................................................................................... 32 6.2 Individualism versus collectivism ............................................................................ 33 6.3 Time orientation: long-term versus short-term and synchronous versus sequential time... ............................................................................................................................... 35 6.4 Universalism versus particularism .......................................................................... 36 6.5 Specific versus diffuse ............................................................................................ 37 6.6 Language and communication ............................................................................... 38 6.7 Notes and new findings .......................................................................................... 40 7 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 42 7.1 Discussion ............................................................................................................... 43 7.2 Reflection on own learning ..................................................................................... 44 References ........................................................................................................................... 47 Table of figures ................................................................................................................ 52 Appendices ........................................................................................................................... 53 Appendix 1. The interview in Finnish .............................................................................. 53 1 Introduction Globalization has led to growth of multinational corporations and workforce as well as in- creased job-based immigration. Diverse and multinational teams can increase creativity and offer versatile perspectives and approaches. However, with internationalization comes the collision of individuals from different cultures and customs. Meeting of cultures can produce many positive aspects and growth but also misunderstandings and complex- ity. Ever since birth, we all are impacted by the surrounding culture. Sometimes our values and judgements about certain things are the opposite of someone from a different national culture. Therefore, it is vital to expand knowledge and practice understanding of cultures around the world. Our individual values and ethics are impacted by our surroundings more than we can comprehend. 1.1 Aim and objectives The aim of this research is to describe and analyse the organizational culture of South Ko- rea from Finnish employees’ perspective. The organizational culture is influenced by