A management book written by the first outside hire to become president since HD Hyundai was founded. The author turned HD Hyundai Electric, which had a 156.7 billion won loss, to the black starting in 2020 and also succeeded in being reappointed CEO for a third term.
How did this former civil servant stir winds of change at a company that handles heavy electric equipment such as transformers and circuit breakers?
What the author stresses is the "Harmonizer." The "follow me" approach no longer works in corporations. Only when the signals each member sends from their own position come together does the organization find its direction.
It is like a navigation app such as T Map losing its way without real-time information from drivers.
The president opened executive meetings to all employees and created a reverse mentoring program in which Millennials and Gen Z mentor executives. The "HE Conference Day," broadcast live on YouTube, was another stage for innovating organizational culture.
Once every month or two, the president personally visited factories, put on an apron, and shared bread and coffee. The gift of heart that monetary rewards cannot provide raises employees' self-esteem.
Each department also appointed a culture officer (CA, Change Agent). This was to grasp the underlying sentiment of employees that the HR team might miss.
In fact, when the organization introduced "DNA (Do it Now, Action!)," an organizational innovation program from an outside consulting firm, the first reaction inside was skeptical. Many viewed the president from outside as launching a cost-cutting campaign.
When the president personally stepped in, disassembled advanced overseas products, laid them out on the desk, and held frank discussions with employees, the ice broke. Executives and staff identified improvement tasks themselves, and the company responded with rewards.
The president says harmony does not come from a good heart, but accumulates through trained sensibilities and repeated failures.
Train for leadership that coordinates instead of dominates, attunes instead of directs, and designs instead of commands. The team will come alive and the organization will become sustainable.