Disclaimer: still no pictures today, unfortunately. I’ll try to upload them when I get back to the states for my previous three posts.
The Incheon International Airport was a beautiful site to see. I still can’t believe how hilariously massive the thing is; it takes up literally half of the island it resides on according to Apple Maps. As I sit here at gate 31, readying myself for the long flight ahead of me, I am entirely beside myself with how quickly this trip ended. I arrived at Korea Gardens in Pittsburgh for our opening meal, I blinked, and I was here, ready to head back to Tennessee. I lived a lifetime worth of experiences in two weeks, and distilling that into a blog post hardly seems to do this program justice, so I will instead focus on the most important revelation that this trip gave me: successful culture must begin at the bottom.
Calling this a revelation is a bit of a misnomer, as I have long been of the opinion that culture should start at the bottom of a society or institution. This belief informs both my relatively libertarian political leanings, as well as my thoughts on the ideal organizational behavior. The unique thing about Korean culture is that, for as hierarchical as it is, the culture is still ultimately a manifestation of the people’s will. The miracle on the Han River did not occur only because of goal-setting by the great men of last century, or because of the power of the chaebols. There is certainly reciprocation, and culture is undeniably a cycle, but ultimately, I am of the opinion that Korea is what it is today primarily because of the iron will of its people.
Culture is a powerful tool, and while I am not of the mind that collectivism or hierarchy are necessarily good things, one can see how collectivism gives the Korean people leverage over their institutions, as well as how it helps keep the two in harmony. One can see how hierarchy allows the Korean people to stay structured, to push themselves to new limits as part of a well-oiled machine. Collectivism is not necessarily a declaration that we must be homogenous in opinion and belief. It is, however, an acknowledgement that the collective parties believe themselves to be better off together than apart. Hierarchy is not necessarily a set of bonds that hold citizens in the place of their birth. It is, however, a frame for society that allows for careful planning, precise actions. Are these values right, are they wrong? I do not know, but they are part of a cultural identity that has turned South Korea from one of the most impoverished countries on this Earth to one of the richest.
Culture is a feedback loop that goes between the vertical levels of an institution. The tone that comes from a leader, a sovereign, or a boss will always have some trickle-down effect to his or her subordinates. However, after seeing Korea, it is my firm belief that the success of any institution should begin at the very bottom level. The culture set by the grunt workers can push a business or a country to heights far beyond that of a culture set by a manager, used to pull the grunt workers up to their level.