POSCO Group University: Helping Employees in Overseas Offices to Become Global Leaders

POSCO Group University is dedicated to improving the abilities of the company’s employees working in both local and overseas offices. The goal of POSCO Group University is to lead these employees on the road to becoming global leaders. Among the programs that specifically aim to enhance the abilities of POSCO’s global colleagues are the POSCO Cultural Innovator Program and the Global Junior Executive Development Program. These programs invite overseas employees to the Global R&D Center located at Songdo, Incheon, during which the participants eat, sleep, and learn together for an intensive two weeks.

On June 30, 43 employees from 22 offices in 13 countries participated in the programs, with 22 in the Global Junior Executive Development Program and 21 in the Cultural Innovator Program. Shall we take a closer look at the curriculum that these 43 global talents experienced?

Be Proactive: POSCO Cultural Innovator Program

The POSCO Cultural Innovator Program trains employees to establish a localized education system that spreads POSCO’s unique values and corporate culture. Participants of the program return to their respective offices to actively implement new systems and plan and develop a unique culture of their own instead of simply relaying the contents provided during the program.

Having an interest for others is the first step in truly understanding different cultures. Participants of the Cultural Innovator Program had a chance to learn ways to solve problems and overcome disagreements caused by cultural misunderstanding. They also freely shared their experiences and hardships they had to overcome as employees working in an unfamiliar Korean culture.

Interview: Dominika Gracz / Team Leader / POSCO-PWPC (Poland)

I learned a lot about the process of executing a project. I’ll definitely have a better idea of managing a project when I go back to Poland. Also, it was a great opportunity to talk with people from other countries and share our different cultures and experiences. I think the networks we established during the program will be beneficial in exchanging work-related ideas and information in the future. 

Interview: Massimo Menghini / Sr. Manager / POSCO-ITPC S.P.A (Italy)

It was an opportunity to learn and improve together with colleagues from various different countries. Along with my global colleagues, I was able to learn how to manage projects and solve problems. Also, it’s my first time to visit POSCO HQ. I’m looking forward to going back and sharing with my colleagues at my office in Italy the unique POSCO culture I’ve experienced here.

Global Junior Executive Development Program

Through the Global Junior Executive Development Program, POSCO takes a proactive step in training its overseas junior executives to become global leaders of the future. Team leaders who participate in the program prepare to become exemplary managers by honing their leadership skills and practicing management problem-solving. Participants also experience firsthand real issues presented by the branch managers of each overseas office, an activity that strengthens management capabilities. Because of the high quality and benefits of the program, more and more overseas branch managers are looking for a chance to participate.

One of the main activities in the program is the Action Learning Mentoring session. Before arriving at Songdo, employees received from their office heads tasks related to overcoming cultural differences and enhancing leadership skills. Participants analyzed these tasks beforehand, and solved the problems through two weeks of Action Learning Mentoring.

Interview: Hyun-chul Bong / Professor & Program Instructor / Jeonbuk University School of Business

These people are potential future global leaders, so the learning sessions aimed to improve crucial management and leadership skills. Before coming to the program, the participants were given a wide array of unique individual tasks which covered product quality issues, productivity issues, and logistic issues. Although the participants are from different offices and factories, they were all able to relate to each other quite easily because in the end, the work they are doing are similar. It was wonderful to see them interacting with one another freely, giving advice and asking questions.

Interview: Hoang Anh Le / Team Leader / POSCO E&C VN (Vietnam)

We were able to solve many real problems we face at our respective offices thanks to the useful concepts and problem solving tools the professor provided us.

Learning the History of POSCO

After a week since the programs began, the participants were invited to a special tour of the history of POSCO. For many of them, it was the first time to visit the POSCO HQ and get a firsthand experience of the company. Leaded by a guide, the participants enjoyed a meaningful time learning about the history and corporate philosophy of POSCO.

Interview: Santosh Kumar / Sr. Manager / POSCO-India

The tour on the history of POSCO was very comprehensive; I learned not only about the history of the company but also about the history of the steel industry in Korea as well. There were a lot of resources about the late president Mr. Tae-jun Park. I respect him for founding such an impressive business and am proud to work here. POSCO is truly a great company.

Epilogue: Completion Ceremony

The participants of the POSCO Cultural Innovator Program and the Global Junior Executive Development Program gathered at the conference hall where they first met each other two weeks ago. The 43 participants congratulated one another as they received a certificate to commemorate the completion of the intensive programs.

Interview: Brett McCleary / Manager / POSCO-AAPC (US)

It was a very meaningful experience: I learned a lot about POSCO core values and the history of POSCO which was very interesting to me. I also learned a lot of different HRD strategies that I can use when I go back to my home country. It frankly is kind of a relief; it was a lot of work! But it was very enjoyable to meet some great people and learn a little about everybody’s culture, and I feel that’s going to help me when I go back to deal with the different cultures that we do have at our office.

Interview: Potjaman Khongthon / Associate / POSCO-Thainox (Thailand)

The presentation skills to be an insightful instructor would be good for me because I will go back and give a lecture for my colleagues at my office in Thailand. I think I can be a better instructor because I have learned new techniques, and I am thankful for the company for providing me with such a great opportunity. The conversations I had with my global colleagues will definitely belong with me for a long time.

POSCO is taking active steps to train future global leaders through a systematic training program.  We hope to see our global employees go back to their countries and continue their efforts to make POSCO a truly global company. Please look forward for many other efforts that POSCO is making in order to become a great company to work at!

Differences exist not only between the two sexes but everywhere: among colleagues at work, between friends, and further, among the various cultures in this world. It is a truly meaningful effort to have an open mind and make a sincere effort to understand and sympathize with others. This is why the POSCO TJ Foundation invites open-minded brilliant talents across the globe through the POSCO Asia Fellowship program. Today Hello, POSCO blog introduces the story of Aigul Kussaliyeva, a fellow of the POSCO Asia Fellowship program from Kazakhstan. Let’s hear about her experiences of cultural understanding during her weekend trip to Insa-dong and Dongdaemun in Seoul, Korea.

Her Story: Aigul on Korea

I was looking for something that would be very Korean and practical at the same time to give my sister and parents back home in Kazakhstan. My sister was getting married soon, and I wanted to find something meaningful for her. My friend in Korea recommended getting some green tea, but I was still a newbie about Korea – I had been here for just two months – and didn’t know where to go look for it. Luckily, my friend Gun Huh who works at the POSCO TJ Foundation offered to be my guide, and that’s how our date started!

We looked for a place where we could purchase the best gift while getting to experience Korean traditional culture, and Insa-dong was the perfect place to do just that. The weather was pretty hot, but everything was so fun and interesting that we were barely affected by it. The streets were teeming with cultural goods, and we even got to take a picture with a pair of young people in traditional Korean clothes, supporting the preservation of the Korean language. They taught us a lot about Korean language and culture, including the phrase Ari Ari which means “Go for it!” in old Korean.

We stepped inside “Osulloc,” which was a shop full of various kinds of organic tea. After a sniff of the wonderfully tasteful aroma of the green tea leaf, I found myself buying 5 sets of green tea even before I knew what I was doing.

After buying the tea gifts, my friend and I had a lovely time chatting about Korea sipping cool traditional tea. I talked about how joyous and nice Koreans were, especially during drinking parties. There was this one guy who went out of his way to mix up a drink just for me! I think Korea’s unique vibe comes from the intimacy and joyfulness of its people.

After the relaxing tea time, we headed for the Ssamjigil of Insa-dong. One of the things that interested me the most was the wall of letters at a rooftop at Ssamjigil. I was astonished to find out they were letters of love written by lovers who visited the Ssamjigil. Back home at Kazakhstan, people don’t express their love for one another so much. I thought it was very cute and lovely for Koreans to be so affectionate to each other.

[box] About Ssamjigil

(Photo courtesy of Ssamjigil, http://www.ssamzigil.co.kr/)

Ssamjigil was opened to the public on November 18, 2004. It is a road full of cultural goods and merchandise, just like a shopping mall. The unique architecture that connects the first floor to the fourth floor with a single road makes it an attractive place to visit not only for Koreans but also for tourists. The plaza in the center of Ssamjigil is where various exhibitions and plays are held, making it a famous location for cultural experiences, sightseeing and ethnic food. [/box]

His Story: Gun on Kazakhstan

Taking Aigul out to experience Korea together was both fun and challenging. I realized that it doesn’t necessarily mean you know all about your own culture just because you were born and raised in it: you really have to think about the culture and have a deep understanding of the history that formed that culture. Such was the mindset I had when I guided Aigul to Insa-dong.

After our tour of Insa-dong, Aigul offered to introduce me to a little bit of her own culture. She took me to an ethnic restaurant at Dongdaemun that had traditional Russian food. Aigul told me that Kazakhstan is a multi-cultural country home to various unique dishes. The most prevalent are traditional Kazakh and Russian cuisine. It was my first time to try Russian food, and I totally loved it!

One thing I noticed about Russian cuisine was its unique aroma. I learned from Aigul that Russia, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan cuisine share a common aroma. When I asked her for the secret recipe, Aigul happily revealed Ukrop, an annual herb used widely in Russia and Kazakhstan cuisine as a spice. She even gave me some as a gift to use when cooking soup! I was delighted to have had learned something about Aigul’s home country; it made our day a mutually learning experience.

The lady from Kazakhstan and the gentleman from Korea had a meaningful time explaining and experiencing each other’s culture and food. We hope to see more meaningful cultural exchanges in the future through the POSCO Asia Fellowship program!