(Istanbul, Turkey)

After hearing a friend who works at Samsung describe the life there, I am struck by some similarities it shares with a certain genre of countries. I write this post in half-jest of course. But perhaps we should not be too ready to dismiss how some tools are commonly used to build imagined bonds of solidarity. Compare the Mass Games with the Samsung Summer Camp which is used to initiate new employees to the firm. Samsung employees perform at this mini mass games during an annual event meant for building bonds within the organization. During the parade, pictures of executives are flashed on a telescreen. The executives marched out, introducing the proud commanders of the company.

(Istanbul, Turkey)

(Istanbul, Turkey)

In addition to such a spectacle, the firms tries to build an aura of omnipotence and worship among the founder family who still runs the firm. This is not unlike many entrepreneurial start-ups. Friends from Google tell me about how there is an obsession with what Larry and Sergey says or thinks. Portraits of Samsung’s founder decorate some offices and at certain times during the day, speakers in rooms throughout Samsung broadcast corporate messages - these cannot be turned off. Employees often tell others how lucky they are to be working at such a glorious firm.

It is tempting to call such activities a Korean cultural traits. However, I have yet to exactly pin down what would make these uniquely Korean as I have seen similar methods applied across a wide-range of organizations across a wide range of country to build cohesiveness.