Learning to Think Korean: A Guide to Living and Working in Korea

Drawing from decades of personal experience as a leading cross-cultural trainer and expatriate, Robert Kohls demystifies Korea and Koreans for people who interact with them in business and in everyday life. Ever the pragmatist and diviner of values structures, Kohls provides critical incidents and case studies; he explores traditional, evolving, and projected Korean values as the twenty-first century progresses. Additionally, the book presents Korean values, modes of thinking, and behaviors in juxtaposition to their American counterparts, thereby highlighting their often polar differences and fostering more culturally sensitive interaction.

Kohls is equally insightful when discussing the cultural patterns and practices of the workplace; he takes up management style, personnel issues, networking and “pull,” negotiating style, persistence, key Korean business relationships, and more. Beyond business interaction, Learning to Think Korean explores Korea’s culture of private life, providing notes on proper etiquette in non-business settings, Korean history, key Korean symbols, significant holidays, and social customs. Looking to the future, Kohls concludes with a discussion of the contemporary challenges faced by Korea as a nation.

Perhaps more than any other East Asian country, Korea adheres to the traditional collectivist and Confucian traits of harmony, hierarchy, ingroups/outgroups, status, and proper behavior. According to Kohls, these traits plus the more Westernized values of the younger generations and the veneer of twenty-first century urban savvy are mixed in sometimes surprising combinations in personal and workplace relationships. As such, understanding this complex tapestry of influences, tradition, and deep cultural values is essential to effective and mutually rewarding intercultural communication.