Proactive Culture: A Tool for Innovation
Corporate culture, which encompasses the shared values and mindset of all members, is not a material or physical tool, but a powerful emotional and sentimental tool for driving innovation. Hankook & Company Group has embraced this tool under the name Proactive Culture.
Proactive Culture: A Tool for Innovation
In a rapidly changing global market, a company's sustained growth and competitiveness depend not only on direct value-generating means but also on the power of corporate culture, which shapes the mindset and philosophy of those who operate these means. A culture that embraces change and innovation, solves problems proactively, and creates new value goes beyond just creating a 'company atmosphere' and becomes a crucial factor in shaping the future of the business.
The once rigid and uniform corporate culture, which could be described as 'solid' in a positive sense but 'inflexible' in a negative one, is now evolving toward greater flexibility and autonomy. This transformation is driven by the modern business environment, which demands innovative thinking and agile responses from its members. However, to prevent fragmented values from emerging across different teams or departments, a clear underlying identity must be established. In other words, the goal is not to enforce uniform behavior or allow complete independence, but to ensure that everyone is aligned toward the same direction.
A leading example of evolving corporate culture is Hankook & Company Group’s Proactive Culture. Combining the keywords 'Professional' and 'Active,' Proactive Culture promotes a work environment where competent professionals take ownership of their work and drive innovation with initiative. To foster an environment where every member can fully realize their potential, the Proactive Culture Team at Hankook & Company continuously refines this approach, embedding it into the group’s DNA. Let’s explore how this transformation has taken root and the positive changes it has driven across the organization and its people.
What lies at the heart of Proactive Culture?
Younjung Oh, Head of the Proactive Culture Team at Hankook & Company At the heart of Hankook & Company Group’s corporate culture, 'Proactive' embodies a mindset of continuous 'innovation' and a fearless approach to 'challenge.' The group’s mission, 'Future Innovated, Innovation Realized,' reflects its commitment to driving and actualizing change. Proactive Culture places voluntary innovation at the center of all activities, fostering an environment where members take the lead in shaping the future. A forward-thinking and adaptable attitude is what best defines our group’s direction.
What efforts has Hankook & Company made to establish Proactive Culture within the organization?
Younjung Oh Internalizing culture within a large organization is a challenging process. In 2009, Hankook & Company established Proactive Culture as a core corporate value and formally defined it before establishing a dedicated team in 2013. Since then, the company has implemented various initiatives to ensure it takes root among employees at all levels. By clearly defining talent standards based on the company’s mission, vision, and core values, Proactive Culture has been integrated into tangible systems that enable all employees to embrace it.
Can you provide specific examples?
Jieun Oh A tangible change would be the adoption of a non-hierarchical title system, where all employees, regardless of rank, are addressed as '○○○-nim' (a respectful suffix in Korean). By focusing on substance over form, this culture of mutual respect has fostered an environment where listening to opinions takes precedence over one-way directives. This shift has positively impacted work efficiency and collaboration. While many companies have now adopted similar practices, we implemented this nearly a decade ago. Even executives, including the Chairman and CEO, Cho Hyun-bum, are addressed as 'Hyunbum Cho-nim.'
Considering Korea’s hierarchical work culture, adopting new honorifics must have been challenging. How did you integrate this aspect of Proactive Culture and help employees embrace it?
Younjung Oh Introducing a horizontal approach to honorifics, aimed at eliminating hierarchical distinctions and fostering mutual respect, did not lead to immediate change. Initially, we launched campaigns and awareness initiatives to promote the new culture, with leadership directly overseeing the process. We conducted regular surveys to assess how well the change was taking hold and worked on refining it as needed. The shift in honorifics was not just about how people addressed one another, but about the open-mindedness of those being addressed. Most importantly, the management team’s active role in modeling this horizontal approach had a significant impact.
“The Proactive Culture Team’s role is not to impose innovation but to encourage and support it, fostering an environment of proactive thinking and growth.”
— Proactive Culture Team, Hankook & Company Younjung Oh
The goal of Proactive Culture is innovation. Are there other aspects of Proactive Culture that foster creativity?
Chaerin An Our group has many systems in place that encourage creativity. A prime example is the Proactive Studio (P.studio) proposal system. P.studio is a program which allows employees to freely submit ideas. Additionally, we run the P.LAB competition, where employees can execute their ideas over three months and even explore potential new business ventures. Through P.studio and P.LAB, employees are given the opportunity to propose and develop ideas beyond the scope of their regular job responsibilities. Promising ideas may be transferred to relevant business units or even spun off as in-house ventures. A representative example of this is the 'TownCar' neighborhood car-sharing service. The company provided initial funding and accelerator consulting to support the proposer’s entrepreneurial journey. A key advantage of this system is that employees have the option to return to the company within five years, reducing the fear of failure and reinforcing Proactive Culture’s core value—continuous challenge and innovation.
Jieun Oh We also hold a Knowledge Sharing Forum once a month. Unlike company-led lectures with external speakers, this initiative fosters a culture where employees actively share and exchange knowledge on a variety of topics. These range from AI, digital technologies, and coding to global trends and even hobbies like scuba diving and basketball, creating a broad and dynamic learning culture.
Younjung Oh In reality, Proactive Culture is not something our team alone proposes or executes. More than anything, this very space—the Technoplex, our headquarters—is a direct product of Proactive Culture. Designed and built to embody our corporate values, it emphasizes openness, technology, and harmony with nature, while also incorporating a flexible seating system. There is a saying that 'space shapes consciousness,' and this new office embodies a truly 'proactive environment' that fosters creativity through flexible relationships and free communication among employees.
“Proactive Culture is a culture of innovation subtly integrated into the organization through small elements, such as a horizontal title system, a collaborative culture, and office design that encourages communication.”
— Proactive Culture Team, Hankook & Company Haein Lee, Chaerin An, Sungpyo KimA question for the newest member of the team: Were there any programs designed to help new employees, the future ‘Proactive Leaders,’ understand Proactive Culture?
Chaeyeon Jang During our onboarding program, the Proactive Culture Team visited to explain the company's mission, vision, and corporate culture. We also participated in several programs that encouraged creativity. For example, we worked with team members to design a new type of car and created content using AI for production. Through these experiences, I realized that innovation is not just about relying on individual abilities and creativity, but also about incorporating and developing ideas from diverse perspectives.
Minsun Yoo Although Chaeyeon Jang’s experience is the most recent, the 'Mini P.LAB' program from three years ago was the most memorable for me. As new employees who were still unfamiliar with each other, we were divided into teams to come up with ideas, create proposals, and present them to the management team. At first, the pressure of submitting and refining a proposal right after joining was daunting, but in a company with a culture of innovation, I came to see it as an essential process. It was actually a great learning experience. Our group also strives to hire talent that aligns with our core values during recruitment, and continues to support employees in developing a proactive mindset through various programs even after they join.
I heard that employees at Hankook & Company aren't required to create PowerPoint presentations.
Younjung Oh Yes, this practice was established through the 'Less for Better' campaign, a part of Proactive Culture. We eliminated authoritarian processes, such as approval forms and travel reports, to reduce unnecessary work procedures and improve efficiency. Instead, we adopted simpler communication methods, such as email, messenger, and phone calls. The reporting process has also been simplified, making PPT creation no longer mandatory. We now use tools that are better suited to the nature of the report or meeting. This change has helped us focus on the substance of our work while minimizing inefficient tasks.
Implementing a new system must have been challenging for employees.
Younjung Oh Change is never easy for anyone. At first, many were skeptical, wondering, 'Is this really possible?' I too was in a position where I was more affected by the changes than leading them, so I understood how challenging it was to feel the change and convince others of its value. Since corporate culture isn’t a physical tool, the effects of change aren’t immediately apparent, so the process of persuading others wasn’t easy, and we had to continuously explain why these changes were necessary. Through repeated successes and failures, things slowly began to shift, and I came to understand that change is not a short-term task but requires continuous effort. Communicating a consistent message to employees working in various environments has also been a challenge. To address this, we listen to feedback from the field and approach the situation with flexibility.
What sets Proactive Culture apart from other corporate cultures?
Younjung Oh The key difference is the 'normalization of innovation.' We now have a culture where innovation is continuously pursued without fear of failure. Even while maintaining stable businesses, our leaders focus less on 'Will this work?' and more on 'Let’s try it.' The widespread embrace of challenge across the organization is what sets us apart.
“No one needs to achieve something monumental alone. If everyone contributes a bit of innovation, the world will change. Proactive Culture is about recognizing that I am the driver of innovation.”
— Proactive Culture Team, Hankook & Company Minsun Yoo, Jieun Oh, Chaeyeon JangCan the record-breaking financial results last year be attributed to Proactive Culture?
Younjung Oh This was made possible by our proactive approach, even in the face of global challenges. Not only did Hankook Tire exceed 9.4 trillion KRW in revenue, but Hankook & Company also posted a record-high result of nearly 1.4 trillion KRW as a holding company in the business of battery production and sales under the Hankook brand. While corporate culture is not a direct tool for producing and selling products, it undoubtedly influences every aspect of business operations. I believe our company-wide adoption of a proactive mindset contributed significantly to these results.
It seems like Proactive Culture is also being implemented at Hanon Systems after joining Hankook & Company Group.
Younjung Oh Yes, Hanon Systems now has its own Proactive Culture Team. From the early stages of the post-merger integration (PMI) process, we actively communicated the group's mission and shared the core values of Proactive Culture. The key is to help new members of the family understand the significance of active, voluntary, everyday innovation. Rather than imposing it, we have been listening to employees' expectations and concerns, finding ways to tailor the approach to their needs.
What strategies are being employed to share Proactive Culture with employees from various departments and working environments?
Younjung Oh We establish company-wide guidelines and share them with each organization, while maintaining close communication with business sites and subsidiaries to spread the culture. Through Teams, we engage in real-time discussions with employees on-site, sharing updates and incorporating feedback. Recently, we created short videos with our headquarters' mission and vision, using AI avatars and translating them into 25 languages to distribute to overseas branches, which received overwhelmingly positive feedback. Based on this, we also produced and distributed a multilingual New Year’s video.
Sungpyo Kim Among the feedback we received, there was a suggestion that the Portuguese used in Portugal differs from that used in Brazil. We immediately added language options. Some branches expressed interest in showcasing their unique strengths, and suggested creating content to better highlight their roles and corporate culture. Additionally, with the new AI system introduced in our group, many overseas branches expressed interest in learning how to use AI effectively. In response, we are currently developing educational content using AI avatars and continuously improving the content based on the feedback we've gathered.
Have there been any particularly memorable moments while working in the Proactive Culture team?
Haein Lee One of the most memorable moments was the ‘Family Day’ event we started in 2023 It was an opportunity to invite employees' families, introduce them to the work environment, and create lasting memories together. I felt a strong emotional connection when I saw so many families proudly supporting their loved ones. After the event, we received feedback that employees felt a stronger sense of belonging and loyalty to the company. Another initiative I’m proud of is the ‘Junior Board’ program. It provides young leaders with less than five years of experience with opportunities to propose and implement ideas. I believe this program allows them to develop pride in the company and gain firsthand experience in leading change.
Younjung Oh Recently, we have been working on strengthening communication within Hankook & Company Group by expanding individual companies' proactive programs into initiatives that all employees across the group can participate in. When I heard feedback like, "I now truly feel like a member of the group," it was incredibly rewarding We plan to continue breaking down barriers and fostering integration.
What is the ultimate goal of the Proactive Culture team?
Younjung Oh We will continue to establish a culture where embracing change and challenges is embedded into the organization’s DNA. Our long-term goal is to establish a culture that welcomes innovation and is unafraid of failure, while continuously developing ‘our identity’ as Hankook & Company Group. By sharing a common vision and mission with all employees, we want to inspire each individual's potential and encourage collective growth.
- Written by
- Jinhyeok Cho
- Photos from
- Getty Images, Park Namkyu, Hankook & Company
