Team Structure

I have participated in many teams in my life. Among them, a team structure in military was successful in efficiency-wise. From 2016 to 2018, I worked at 35th flight group at Seoul Airbase as air force. My job was to deliver some confidential documents, manage facilities, and anything that is needed.  Even though each member of the team does not tend to freely communicate with each other, its hierarchy and division of work take actions to a variety of situation very efficiently. Therefore, I would say that this organization had been successful for its own purpose.

I was a part of an office of the airbase management department and it is divided into four different divisions; Operational division, facility management division, ground assistance division, and hospitality division. Each division comprised of a leader and 5-10 members. Of course, members are also followed by air force rank. These four divisions collaborated to conduct the confidential mission. The highest team's authority was the captain of the airbase management department who is above four divisions and the highest rank. The captain ("One boss hierarchy") commands any important circumstances through collecting leaders of each division.  In this way, leaders are informed about missions and circumstances to prepare for any kind of work by commanding members of the division. Communication are very well performed (or even strictly performed) because the work does not follow the regular work time such as(9AM - 5PM). It is flexible to the missions from upper department, so working time really varies, which means that members are always putting them selves to be open to communication. (Keeping eyes on phones regularly, no silence mode, and so on). Because of specialty of military, the lower ranker has to obey and follow higher ranker. Mutiny is strictly prohibited. Therefore, relatively stronger hierarchy team can be built compared to another team outside of military.

According to the Katzenbach and Smith, this team has performed well as an organization. proper amount of members (5-10) are involved in each division, which is small enough to control. In addition to this, the majority of members of the department have worked for each job at for many years, which means expertise and specialization are proven by years of experience. Plus, members are committed to a common purpose half reluctantly by speciality of military. Therefore, this team is equipped with distinguishing features of high function team.

In the case of welcoming VIP mission as an example, the captain gathered each leader of the division to briefly discuss about the mission at least a week before. Each leader reports facilities, equipments, and members that are available to the mission. The captain recognized any special things to know at this moment. The captain reports about our department condition and situation to the upper department and other department which co-work with. And each leader of the division commands to their members about any needs and things to prepare before the day. For example, members of managing facility division check the temperature and electricity of welcoming buildings, gardening condition, cleaning condition, and possible emergency assistance. 48 hours before, all divisions rehearsal the welcoming mission for completely preparing for the day. Then, each leaders report any special notes to the captain and captain reflects or confirms them for the last time.

As we looked into the example, this team works with optimal size of people, well performed communication and complementary skills. The manageable size let the team reacts rapid to any circumstance and members with years of experience contributes a lot to stability of the team.

In conclusion, my organization experience, the airbase management department at 35th flight group performs well, equipped with many advantages such as size, communication, skills as an organization with one boss hierarchy.

*I excluded any confidential information about military on this blog.

Opportunism in Korean History

"Opportunism" is taking advantage of circumstances, which can be interpreted as either positive or negative way. If people are patient and keep their own standard in lives as their belief (e.g. a good citizen), we can say that these people are not being opportunistic but they have their own principle. On the other hand, people who are taking advantage of any circumstance to gain benefit, are considered as being opportunistic. It could be wise or smart way to live the lives, however, it is important to make sure that behavior is in the border of morality and justice.

As an example, I want to bring up Korean history, the period of Japanese colonial rule (1910~1945). This history affect that Korean people unconsciously think that opportunism is bad.  In this period, administration of Japan ruled Korea in political, economical, and diplomatic sovereignty as a country. Japanese government, police, educator, and so on are occupying the country with assaulting and punishment. They forced not to speak Korean, and change our last name to Japanese-style last name. It was such a disaster. No right for Korean. They were raped and get assaulted every day. However, there were still a great deal of people who contest against Japan to reclaim independence to restore our country. They spoke out for independence from Japan. In this situation, many Korean people had to decide whether to convert their nationality to Japan and obey them, or remain as Korean to restore our nation. A former choice might be for people who are opportunistic and a latter choice might be for people who are not opportunistic.

In this situation, many people yielded their nationality and started obeying to the Japanese government. Of course, Japanese administrators provided a lot of benefit to them because it was an efficient way to gather crucial information through them. This behavior spawned that people with same nation fought and even killed each other.  By doing so, Korean people who yielded their nation and obeyed Japan, stacked wealth and honor. In one sentence, some people sold their own country for their benefit. They can be called opportunist. On the other hand, other group of Korean people fight against Japan and wanted to restore our nationality. Many of them were killed, punished, and disappeared. It was obviously difficult and extreme situation to decide to keep their own belief. It was the problem of death or alive. They are hopeless because they did not afford to buy arms or even commodities, and they are not trained to battle against Japan. But they are very passionate about win back our country. Thanks to them, finally, they managed to recover our nation and it became very important event in Korean history and people who fought for Korea (Independence movement) at that time are still remembered.

If I speculate on those people who fought for independence, I cannot respect them more. In real life, people are always put in the situation of being opportunistic or not. For example, litter the trash on the street or not. People are sometimes very selfish and arrogant. But for them, instead of being opportunistic (beneficial, easy-way), they chose an extremely rough way. They could have died  at any time without seeing their family. If they chose to yield the nationality, they could live comfortably. It makes me that that it is more import to follow their own virtue at least for them. Wealth and honor were not the ultimate virtue of them. It gave me lesson that  it is important to catch an opportunity to make it beneficial to lives, but it is more important to construct own values for life and they have to stand on the cross of justice and morality.

1919.03.01 Independence Movement

My Experience in Military

I have participated in a great deal of organizations. Among them, the most impressive organization was military. In 2016, I become a part of Air Force  and it was such an interesting and valuable experience in my life.

Military is a strictly centralized organization with a strong hierarchy. The organization does not exist for individual but for the whole, which means that privacy and opinions are hardly accepted. In addition to this, the soldiers must be staying in the camp and it is limited to use phones, computers, go outside, and so on. In one word, it was total disaster to my life.

I grow up in democratic country where I have right to speak up my own voice to anything. However, being in military is like being in another world. As a soldier, I had to obey the superior without any reason. I must not to express any political opinions in the public and I could not go home freely for two years. At first, it was very unpleasant and uncomfortable to be a part of the organization. It was almost my first experience of being just obeying the organization as yielding my opinions for the first time in my life. However, I ended up with learning a lot of valuable things.

At the top of the military, the President exist. Next, the Minster of National Defense and the Air Force Chief of Staff. Under them, there are a great deal of soldiers according to the rank and I was the bottom rank of the organization.

Military is the most strict and inflexible organization that I have ever seen. Of course, it does not necessarily mean bad but it also has a great deal of advantages. For example, it is efficient to take a movement to any circumstance. Therefore, the organization itself characterizes for its own good.

About My Alias, John Bates Clark

                                                   John Bates Clark (1847 ~ 1938)

Before I was assigned this alias, I have never heard of him. He is an American economist who is noted for his theory of marginal productivity.

Clark was educated at Brown University and Amherst College, then he moved to Germany and Switzerland. He came back to the United States to teach at Columbia University as a professor.

He published several articles and the most stunning contribution was marginal utility theory. John Bates Clark can be considered the fourth independent creator of the Marginalist Revolution, followed by Jevons, Menger, and Walras.

He also helped found the American Economic Association in 1885. The AEA instituted the "John Bates Clark medal" in 1947, awarded every second year to the most promising young economist under forty years of age.

His work can be related to our course content such that marginal productivity can explain or influence on economical behavior of organizations .

John Bates Clark Medal