What Is the Real Reason Lee Jae-myung Ordered Improvements in Gyeonggi Provincial Government's Organizational Culture?

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, emphasized that a culture of organization where superiors listen to the voices of subordinates is necessary to carry out field administration centered on the residents.

At the 'February Empathy and Communication Day' event held at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government on the 3rd, Governor Lee said, "Public service and the execution of official duties should not remain stagnant as in the past. They must be improved in a positive direction," adding, "The problem is that we often do not know how to do so. At such times, we need to listen more to the voices of administrative service users."

He particularly noted, "We (public officials) are merely agents of administration who convey messages, but after working for a long time, there comes a point when we feel as if we are the benefactors ourselves," and added, "However, in a democratic society, the opinions and will of the sovereign administrative service users are truly important."

Governor Lee pointed to improving organizational culture as a method to listen to the opinions of administrative service users.

He said, "It is necessary to have 'brainstorming' (a technique to draw out creative ideas through free discussion) with subordinate public officials and lower-level members," and pointed out, "The lower the rank, the more they come into contact with the field, while the higher the rank, the more they become distant and insensitive to the desires of the public and citizens. Therefore, the opinions of lower-level employees who are closer to the field are important."

He further explained, "It is important to speak freely without rank badges during meetings or routine work, and it is good to listen seriously and respectfully without giving reproach. If every time someone speaks, you say 'Oh, that's not it,' the other person will no longer want to talk. Saying 'That might be true in some ways? That's an ingenious idea too?' is completely different."

In conclusion, Governor Lee said, "The fate of the world rests at the fingertips of public officials," and emphasized, "I hope they take pride in knowing that paying a little more attention, listening a little more, researching a little more, and making a little more improvement multiplies by the number of residents (13.6 million)."

Additionally, Governor Lee encouraged employees working hard to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection and urged them to engage in bold and thorough quarantine measures, even to the point where some might consider them excessive.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.