Changed Corporate Culture... SK Telecom CEO Park Jung-ho "No Results from Departments Where Hearts Have Left"

In-house Scout System 'CDC Program' Settles After Over 2 Years
"Let Them Do What They Want" ... From Team Leaders to Member-Centered Organization

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Jo] "How can work efficiency be expected in a department where the heart has left? The most important thing is to let employees do what they want to do in our company."

SK Telecom CEO Park Jung-ho's in-house scout system, the CDC (Career Development Challenge) program, introduced two years ago, is cited as a representative example that offers a glimpse into the changing corporate culture. CDC is a system that allows anyone to apply for the work they want at any time. It does not consider conditions such as the employee's entry date or current work, nor does it reflect the opinions of the existing team. Even if the current team leader opposes, the door is open for employees to move to another department whenever they want.

◆ "Let them do what they want" = According to SK Telecom on the 26th, the CDC program, now in its third year since introduction, is settling in with an increasing number of employee applications every year. Introduced in February 2018, the year after Park took office, the system aims to enhance employee capabilities and organizational vitality by allowing employees to work in the departments and roles they desire, linking this to performance outcomes. A separate CDC site is set up on the company intranet and operates continuously, independent of the annual organizational restructuring.

In particular, SK Telecom allows employees to upload their desired departments, roles, and resumes confidentially to request personnel transfers, in addition to freely posted recruitment notices from teams needing manpower. These posts can only be viewed by the HR team and the desired team leader, and all procedures such as blind screening and interviews are conducted confidentially. Only when the employee's department transfer is decided does the desired team leader notify the current team leader of the expected start date in the new department. An SK Telecom official explained, "All employee applications and interview details are kept confidential. Disclosure occurs only when the department transfer is finalized."

In the first year of introduction, 2018, there were reportedly hesitations among employees who were cautious about the company's stance. Some awkwardness arose between the existing team leader and employees immediately after transfers. The company also had deep concerns about how to apply the system to both experienced and new employees. However, after more than two years, the number of employees trying new roles through the CDC program has steadily increased, and the internal atmosphere has become more flexible in accepting this. This is seen as evidence that the corporate personnel culture, which just a few years ago accepted top-down notifications as the norm, is changing.

◆ Park's philosophy reflected in 'healthy competition' = The program's successful establishment reflects CEO Park's consistent belief that only organizations where members can do what they want can sustain continuous growth, rather than team leader-centered organizations. Early in his second year in office, in early 2018, Park decided to introduce the program, stating, "Allowing employees to work in the departments they want is the way to improve work efficiency." He instructed, "There is no work efficiency if employees continue working in departments where their hearts have left. We will open procedures for employees who want to leave their departments to move to others."

Of course, departments losing employees inevitably suffer losses. However, Park emphasized that there must be healthy competition between departments, teams, and leaders to create 'departments where people want to work' and 'teams where people want to work.' An SK Telecom official at the team leader level said, "Competition among team leaders to secure talent has intensified. While teams receiving personnel notifications may feel somewhat upset, they regard this as healthy competition aimed at creating an organization where anyone wants to work."

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