R E S E A R C H @ H K U S T
19
How can Korean pop music (K-pop) provide
insights into career transitions? Prof Yonghoon
Lee has made it the novel focus of empirical
research as to how networks help or hinder
career progress.
Prof Lee’s work is timely, not only because of
the recent global craze for K-pop, but the parallels
he notes between careers in the creative industries
and the gig economy in which freelancing is an
increasingly common mode of employment.
Without the security of traditional hierarchies to
protect their employment, freelancers, including
artists, must rely more heavily on their networks to
prove their value and win a strong position in
their industry.
Prof Lee has been tracking the career history of K-pop
songwriters and the patterns in their collaborations, using
a mixed methods approach of interviews and network
analysis, first motivated by observing the struggles of his
Korean songwriter friends. His research contribution
draws on network theory to unpack some paradoxes in
career survival and success.
From his study of K-pop songwriters, he found that a “closed”
network of collaborators may be vital for survival in the early
stages. While those with closed networks remain comfortable,
those with an “open” network, joining people who are
otherwise disconnected, may
aim to hit the charts.
“There is a trade-off between
whether you are going to make
sure you have continuous work
or take higher risks and try to
innovate. I found the networks
that are pertinent for each side of
the trade-off are quite opposite
in K-pop as well as in other
industries,” Prof Lee said. Thus,
the art in career progression is
to know when to switch from
closed to open networks.
Further research by Prof
Lee, who joined HKUST in 2015
following a PhD at INSEAD in
France, has also shed light
on understanding the type of
reputation you want to cultivate:
commercial or artistic, in the
creative industry context. In the
contemporary visual art world,
HOW TO SURVIVE
AND SUCCEED
IN K-POP
PROF YONGHOON LEE
Assistant Professor of
Management
I want to uncover
how creative people
can manage their
networks throughout
their career
he found a strong segregation between those exhibiting in
museum space, selected for their artistic quality, and
commercial galleries, which had greater freedom to be
more speculative than the former. The message from his
research is that building a good reputation alone is not enough.
That reputation needs tailoring for a particular audience.
Human nature dictates that there is no escaping the
importance of networking in the world of work. “We are
basically social animals. We need the resources that we don’t
possess, including both instrumental and emotional support
from human social interaction,” Prof Lee said. A successful
career hinges on how well people can manage their networks
appropriate for the stages of their career.
Many make use of extensive social networking in the
virtual world as a shortcut. But Prof Lee said these media
forms would not replace real social interaction for career
progression. “Social networking sites are overrated in
bridging the gap between insiders and outsiders. If
anything, they may even increase the gap between those
who are in and those who are out,” he said.
Prof Lee has published in prestigious journals such as
the
Academy of Management Journal.
