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[Interview with Professor Joonmahn Lee] The Winner of the 1st Prospective Scholar’s Awards by MBN∙AK
2018.08.30 Views 2331 경영대학
[Interview with Professor Joonmahn Lee]
The Winner of the 1st Prospective Scholar’s Awards by MBN∙AKMS
The Winner of the 1st Prospective Scholar’s Awards by MBN∙AKMS
Professor Joonmahn Lee is the winner of ‘Prospective Scholar’s Awards’ by Maeil Business Newspaper (MBN)∙Association of Korean Management Scholars (AKMS). Professor Lee published four journals in the world-renowned publications including ‘Strategic Management Journal’ and ‘Organization Science’. Based on the academic performance, Professor Lee had a unanimous vote from the award committee. 『KUBS News』 met Professor Lee for an interview on his award.
Q. Could you please introduce yourself to us?
I’m Professor Joonmahn Lee. I did my Ph.D. at Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania for five years since 2007, majoring in Corporate Strategy and Entrepreneurship. Then I was teaching at Purdue University, Indiana, the U.S. until early August 2018, during which I got appointed at Korea University. I am appointed as a professor at Korea University from September 1st.
Q. Do you have any areas of academic interest that you would like to concentrate on?
Yes, of course I am interested in business studies in general, but I have three areas that I would like to deeply focus on: ‘Research on entrepreneurship’, ‘Research on technological innovation’, and ‘Business ecosystem’.
Q. What do you think that contributed to the publication of your journals in the renowned ‘Strategic Management Journal’ and ‘Organization Science’?
It is the time and effort I put, for sure, but I was lucky. I put an incredible amount of time in my research. My supervisor taught me how to choose the most accurate terminology when writing a thesis. I am also very grateful that my papers were also edited by an incredible editor who gave me constructive feedback and advice on my writing.
Q. You won the ‘Prospective Scholar’s Awards’ by Maeil Business Newspaper (MBN)∙Association of Korean Management Scholars (AKMS). How do you feel?
‘Prospective Scholar’s Awards’ goes to professors with less than six years of experience. I consider myself lucky because it is my sixth year. I also attended as many conferences as possible, which I think the award committee gave extra credit.
Q. What did you think was most challenging part when working on your research?
Two things. The writing itself and being obsessed with finding the “right” answer.
The thing about education in Korea is that it puts a big emphasis on the acquisition of knowledge, meanwhile it underestimates the importance of having own ideas towards an issue or expressing one’s thoughts in a written form. I can say that for sure, as a Korean who went through years of education in Korea. As an overseas student, learning in a different environment in the U.S. was not easy. I was doing fine with knowledge acquisition such as exam preparation, but when it comes to writing assessments, I was struggling.
Also, in Korea, they ask you to learn the “right” answer without raising questions. I do not agree with the statement that a class that ends with a conclusion is an effective method of teaching. My learning experience in the U.S. has taught me that in fact, being open to other thoughts are highly important. It is important for each of us to acknowledge that our own ideas and thoughts can sometimes be wrong. When I was first writing my thesis it was not easy to embrace criticism by those who review my work including editors. I guess given my learning experience in Korea, I did not know how to deal with criticism in academia. But I got used to it as I go. While working on my thesis, of course my writing skills are improved, and more importantly I learned how to absorb and be open to criticism.
Q. What are your goals as a researcher and professor at the University?
I am hoping to focus on writing, especially I would like to write a book. Not a thesis or research paper, but books for a general audience that even readers with less knowledge on business studies can relate to.
My goal is to assemble what I learned from my researches and write a book that every reader can relate to their everyday life.
Q. Could you please give us a last word of advice to the readers?
I am planning to make my lectures an open class, where students are free to suggest their ideas. To do so, I will throw a lot of open questions so that students can investigate important issues. How a corporate makes a decision is not about right or wrong, but it is all about the economic value. That is why I would like to highlight the importance of the open attitude towards others’ thoughts. Of course, it can be a challenging class, but I will make sure that students find it rewarding at the end of the semester.
I’m Professor Joonmahn Lee. I did my Ph.D. at Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania for five years since 2007, majoring in Corporate Strategy and Entrepreneurship. Then I was teaching at Purdue University, Indiana, the U.S. until early August 2018, during which I got appointed at Korea University. I am appointed as a professor at Korea University from September 1st.
Q. Do you have any areas of academic interest that you would like to concentrate on?
Yes, of course I am interested in business studies in general, but I have three areas that I would like to deeply focus on: ‘Research on entrepreneurship’, ‘Research on technological innovation’, and ‘Business ecosystem’.
Q. What do you think that contributed to the publication of your journals in the renowned ‘Strategic Management Journal’ and ‘Organization Science’?
It is the time and effort I put, for sure, but I was lucky. I put an incredible amount of time in my research. My supervisor taught me how to choose the most accurate terminology when writing a thesis. I am also very grateful that my papers were also edited by an incredible editor who gave me constructive feedback and advice on my writing.
Q. You won the ‘Prospective Scholar’s Awards’ by Maeil Business Newspaper (MBN)∙Association of Korean Management Scholars (AKMS). How do you feel?
‘Prospective Scholar’s Awards’ goes to professors with less than six years of experience. I consider myself lucky because it is my sixth year. I also attended as many conferences as possible, which I think the award committee gave extra credit.
Q. What did you think was most challenging part when working on your research?
Two things. The writing itself and being obsessed with finding the “right” answer.
The thing about education in Korea is that it puts a big emphasis on the acquisition of knowledge, meanwhile it underestimates the importance of having own ideas towards an issue or expressing one’s thoughts in a written form. I can say that for sure, as a Korean who went through years of education in Korea. As an overseas student, learning in a different environment in the U.S. was not easy. I was doing fine with knowledge acquisition such as exam preparation, but when it comes to writing assessments, I was struggling.
Also, in Korea, they ask you to learn the “right” answer without raising questions. I do not agree with the statement that a class that ends with a conclusion is an effective method of teaching. My learning experience in the U.S. has taught me that in fact, being open to other thoughts are highly important. It is important for each of us to acknowledge that our own ideas and thoughts can sometimes be wrong. When I was first writing my thesis it was not easy to embrace criticism by those who review my work including editors. I guess given my learning experience in Korea, I did not know how to deal with criticism in academia. But I got used to it as I go. While working on my thesis, of course my writing skills are improved, and more importantly I learned how to absorb and be open to criticism.
Q. What are your goals as a researcher and professor at the University?
I am hoping to focus on writing, especially I would like to write a book. Not a thesis or research paper, but books for a general audience that even readers with less knowledge on business studies can relate to.
My goal is to assemble what I learned from my researches and write a book that every reader can relate to their everyday life.
Q. Could you please give us a last word of advice to the readers?
I am planning to make my lectures an open class, where students are free to suggest their ideas. To do so, I will throw a lot of open questions so that students can investigate important issues. How a corporate makes a decision is not about right or wrong, but it is all about the economic value. That is why I would like to highlight the importance of the open attitude towards others’ thoughts. Of course, it can be a challenging class, but I will make sure that students find it rewarding at the end of the semester.
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