Brain preference and management: An exploratory reasoning for the founders of Samsung and Hyundai Group, Lee and Chung

The Purpose of the current study is to identify the differences between Samsung and Hyundai Group and the causes why the differences occurred. The study focuses on the founder of the two groups as a main source of the differences, especially brain preference of the two founders. Two steps were employed to perform the study. First, the two founders' characteristics were analyzed by using archival research. It was implicitly hypothesized that Group founders' characteristics explained the differences of the two Groups. It was found that the founder of Samsung Group, the late president Lee emphasized rationality, analysis, and cause/effect relationship and low risk taking, suggesting that he had left-brain preference. In contrast, the late president Chung, the founder of Hyundai Group, emphasized intuition, wholeness, contextual meaning, and risk taking, showing that he had right-brain preference. Secondly, a comparison between the two groups was performed in terms of business and financial risk in corporate portfolio, and management system. It was found that Hyundai Group was pursuing higher risk than Samsung Group. And it was observed that Samsung Group put more emphasis on formality in decision making and systematic control, and less emphasis on risk taking than Hyundai Group. From the two step research relationship between brain preference and management was reasoned. Research implication and limitations were discussed at the end of the study.