After the winter of 2001 ended and spring began, the atmosphere at 【Jungle】 was incredibly clear.
Not only was there no failure, but the subsidiaries that had initially caused concern among people had completely settled in, gaining enthusiastic support from the market and investors.
So when another piece of news spread,
『The opening of 【Jungle World】 is just around the corner!』
People’s expectant eyes turned to Jeju Island.
It seemed like just another move of the headquarters and subsidiaries, but somehow, it felt like an unprecedented revolution would begin once the era of 【Jungle World】 opened.
In fact, no one was more eagerly anticipating the opening of 【Jungle World】 than Lee Hyun-woo.
There was a reason they specifically used the term ‘opening’ here.
【Jungle World】 had a structure that was very different from typical companies.
How different? Even the CEOs of subsidiaries, department heads, and team leaders were amazed as they set foot there.
“It’s really huge. I think it rivals the 【Guseong Digital Town】 in Suwon.”
“I think it feels more like a university.”
“That’s why they attached the term ‘campus’ to many places here.”
Indeed, the names of the campuses dividing each area caught people’s eyes.
For example, the area with several buildings centered around the holding company, 【Jungle Holdings】, had a sign that said 【Human Campus】.
And inside the 【Human Campus】 was an auditorium called 【Jungle Flex】, where Lee Hyun-woo took people and stood on the podium.
“As you walked over here, you probably saw that cars are not allowed in 【Jungle World】. Instead, we have plenty of outdoor benches and bike paths, so if you find it hard to walk, please take a break or use a bicycle.”
Given how vast 【Jungle World】 was, walking from one campus to another would take at least 10 minutes.
It would even take over 30 minutes to walk from one end to the other.
‘This way, lack of exercise should naturally be resolved, right?’
It’s also good for the environment. There’s no need to add car exhaust here.
Instead, they spent generously on food.
“If you dislike walking or biking, feel free to stop by the 【Jungle Food Court】. We’ve partnered with 【Seorabeol Hotel】, so top chefs will be in charge of your meals, and the most delicious snacks from Jeju Island’s food truck street will visit us daily. After this, you can also enjoy coffee made by the best baristas.”
“Wow!”
“Wow!”
The exclamations were sincere, not flattery.
That’s how pleased they were with what Lee Hyun-woo had promised.
‘There are many restaurants in Jeju Island, but it’s still not enough. It feels like eating the same food over and over…’
If they had just come to Jeju Island for tourism, the food would have been delicious, but after a year and a half, it started getting tiresome.
Moreover, they couldn’t always go to 【Seorabeol Hotel】 for meals.
Lee Hyun-woo solved this problem, so the people from 【Jungle Contents】 and 【Jungle Data】 welcomed it enthusiastically.
Even Oh Min-woo threw a mischievous question.
“Is there food for those working night shifts?”
“Of course. We’re also promoting a breakfast buffet.”
“Wow!”
“Wow!”
“You guys really love food. But you do know it’s not all free, right?”
People closed their mouths abruptly.
It was a given that meals in any company cafeteria weren’t free, but somehow, when Lee Hyun-woo mentioned it wasn’t free, it felt like there was more to it.
And indeed.
“You all must wear a pedometer. This will qualify you to purchase coupons. If you don’t like the pedometer, you can train at the 【Jungle Fitness Campus】. If the fit and healthy trainers there certify your fitness, you can enjoy even more delicious food.”
Lee Hyun-woo once again took a groundbreaking approach to take care of employees’ health.
Everyone was taken aback but soon gladly accepted it, realizing that Lee Hyun-woo’s intentions were not harmful.
“Now, let’s loosen up the rigid business space. I’m sure you saw something that piqued your curiosity as you walked over. Ah, Team Leader Gu Ja-sung, you raised your hand even before I finished my sentence.”
“Haha… It seemed like you wanted me to ask…”
“Go ahead with your question.”
“There are many small buildings here, right? They aren’t just a few, so I’m curious about their purpose.”
“Ah, that’s something I wanted to talk about first…”
Was that why he sent a look hoping someone would ask?
The curiosity in people’s eyes deepened.
“I don’t see our 【Jungle】 employees as robots who simply follow orders without thought. That’s why I prefer a bottom-up approach over a top-down one. Anyway, for a proper bottom-up approach to emerge, I believe you need to have a sense of ownership. Hence, the catchphrase we’ve prepared! Making every employee a CEO!”
“……?”
“There’s a joke that Silicon Valley would never have existed without garages, right? So, I’ve created these small buildings as 【Jungle】’s garages, intended for the Silicon Beach of Jeju Island.”
This meant that anyone with a business idea could use one of these small buildings to create something as a CEO.
“I predict that the popularity of these small buildings will grow day by day. Therefore, we plan to allocate them in the order of application submissions, and depending on the idea, we’ll give you six months. To extend this period, you need to show visible results. Of course, it doesn’t mean you have to sell the idea immediately, but the results produced in those six months will be evaluated by me and the executives.”
Lee Hyun-woo’s prediction, that the popularity of the small buildings would grow, seemed to be true.
Even if others didn’t, the eyes of the team leaders began to sparkle.
It was only natural that their desire for recognition would be greater than that of the executives or department heads.
Lee Hyun-woo stimulated that desire once again.
“You know the wireless vacuum cleaner that’s causing a sensation domestically these days? That was my idea because I found the existing ones inconvenient. You can do it too. Although we are an IT company, we won’t limit the scope of ideas to computers and information technology. Create anything you want. For reference, I’m someone who aims for a new type of 【Jungle】 called Company in Company, CEO by CEO.”
A company within the company, treating employees as representatives of small subsidiaries.
This was the value Lee Hyun-woo intended to promote from now on.
How well this would be received was yet to be seen.
That was something to be observed and confirmed.
The philosophy that Lee Hyun-woo promoted to the executives and team leaders soon became a catchphrase.
- Company within a company, CEO next to CEO
In recent years, as the number of foreign employees increased, it was also abbreviated to CIC and CBC.
Of course, it meant Company in Company, CEO by CEO, and the small buildings became known by the coined term ‘Cartopia (car garage + utopia).’
A while later, the employees of the headquarters and subsidiaries in Jeju Island, as well as those in the subsidiaries in Seoul, received an email.
Naturally, it was from Lee Hyun-woo.
It was a request to submit applications for using Cartopia before moving into 【Jungle World】 in May.
The applications were to be received starting April 1st, and from that moment, employees began racking their brains.
And at the stroke of midnight on April 1st, Lee Hyun-woo’s inbox was flooded.
‘Let’s see.’
When he opened the first email to review it, it came from an unexpected department.
The sender was Team Leader Moon Seok-hyun from the design part, team 9.
‘An innovative design, huh? What could it be?’
Design is one of the most creative fields.
Somehow, the idea of working in Cartopia didn’t seem to fit well.
The design part already had all the necessary materials and an environment that maximized creativity.
However, after reading the email, Lee Hyun-woo chided himself for his prejudice.
Dear Chairman Lee Hyun-woo,
How are you?
I am very excited to send you this first email because it contains an idea I have been thinking about for some time.
To introduce myself briefly, I joined the company in the second half of 1999, recently became a team leader, and am a young man who is very interested in energy conservation.
Recently, a new employee who shares my interests joined the company. His name is Park Ji-soo, and together, we have conceived a product called the power alert device.
The power alert device is a bridge between the outlet and electronic appliances, allowing you to immediately check how much electricity is being used when you plug it in.
We have the design ready, but we are eager to find someone to collaborate with on the technical aspects and start making it right away.
(Skipped)
‘I was foolish to think that just because it’s the design part, they couldn’t create such a product.’
Previously, Lee Hyun-woo had emphasized that products developed to improve inconveniences in daily life were innovations, citing the wireless vacuum cleaner from 【Ilhan Electric】 as an example.
He thought Team Leader Moon Seok-hyun and Employee Park Ji-soo had achieved this.
The power alert device they mentioned was essentially a momentary meter, and the fact that it relayed electricity usage through the plug itself was a groundbreaking way to conserve energy.
If people saw the power alert device, they wouldn’t be able to leave the plug in.
‘If the price is affordable, it will sell very well. Okay, approved!’
With a satisfied smile, Lee Hyun-woo suddenly realized that the name Park Ji-soo was familiar.
‘Come to think of it, it’s Ji-soo…’
The reason he called her name so affectionately in his mind was because of his connection with Park Ji-soo.
She was a high school friend of his youngest sister-in-law, Kim Na-yoon, and once gave feedback to Lee Hyun-woo, promising to join 【Jungle】 someday, a goal she eventually achieved.
Of course, Lee Hyun-woo had not intervened in the hiring process at all.
‘Anyway, if the product idea created by a team leader and an employee becomes commercialized, it won’t be a bad thing.’
When he opened other emails, numerous ideas poured out.
Some seemed better, but Lee Hyun-woo instructed the secretaries to allocate them in order the next day.
While doing so, he said,
“Shouldn’t we be the test bed for products developed by our company? We’ll start with this power alert device. We’ll check the difference between buildings with and without this device, so please provide technical support first.”
This was indeed a necessary step.
If energy conservation was achieved properly, it would help with the power shortage concerns currently in Jeju Island.
‘If meaningful results are obtained, I should ensure that everyone living in Jeju Island uses this power alert device.’
Small savings can make a big difference.
A gentle smile appeared on Lee Hyun-woo’s face as he contemplated this.
