Successful IT start‐ups' HRD practices: four cases in South Korea

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify South Korea's successful IT start‐ups' HRD practices to determine whether there are steps that must be taken to maintain their HRD expertise for continued growth. Design/methodology/approach A case study approach employing four fast‐growing IT start‐up cases was undertaken based on semi‐structured interviews with HR managers and CEOs, supported by site visit observations and archival sources. Findings The emergent themes resulting from an analysis of the four cases are adjusting to changing markets (globalization), the founder effect, workforce development, organizational culture, and challenges. These case studies show the importance of organizational culture for IT start‐ups' continued growth. Research limitations/implications Although the paper employed multiple cases for comparison, through focusing on only four cases, the results are contextualized and, thus, are limited in generalization. Practical implications The fast‐growing IT firms should carefully choose HRD practices to manage and develop their talent because these practices may shape the firms' innovative organizational culture, which, in turn, affects the firm's continued growth. Originality/value These case studies contribute to research on South Korea's IT start‐ups by detailing how HRD practices have supported the success of the four IT start‐ups over the past ten years. The paper adds qualitative details to previous studies' quantitative analysis of start‐ups.

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