Graduate School of Business

Korea’s leading business publication has conferred its 50^th annual “Maekyung Economist Award” on YSB management Professor KiYoung Lee. Maeil Business Newspaper gives the annual award to business scholars and economists for outstanding achievement.

Professor KiYoung Lee was recognized for his study “A functional model of workplace envy and job performance: When do employees capitalize on envy by learning from envied targets?” published in the Academy of Management Journal. Professor Lee showed in his article that jealousy, usually viewed as destructive and an emotion to avoid, can be a positive in the workplace. This happens when employee’s jealousy of the success of another strive to emulate the target of their jealousy, even while perceiving that person negatively.

 “I am very honored to receive the “Maekyung Economist Award,” Professor Lee said.  “It is personally meaningful because I put a lot work into the paper that it recognizes and was developed from my doctoral thesis.” He also commented, “World-class YSB students have the skills and qualities to achieve whatever they want, no matter which career path they choose. I encourage them to take the time to think and try what they want to do with pride and confidence first. Do not to be afraid to take a different path.”

Professor Lee mainly studies bullying in the workplace and has recently become interested in related sexual problems in the workplace. In addition, because of the COVID-19 outbreak, he has also been interested in self-identity issues triggered by the discrimination Asian Americans encounter in US organizations and how they are perceived in the workplace.

Professor Lee  became interested in organizational behavior while taking business courses as an undergraduate that convinced him that a corporation’s most fundamental resource for success lies in its employees. He considers organizational behavior theory as basically dealing with people issues and as the various phenomena associated with communication among people in an organization. Many of these phenomena are based on psychology and reflect individual experiences.

After receiving his bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration from Seoul National University, Professor Lee received his doctorate in business administration from the University of Minnesota. He then worked as an assistant professor at the State University of New York before joining YSB.

Maeil Business Newspaper is Korea’s leading business publication and is read by businessmen and corporate subscribers. It covers a diverse array of topics related to the Korean economy, finance, real estate, stocks, and bonds.