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Yeun Joon Kim

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Yeun Joon Kim

Associate Professor in Organisational Behaviour

BS (Yonsei University), BA, MS (Seoul National University), PhD (University of Toronto)

Research interests

Creativity; culture creation; leadership.

Yeun Joon examines, for example, how exchanges of work-relevant information (e.g., feedback, work knowledge) influence employee creativity. He also studies how organisations can correctly diagnose their current cultures and then create cultures that are beneficial for their performance. Lastly, he investigates whether and why team leaders are stuck in their past experience when making important decisions and how organisations help the leaders make better decisions.

Subject group: Organisational Behaviour

Professional experience

Dr Yeun Joon Kim has engaged in several collaborations with and consulting activities for various organisations. He helps organisations continuously innovate their work processes and products, create functional cultures, and train their leaders to be more effective in leading employees. He works with Invesco, Schroders, Ninety One, Border to Coast, and LGIM to investigate the topics of diversity, equality, and inclusion. He also collaborates with the Institute of Metabolic Science in the University of Cambridge, E-ACT, and Providus Bank to diagnose their current cultures and help them create functional cultures. He also works with Kyobo Lifeplanet to create organisational visions, restructure its organisational structure, and develop marketing strategies based on segmentation, targeting, and positioning. He is currently an Independent Director of Kyobo Lifeplanet.

Awards & honours

  • Winner, Faculty Transnational Research Award, Academy of Management Annual Meeting, 2020
  • Finalist, Alvah Chapman Outstanding Dissertation Award, 2020
  • Ontario Graduate Scholarship, 2017-2018
  • Finalist, EURAM Most Inspirational Paper Award, 2017
  • Winner, Samsung Economic Research Institute Best Paper Awards, 2016
  • James Paopst Fellowship, 2015-2016
  • National Humanities and Social Sciences Graduate Research Scholarship, Korean Student Aid Foundation (KOSAF), 2012-2013

Selected publications

Here are a selection of Yeun Joon Kim’s publications. Please see the “Selected publications” tab above for a more comprehensive list.

Kim, Y.J., Toh, S.M. and Baik, S. (2022) “Culture creation and change: making sense of the past to inform future research agendas.” Journal of Management, 48(6): 1503-1547 (DOI: 10.1177/01492063221081031)

Luan, Y and Kim Y.J. (2022) “An integrative model of new product evaluation: a systematic investigation of perceived novelty and product evaluation in the movie industry.” PLoS ONE, 17(3): e0265193 (DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265193)

Kim, Y.J. and Meeker, A. (2020) “A subordinate’s criticism makes you more creative.” Harvard Business Review, Mar-Apr

Kim, Y.J. and Kim, J. (2020) “Does negative feedback benefit (or harm) recipient creativity? The role of the direction of feedback flow.” Academy of Management Journal, 63(2): 584–612 (DOI: 10.5465/amj.2016.1196)

Kim, Y.J. and Toh, S.M. (2019) “Stuck in the past? The influence of a leader’s past cultural experience on group culture and positive and negative group deviance.” Academy of Management Journal, 62(3): 944–969 (DOI: 10.5465/amj.2016.1322)

Kim, Y.J. and Zhong, C.B. (2017) “Ideas rise from chaos: information structure and creativity.” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 138: 15-27 (DOI: 10.1016/j.obhdp.2016.10.001)

Journal articles

Kim, Y.J. and Zhong, C.B. (2016) “Moral reasoning and creativity.” Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings, 2016(1) (DOI: 10.5465/ambpp.2016.19)

Kim, Y.J. and Zhong, C.B. (2017) “Ideas rise from chaos: information structure and creativity.” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 138: 15-27 (DOI: 10.1016/j.obhdp.2016.10.001)

Kim, Y.J. and Toh, S.M. (2019) “Stuck in the past? The influence of a leader’s past cultural experience on group culture and positive and negative group deviance.” Academy of Management Journal, 62(3): 944–969 (DOI: 10.5465/amj.2016.1322)

Kim, Y.J. and Kim, J. (2020) “Does negative feedback benefit (or harm) recipient creativity? The role of the direction of feedback flow.” Academy of Management Journal, 63(2): 584–612 (DOI: 10.5465/amj.2016.1196)

Kim, Y.J. and Meeker, A. (2020) “A subordinate’s criticism makes you more creative.” Harvard Business Review, Mar-Apr

Kim, Y.J., Toh, S.M. and Baik, S. (2022) “Culture creation and change: making sense of the past to inform future research agendas.” Journal of Management, 48(6): 1503-1547 (DOI: 10.1177/01492063221081031)

Luan, Y and Kim Y.J. (2022) “An integrative model of new product evaluation: a systematic investigation of perceived novelty and product evaluation in the movie industry.” PLoS ONE, 17(3): e0265193 (DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265193)

Tierney, W., Kim, Y.J. et al (2022) “A creative destruction approach to replication: implicit work and sex morality across cultures.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 93: 104060 (DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2020.104060)

Grossmann, I.E.A. and Kim, Y.J. (2023) “Insights into accuracy of social scientists’ forecasts of societal change.” Nature Human Behaviour (DOI: 10.1038/s41562-022-01517-1) (published online Feb 2023)

Book chapters

Kim, Y.J., McRuer, G. and Hirsh, J.B. (2020) “Creativity in the workplace.” In: Carducci, B.J. (ed.) The Wiley encyclopedia of personality and individual differences: vol.iv: Clinical, applied, and cross-cultural research. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons, pp.465-470

How can organisations adopt fit-for-purpose cultures?

Organisations should follow a four-stage model for creating functional cultures that includes analysing different environmental changes, says a study co-authored at Cambridge…

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Filmgoers only want a bit of ‘novelty’

As the Academy Awards approach, a new study from Cambridge Judge Business School, based on nearly 50,000 customer reviews, questions just how…

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Gender and diversity

Paper by Yeun Joon Kim and Yingyue Luan of Cambridge Judge wins Faculty Transnational Research Award of the Academy of Management. A…

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Criticism and creativity

Bosses have thicker skin than assumed, so companies can boost performance by encouraging negative feedback of superiors by staff, says study co-authored…

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Stuck in the past

New CEOs and other leaders transfer culture from their previous jobs and this can 'blindside' them into proposing obsolete solutions to new…

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The Economist: The woolliest words in business

A study co-authored by Dr Yeun Joon Kim, Associate Professor in Organisational Behaviour at Cambridge Judge Business School, features in an Economist…

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Harvard Business Review: New leaders bring unwanted cultural baggage with them

A study co-authored by Dr Yeun Joon Kim, Associate Professor in Organisational Behaviour at Cambridge Judge, on “bottom-up” criticism is featured in…

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Management Today: Encourage employees to criticise you if you want to be more creative

A study by Yeun Joon Kim, University Senior Lecturer in Organisational Behaviour at Cambridge Judge Business School, is featured in the article.…

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Harvard Business Review: A subordinate’s criticism makes you more creative

A study co-authored by Dr Yeun Joon Kim, University Senor Lecturer in Organisational Behaviour at Cambridge Judge, on “bottom-up” criticism is featured…

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Consumer Affairs: Bosses’ reactions could impact if workers speak up

The way the criticism is given at work can affect employees’ creativity says study co-authored by Dr Yeun Joon Kim, University Senior…

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The Irish Times: How to ensure your company is not stuck in the past

A study co-authored by Dr Yeun Joon Kim, University Senior Lecturer in Organisational Behaviour at Cambridge Judge, is featured in the article.…

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The Economic Times of India: ‘Stuck in the past? New CEOs often try to transfer previous company’s culture’

The article co-authored by Dr Yeun Joon Kim, University Senior Lecturer in Organisational Behaviour at Cambridge Judge Business School, examines how leaders…

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Consumer Affairs: Ethical leadership in the workplace can create a positive work environment

Being open to criticism can benefit employees who are working on creative projects, says a study co-authored by Dr Yeun Joon Kim,…

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Forbes: Four new ideas for giving feedback that gets positive results

A study co-authored by Dr Yeun Joon Kim, University Senior Lecturer in Organisational Behaviour at Cambridge Judge Business School, is featured in…

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Consumer Affairs: Being open to criticism at work can be beneficial to creativity

Negative feedback at work should be delivered by someone of a lower rank, suggests a research paper by Dr Yeun Joon Kim,…

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Ze.tt.: We need a more cozy culture for criticism at work

A study co-authored by Dr Yeun Joon Kim, University Senior Lecturer in Organisational Behaviour at Cambridge Judge Business School, looked how negative…

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Hindustan Times: Employees should be receptive to criticism to stay creative

According to a paper co-authored by Cambridge Judge Business School academic, bosses and co-workers “need to be more careful when they offer…

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The Economic Times: Negative feedback does more good than harm, may help you become creative

According to a recent study, to keep the creative juices flowing, employees should be receptive to criticism. "It's a bit counterintuitive because…

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Thrive Global: Three ways to use criticism to boost your creativity

Dr Yeun Joon Kim, University Senior Lecturer in Organisational Behaviour at Cambridge Judge Business School, comments on how to boost creativity at…

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Science Daily: To keep the creative juices flowing, employees should be receptive to criticism

Negative feedback at work can stunt the creative process, according to a study co-authored by Dr Yeun Joon Kim, University Senior Lecturer…

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Inverse: Don’t get along with your new boss? Here’s the most likely reason why

CEOS often implement inefficient office cultures by relying too much on their past experiences, according to a study co-authored by Dr Yeun…

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The Globe and Mail: How Lego can get employees thinking outside the blocks

Dr Yeun Joon Kim, University Senior Lecturer in Organisational Behaviour at Cambridge Judge Business School co-authored a research exploring the relationship between…

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Science Daily: Too much structured knowledge hurts creativity, shows study

Structure organises human activities and help us understand the world with less effort, but it can be the killer of creativity, concludes…

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The Globe and Mail: The nine habits of unhealthy managers

A research on creativity coauthored by Dr Yeun Joon Kim, University Senior Lecturer in Organisational Behaviour at Cambridge Judge Business School, is…

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Contact details

Yeun Joon Kim
Cambridge Judge Business School
University of Cambridge
Trumpington Street
Cambridge CB2 1AG
UK

Tel: +44 (0)1223 762182

[email protected]

Visit Yeun Joon Kim’s website

Recruitment of Volunteer Research Assistants

Dr Kim is currently recruiting volunteers who can help his research. For more information, please email Dr Kim.

CV

Download Yeun Joon Kim’s CV