HIERARCHICAL ADVANCEMENT IN KOREAN CHAEBOLS: A MODEL AND RESEARCH AGENDA John F. Milliman University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Yong-Min Kim University of Southern California Mary Ann Von Glinow Florida In terna tional University zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXW Because of the increasingly prominent role South Korea’s workforce plays in the world’s economy, it is important to understand Korean organizational practices and employee attitudes. This is particularly true for promotion, a highly sought after reward in not only Korea, but also other countries such as the United States and Japan. This article investigates three aspects of promotion systems in Korea: cultural and social factors are examined to illustrate the context for hierarchical advancement in organizations; models of promotion aspiration and promotion criteria based on cultural, social, organizational, and individual factors are proposed; and emerging economic and population demographic trends which are likely to impact future em- ployee opportunities for promotions are discussed. Comparisons to U.S. corporations and Japanese zaibatsus are utilized to further explain the unique nature of promotion systems in Korea and to predict future trends. Testable propositions are proposed to guide future research on promotion systems. South Korea has emerged as one of the success stories of the world in the last decade (Shin, Steers, Ungson, & Nam 1990). Despite its limited size and lack of natural resources and having the most rigid communist regime in the world, North Korea, on its border, South Korea has become a newly industrialized country (NIC) with one of the highest economic growth rates in the world (Kim zyxwvutsr Direct all correspondence to: John F. Milliman, College of Business, University of Colorado, 1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway, Colorado Springs, CO 80933-7150. Human Resource Management Review, Copyright 0 1993 Volume 3, Number 4,1993, pages 293-320 by JAI Press, Inc. All rights of reproduction in any form reserved. ISSN:1503-4822