[Jjinbit] National Soccer Team Coach's Remote Work

Editor's Note[Jjinbit] is a shortened form of 'Jung Hyunjin's Business Trend' and 'Real Business Trend,' a segment that showcases trends in changes in work.

The controversy over men's national soccer team coach J?rgen Klinsmann's remote work is growing. When he was appointed in March, Klinsmann said he would "mostly stay in Korea," but over the following five months, he stayed in the country for only 67 days, which fueled the controversy. During that time, the national team played a total of four matches, recording two draws and two losses. There was not a single win. Given this situation, his way of working from his home in the United States, where his family resides, has expanded into issues of work negligence and poor communication.

In a video conference with domestic media on the 17th and 18th, Coach Klinsmann addressed the controversy, saying, "It might be a stereotype, and since my way of working is different, there seems to be misunderstandings or parts that are not fully understood."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He then focused on explaining that the tasks assigned to the national soccer team coach are subdivided and that his way of working does not have a significant impact. He emphasized his role by saying, "I think I need to do what I can on a bigger picture, more international level." Regarding tasks that need to be done domestically, such as checking K-League players, he explained that he frequently communicates with advisors like Cha Du-ri.

In fact, Klinsmann has been repeatedly criticized for weak 'communication,' one of the most important functions that cannot be done remotely. During his tenure as Germany's national team coach from 2004 to 2006, he also faced controversy over working remotely from the United States. While coaching Hertha Berlin, he faced similar controversy and abruptly resigned via Facebook Live without consulting the club just two months after his appointment.

Klinsmann's remote work controversy highlights the reality that even four years after the introduction of remote work systems following COVID-19, there is still no clear distinction between tasks that can and cannot be done remotely. Although remote work is efficient and flexible, there are limits to collaboration and acquiring information offline, so there is a growing call for delicate application of work systems considering the characteristics of each task.

Professor Seo Yongseok of KAIST and the MoonSul Graduate School of Future Strategy Center recently said in an interview, "Whether to introduce remote work depends on the field and occupation. It is ambiguous to apply it uniformly." Alex Soo-jung Kim Bang, partner at the nonprofit Four Day Week Global experimenting with a four-day workweek, and Darren Murph, advisor who managed the work system at GitLab, an open-source platform that has operated fully remotely since its founding, also said, "To do remote work well, it is necessary to design work methods and spaces properly," adding, "Sometimes work is better and more efficient when done together with others."

Ultimately, the success or failure of remote work depends on distinguishing between tasks that can and cannot be done remotely and building an effective work system. Unless results that quell such controversies are shown, social controversies like Klinsmann's remote work issue are likely to continue arising everywhere.