[Yoon Eun Key's X Management (68)] If you multiply minus twice, you get t...

[Columnist Yoon Eun Key, Korea Lecturer News] “Multiplying a minus by a minus results in a plus (+).”

This mathematical truth is an important law of 'X Management' that applies equally to management and life. When faced with a crisis (minus), many managers become trapped in a mindset of 'addition and subtraction,' trying to avoid it or simply endure it. However, true innovators multiply a minus by another minus to create a massive plus of success. Let us examine examples where super-performance was achieved by multiplying scarcity and crisis.

First, Netflix built a streaming empire by destroying its own core business.

In the early 2000s, Netflix was in its first negative state, on the verge of bankruptcy after being overtaken by the giant Blockbuster. At that time, they chose a second negative state by negating their current revenue source: the thriving mail-order DVD rental business. The sudden transition to a "streaming service," which seemed reckless at the time, was a classic example of "multiplication management" in the face of crisis, and the result became a massive positive that reshaped the global media market.

Second. Kolmar Korea Chairman Yoon Dong-han's 'Yi Sun-sin's Tactics'

Chairman Yoon Dong-han of Kolmar Korea, who regards Admiral Yi Sun-sin as his management mentor, also succeeded by personally putting this principle into practice. Just as Admiral Yi Sun-sin achieved victory at the Battle of Myeongnyang by multiplying the treacherous currents of Uldolmok (minus) by the desperate military strength of 12 ships (minus), Chairman Yoon also did not yield in the face of the massive minus of the IMF financial crisis.

In the face of crisis, he adopted a contrarian approach of expanding technology investment and fostering talent. This "multiplication management," which involved going all-in on R&D when others were scaling back their businesses, became the decisive factor that propelled Kolmar Korea to become a "global ODM company."

Third. Chairman Chung Ju-yung, the 'Miracle of Bare Hands' Bloomed on the Sandy Beach

The story of Hyundai Group founder Chairman Chung Ju-yung establishing a shipyard is a symbol of "X Management," which achieved super-performance by multiplying negatives by negatives. In an absolute negative situation lacking both capital and technology, he multiplied the destruction of conventional wisdom (a negative) by stating, "We are a people who built the Turtle Ship before Britain." Chairman Chung created a positive multiplier effect by multiplying a situation where he had nothing but a sandy beach and no funds, without any shipbuilding facilities.

“Hey, have you tried it?”

Chairman Chung Ju-yung's idea was an "energy of reversal" that transformed the impossible into the possible by clashing negative thoughts. Through bold, contrarian thinking, he multiplied scarcity and crisis to build the shipbuilding industry and grow the Hyundai Group into a global enterprise.

Is scarcity an asset? Is crisis an asset? When viewed individually, both are negatives, but multiplying negatives together results in a positive. We live in a world where leaders who know how to apply these mathematical principles to management succeed.

Scarcity and crisis are valuable assets for achieving exceptional results.

From the perspective of X Management, scarcity and crisis are not targets to be eliminated. Rather, they are 'minus opportunities' that are absolutely necessary to create greater success. Failure is also a valuable asset. Do not be discouraged by failure; if you take it as a lesson and attempt bolder challenges (multiplication), it turns into a plus.

Managers should not hide their weaknesses; instead, they simply need to combine with heterogeneous partners (X) that can complement them. If we multiply the negatives of recession and uncertainty currently facing our society and businesses by the additional elements of 'creative destruction' and 'heterogeneous collaboration,' a new path opens up.

As mathematical truths prove, the moment negative factors are multiplied 'properly,' management and life are reversed into dazzling positives. Multiplying them properly is by no means an easy task. If a minus is multiplied by an even number, it becomes a plus, but if it is multiplied by an odd number, it becomes a massive minus. This is why a leader's inner strength and wisdom are required.

In times of upheaval, crises continue to surge. We must not merely avoid them, but utilize them effectively. The ability to transform extreme risk into extreme results is the most important quality for a leader in the era of hyper-convergence.

Columnist Profile

Columnist Yoon Eun Key graduated from the Department of Psychology at Korea University and holds a Master's degree in Business Administration from Yonsei University and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from Inha University. He served as the Director of the Central Civil Service Training Institute (vice-minister level), President of Seoul National University of Science and Technology, and Chairman of the Seoul Metropolitan Government Employee Immunity Deliberation Committee. Currently, he is active as the Chairman of the Korea Collaboration Development Forum, Chairman of the Republic of Korea Baekgang Forum, Chairman of Baeksohoe, Chairman of the Air Force Policy Development Advisory Committee, and Dean of the Dosan Aegiaeta Leadership Academy.

Broadcasting activities include KBS 1 Radio's 'Live Today', EBS TV's 'The World of Work', and MBN TV's 'Easy-to-Understand Economic Stories'. Major works include <X Management(2025)>, <Create Through Collaboration(2015)>, <Thinking About the National Dignity of the Republic of Korea(2010)>, <Charm Is Competitiveness(2009)>, <Time Tech: The Art of Time Creation(1992)>, and <Special Lectures on Informatics(1987)>.

Awards include 'Person Who Brought Glory to the Air Force (2015)', 'Proud Air Force Person of the Republic of Korea Air Force Veterans Association (2015)', 'Grand Prize in the CHO Category at the 9th Korea HRD Awards (2011)', 'Order of Merit for Public Service (2009)', and 'Industrial Education Award for Outstanding Lecturer (1997)'.

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