In 2022, Hyundai Motor Group had become the world's third-largest automaker by sales volume. Under Executive Chair Euisun Chung's leadership, HMG was shaping its vision as a "game changer" in the global automotive industry. The company no longer viewed itself as a traditional car manufacturer, but as a provider of smart mobility solutions. The case study explores Hyundai's strategies to pivot beyond the "fast follower" mission that had guided its rapid international expansion since the 1980s, under the leadership of founding Chairman Ju-yung Chung. Three decades later, South Korea's automaker declared its next goal: achieve global leadership in vehicle electrification. Hyundai's IONIQ 5 and the Kia EV6 were award-winning electric vehicles; the company planned to expand to 23 electric vehicle lines and sell more than 1 million EVs by 2025. Beyond electrification, Hyundai was making big bets on hydrogen energy, AI technology, robotics, and advanced air mobility-all of which could help make Hyundai the pioneering leader of the transportation sector of the future.

South Korean steelmaking giant POSCO in 2021 had become a global company with businesses in 52 countries. In 2018, POSCO's new chairman and CEO had inaugurated a broader business philosophy, espousing "Corporate Citizenship" practices as a way for the company to give back to society, beyond the production of steel or creation of jobs. This philosophy included new principles, innovative R&D, action plans, and internal and external cooperation to address climate change, sustainable development, safety, economic and social assistance programs, and cultural facilities-all connected to this broader goal of being good global and local citizens. South Korean citizens had long viewed the company as the bedrock of Korea's industrialization, and a symbol of national pride and "can-do" spirit. Would South Koreans, along with POSCO's internal and external stakeholders, embrace this new management approach, and the company's new cultural identity?