한국의 글로벌 강소기업의 성공요인에 대한 사례 연구: IT 산업 분야를 중심으로

This paper explores in depth Germany’s Mittelstand, small and medium sized enterprise (“SME”) that are playing an essential role in driving the growth of the German economy allowing the country to grow at twice the rate of the EU　average despite the global slowdown since 2008. By studying Mittelstand, otherwise known as the hidden champions, this paper identifies the key success factors and verifies whether such factors are found in Korean companies in IT industry, a country’s key industry that has been instrumental in driving the growth of the Korean economy. Based on the major preceding research, seven factors have been identified as key factors to success and they largely fall under two categories–strategic area(Focus on narrow market, global orientation, customer orientation and continuous innovation) and management area(Entrepreneurship, intangible assets (knowledge, experience and network) and ambitious goals). The study of seven Korean IT companies reveals that companies successfully transform into small but globally competitive enterprises despite their humble beginning when all of the aforementioned factors come into play organically. The purpose of this paper is to help more Korean SMEs gain a deeper penetration into the global market and boost their competitiveness through innovation by presenting 1) an in-depth analysis on hidden champions centering on Korean companies, 2) a more structured and refined definition of such companies, and 3) key factors and strategy that drove a successful outcome. Ultimately, the paper aims to help more SMEs to replicate such success thereby enhancing the competitiveness of the Korean economy.