The Nunchi Group
Where did we come from?
Nunchi (눈치) is a word in the Korean language that can most directly be translated as “eye measure" in English. In the Korean culture, nunchi most resembles the western idea of "societal common sense"mixed with ability and courage to take action. Dr. Han ascribes his personal and professional success to his experience leveraging the concept of nunchi.
"I grew up in the outskirts of Seoul, South Korea where I was taught that nunchi is an ability you either have or don’t have. If you have nunchi –"nunchi eatta" (눈치 있다) – you are credited as a person who is smart, socially competent and generally regarded as a capable person. To be told you have nunchi means that you are lucky because you were born with the natural sense of awareness and skills for harmony and success – and as a kid in South Korea, you didn’t get hit for being a knuckle head. You were really blessed if people described you as "nunchi ppareuda" (눈치 ë¹ ë¥´ë‹¤ ) because that meant your nunchi was quick. In any given situation, you could understand those around you and how to deal with varied situations. If you don't have nunchi – nunchi eoptta (눈치 없다) – you become a focal point of ridicule or rejection by those around you for being a socially clumsy person. From a young age, family and friends praised me for my nunchi. When I emigrated to the United States in 1973, I began to learn that nunchi is something that can be learned, nurtured and developed. I recognized the emotional intelligence and American cultural competency concepts are closely akin to what I grew up knowing as nunchi. I have shared what I call the "Nunchi Framework" with many people during the course of my career and to my delight, the concepts resonate with people’s personal and organizational experiences."
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The Nunchi group logo
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Where have you seen the red and blue yin -yang like symbol before? If you say,“ It’s the center part of the South Korea flag," you are correct! The red represents passion and active energy (Yang). For Dr. Han it represents the energy required to do something, like hike up a mountain or run an ultra-marathon. The blue represents the calm and peaceful energy (Um), the ability to relax before, during and after a difficult task or project. Combined, Um Yang represent the balance of energies that is so important in our personal and professional lives.
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The outline of an eye sits at the center of Um-Yang. The Korean word for eye is NUN (눈), pronounced “Noon.” For me, Nun – as in The NUNCHI Group – represents awareness. Awareness is the catalyst for all positive change.