Chapter 174: Cracks in HWS (5)

Maria spoke in a trembling voice.

"General Manager Hamilton constantly clashed with the Korean technical team. Process methods, safety standards, even work distribution requests... opinions collided every time. Every time a conflict arose, I had to stay at the site to mediate between both sides."

She wiped away her welling tears and continued speaking.

"It was not that I delayed it because I did not have time to write the report... General Manager Hamilton held back the submission, saying that if the report were submitted, the responsibility would clearly return to our side, and then the situation would worsen."

Only then did the employees' expressions distort sharply.

Someone glared at Hamilton overtly.

Maria lowered her voice.

"I only hoped that the shipyard would not become more chaotic. Because of that, the work kept being pushed back... and eventually, it ended up like this."

She no longer hid the emotions she had tried to conceal.

My gaze changed even more fiercely.

I immediately grasped that she was a person pushed aside alone between a mess of an organizational culture and two clashing groups.

However, my voice was still resolute.

"Everyone has circumstances. However, you must not stop reports related to safety."

Those words were closer to a sharp rebuke toward the General Manager and managers rather than a criticism directed at Maria.

Hamilton’s face stiffened.

There was not even an employee who offered a single word.

Their gazes naturally moved from me to Hamilton.

Hamilton stood awkwardly and could not deny the content Maria spoke.

The answer was already revealed on his face.

He was a person who had lived by leaning on long-standing local connections and the Navy community.

On top of that, his life's creed was to avoid responsibility as much as possible.

I watched that appearance for a moment and then spoke.

"General Manager. What is the reason you blocked the safety reports?"

The question felt calm rather than sharp.

Hamilton tilted his head back slightly and was busy looking for an excuse.

"...I judged that if reports were excessive, the headquarters might misunderstand the situation. The site's atmosphere was also sensitive. I did not want to cause unnecessary friction."

Hamilton’s voice was more deeply imbued with a defensive instinct to block unnecessary repercussions than a will to resolve the situation.

His voice was completely shrunken like a person waiting for a storm to pass.

The appearance he should have possessed as the person in charge could not be found anywhere.

Only the worldly wisdom of trying to cover up the situation to protect his own well-being was smeared at the end of every word.

A low sigh leaked out from among the employees.

Someone hung their head, and someone else looked up at the ceiling and wore a bitter smile.

Resignation and anger were mixed in their expressions.

Everyone had already come to know poignantly in what manner Hamilton usually ran the organization.

Not a leader who solves problems, but a manager who conceals problems.

What he showed was evasion.

I slowly scanned the surroundings without even opening the documents.

I could grasp how it was just by looking at the employees' expressions.

This place was not simply unorganized.

Communication was cut off, and trust had collapsed.

The name Hamilton was situated at the center of all that chaos.

He had personally shown how indifferently he had neglected the company all this time.

"What you should do is operate the company and report to the headquarters exactly as it is."

My gaze lingered on Maria for a moment and then returned to Hamilton.

Maria was still hanging her head with her shoulders hunched.

It is often the case that the person who speaks out courageously becomes isolated.

"But you blocked the reports? Even so, are you truly the General Manager of this company!"

My voice was colder than ever.

As those words fell, the atmosphere in the warehouse was full of chill.

Hamilton’s expression stiffened.

His lips trembled minutely and the area around his neck became rigidly stiff.

However, he could not even react strongly.

He had neither the justification nor the courage to do so.

It was because of the fact that the conflict with the Korean technical staff stemmed not from pride, but from the fear that they seemed to do the work better than him.

He needed status, not ability.

His authority came from his title, not his skill.

Hamilton spoke in a voice that seemed forced out reluctantly.

"I made an error in judgment. I only did not want to grow the situation further."

It was an excuse this time too.

A very poor one at that.

No one accepted those words.

There was no criticism either.

"Consider it fortunate that a dangerous situation did not occur due to your wrong judgment."

As those words fell, there were more people who accepted them than before.

Maria also straightened her hunched shoulders and let out a thin breath.

A faint sense of relief permeated around her eyes.

I remained silent for a moment while looking around the meeting room.

And this time, I raised my voice.

"Report all confirmed problems immediately from now on."

There was no wavering in my voice.

"Judgment is a task that the entire team should share, not the General Manager alone."

Hamilton’s lips trembled, but he only thought of this internally.

[It doesn't matter as long as I keep my position.]

He did not know the fact that the method of maintaining his position by hiding problems and avoiding responsibility no longer worked.

Several employees who supported Hamilton also avoided each other's gazes.

Even those who always shielded and followed him avoided his eyes as soon as they met.

It was as if they were trying to deny the connection itself with him.

The expressions of Jake Peterson and David Lowell, who had supported Hamilton, had also changed.

As if thinking it was time, they began to express what had built up all this time.

"Now I finally see. Why nothing changed no matter how much we spoke during that time."

Mark Jennings also clicked his tongue and added a word.

"It was not that we were the problem. What is the use of speaking so much."

Those words spread like a small ripple.

Now, no one stood by Hamilton’s side.

There was no one who took his side here.

Like a king who had stepped down from the throne, his authority vanished and only a shabby appearance remained.

The very status that supported him had collapsed.

Only then did Hamilton realize it late and wear a flustered expression.

He was now isolated. Thoroughly at that.

Since that isolation was due to the culture he had built himself all this time rather than something created by someone else, there was nothing to say.

It was the result of cutting off communication, evading responsibility, and oppressing capable people.

I watched this flow quietly and then slowly opened my mouth.

"Everyone, I did not come here only for the technical staff from Korea. I came to make this entire shipyard move normally."

Trust, not blame, was contained in my voice.

I wanted to show what kind of voice a person who takes responsibility should make.

"The problem here is not the Korean technical staff, but the imbalance created by the manager's indifference."

Now, there were more workers who nodded at my words.

The fact that the problem was the structure, not the people.

It was a truth that no one had told them.

"You all have outstanding skills and experience. The problem was a structure where those abilities were not used properly."

The air flowing in the warehouse began to change bit by bit.

Vitality returned to the stiff faces and hope permeated their eyes.

I slowly looked around and continued speaking.

"I think Korea and the United States have different strengths. Technology, experience, safety standards, and production methods are all different. We must change this difference into synergy, not competition."

At those words, even the field workers were now concentrating.

I spoke concretely.

In times like this, concrete suggestions that can be executed tend to boost morale more than abstract ones.

"The technical staff from Korea are strong in production efficiency and process management. You, the American field workers, are superior in actual experience and site situation judgment."

At those words, several American technicians wore expressions as if they had recovered their pride for the first time.

It was an appearance as if their value was being recognized.

"Therefore, for every process, we will organize a collaboration team by grouping 1 Korean technician and 2 American technicians. We must also reorganize the mutual verification system. Do not reflect only one side's opinion from now on. Such reports are not needed."

Cheers spread among the employees.

Even if it was not to the point of applause, their eyes were telling.

It was finally the moment when the dissatisfaction that had built up all this time was resolved at once.

And I brought up the most important words.

"You are the owners of this shipyard. Until now, the judgment of one person, the General Manager, merely covered up your capabilities."

At those words, Hamilton flinched.

However, he was already no different from an invisible man here.

"But now it is different. I will create an environment where the pride and expertise you possess are reflected as they are."

At that moment, the atmosphere changed completely.

It was not that they were excited by the heat, but an intense change as if welcoming spring after passing a long winter because they were recognized.

The atmosphere of the site changed.

Now, there was no place for Hamilton to stand.

He was nothing more than a failed manager.

After confirming that the atmosphere among the employees was reviving bit by bit, I decided to pull out the last important card.

I slowly looked at the American workers.

"And I will tell you one more thing. From now on, I will significantly increase and pay performance bonuses to teams whose results are visible. I will pay 30% of the base pay and an additional 2,500 dollars every half year."

The moment those words fell, the air in the warehouse changed once again.

As expected, there is no one who dislikes money.

However, I was not merely a person who released money.

I spoke immediately and without rest.

"On the contrary, I will impose penalties on teams that repeatedly cause safety problems and teams that ignore regulations."

The people who were cheering suddenly became quiet.

Tension was mixed with expectation.

This was not an unconditional reward.

An evaluation system according to clear principles.

"If you take safety lightly, the performance bonus will decrease. It is not good just because you work fast. Only teams that capture both safety and quality simultaneously will be rewarded."

The expressions of most employees changed sharply.

A structure where one receives rewards if they work properly.

This was a system where a certain reward is given if they only work hard.

It was exactly what they had wanted.

Some veteran technician uncrossed his arms and strengthened his will from now on.

A young engineer tapped his colleague’s shoulder.

The faces of the two people changed to expressions that suggested they finally felt it was worth working.

I continued speaking, taking advantage of the momentum.

"Your efforts and skills have not received a fair evaluation until now. It is different from now on. If Korean and American technologies combine to produce results, I will return those results to you."

Like a welcome rain falling after a long drought, the recognition and reward they had thirsted for had approached as a reality.

My voice became firm once more for the last time.

"The results you create will save this shipyard. And those results will change your salaries."

Those words were like a promise and a declaration.

Now, the era of Hamilton was ending, and a new system that was realistic and had clear rewards was beginning.