Assistant professor awarded prestigious grant from ASU Center for Asian Research

Heewon Kim, assistant professor in the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication, has been awarded the A.T. Steele Faculty grant by the Center for Asian Research at ASU.

This grant will support Kim’s project, "Unleashing voices through anonymous communication: Power disparities, workplace freedom of speech, and organizational dissent in South Korea." This summer, the grant will fund her travels to Seoul where she will visit corporations, interview Korean workers, and distribute a survey.

Her study will focus on how status disparities in the workplace may affect employee voice and engagement in South Korea. In addition, she will look into how Korean workers strategically use anonymous social media to offer input, express dissent and make positive changes at work. 

"I deeply appreciate this generous support provided by the Center for Asian Research," Kim said. "The funds will greatly facilitate the processes of data collection, which will help me advance my work on status disparities and their influences on communication climate in the workplace. I hope my study contributes to advocating employee voice, protecting workplace freedom of speech, and promoting transparency and participation in organizations in South Korea."