HYBE Corporation’s Hyper Nomad Workplace Strategy

Big Hit Labels

HYBE Corporation is an entertainment company encompassing an expansive range of operations, from music to gaming. The architectural structure of HYBE Corporation is fascinating. Inspired by horizontal corporate communication and the concept of the hyper nomad, Chief Business Officer Min Heejin stated that the HYBE work environment is one of flexibility, mobility and connectivity.

She goes on to further state that the office space is quite dynamic, designed to drive changes in corporate culture and how people work along the change in the company brand. This space reflects the characteristics of the entertainment industry and was inspired by the “Hyper Nomad” concept coined by French economist Jacques Attali (Scholz 2019).

In the 1980s, he proposed a typology of future nomadic forms of working. This typology explained a world socially divided. In this world, a small, sovereign class of hyper nomads with indefinite access to technology and opportunities produce and manipulate information, moving around the globe freely and independently (Scholz 2019). For HYBE Corporation, the hyper nomad philosophy translates into a conglomeration of creative intellectuals who create new businesses and paradigms (Min 2021), these individuals utilize the artificial intelligence and the abundance of information to free themselves of temporal, spacial and geographically dictated limitations going on to live a nomadic life and create new markets.

According to CBO Min Heejin, for HYBE Corporation, this concept has been used to create a space in which every member of the company can create new values as a hyper nomad. The concept of the workspace is the first thing CBO Heejin talked about when explaining the architecture of the building, a change to the space of work culture was created. She explained further that the intention of the HYBE structure is to communicate “come together” and not “placed together”. Rather than traditional cubicles to which every member is assigned, rather than a predesignated work structure, the HYBE HQ infrastructure houses different spaces that accommodate the different needs of the people working in it. This is also designed to become a space in which people voluntarily work together. This is also in line with the characteristics of HYPE Corp which are:

1. Connectivity
2. Expansion
3. Relationships.

The point is that people from many different teams should be able to come together and communicate on a project by project basis. The reasons for this, according to HYBE Corp’s philosophy include the following:

1. Placing each member in a typical fashion is inefficient.
2. A workplace should be comfortable to be in.

HYBE Corp HQ is made up of three different sections

1. Entertainment Production Section
2. Office Section
3. Employee Welfare Section

LOBBY AND RECEPTION- 1st floor

Structure and functionality prioritized, the first floor is a flexible space that is completely in line with the design concept. The intention of the space is to be simple and appealing.

A simple and spacious lobby enables for the free and flexible movement of staff and visitors in and out of the HQ.

PRODUCTION FACILITIES- 2nd to 6th floor

After passing through the lobby, the 2nd to 6th floor are the production facilities. There are film studios, dance studios and production studios for each label under HYBE Labels.

OFFICE SPACE-8th to 16th Floor

The 8th to 16th floors are the office space. There are four fundamentals that incorporate HYBE’s hyper nomad strategy into the office space.

1. Mobile racks that help with functionality
2. Grid System One
3. Grid System Two
4. Office space

By sliding the light mobile racks, office space can be adjusted so as to increase or decrease the size of a room if needed (note the wheels on the racks). Aside from this, modularized walls and doors can be installed to create a temporary meeting room.

From a bird’s eye view, the office grids are divided into eleven identical cells. The purpose of this is so that members navigate the HQ in an orderly and quick way while remembering how each floor functions. Also, the COVID 19’ pandemic gave rise to a need for isolated work areas. HYBE Corporation has accommodated for this in the singular office cells built.

Benefits of the Hyper Nomad Workplace Strategy

1. There is an increase in work ethic and productivity while working in a dynamic environment.
2. Work distribution amidst corporation navigation is flexible.
3. There is connectivity within the work area, increasing company relationships.
4. Members of the corporation adopt a relationship with HYBE, perceiving the company welfare as their own.
5. With a more dynamic work environment comes greater employee output.

SCHOLZ, A., 2019. The Reinvention of Nomadic Identity. [online]. NOMAD THINK TANK. [20/03/2021]. Available from:

https://nomadthinktank.com/the-reinvention-of-nomadic-identity/

VOI, 2021., Big Hit officially changes its name to HYBE. [online]. VOI. https://voi.id/en/lifestyle/39827/congratulations-big-hit-officially-changes-its-name-to-hybe

Pictures sourced from: https://youtu.be/zbuAIAoBbO0

©Keren Sarah Obara