Jean-Paul Sartre once said, ‘Existence precedes essence.’ Sartre’s humanist-based existentialism is at the heart of Vatech’s growth through crises and trials. Ro saw Vatech’s ‘existence’ as sustainable management, as he believed that only a company with a guaranteed business permanence could provide stable jobs for its employees. Ro wanted Vatech’s existence to provide mental and material well-being for its employees. The question was, what essence would sustain its existence? The answer he found was ‘No. 1 in the world through technological innovation.’ For him, ‘No. 1 in the world’ was more than just a number or an achievement. It was a task and a process that had to be fulfilled in order to achieve Vatech’s ‘existence,’ or the happiness of its employees.

Vatech defined itself through constant choices and actions. His choice to become the world’s No. 1 dental imaging company was accompanied by his efforts to bring a cot to the company and sleep with his employees throughout the development period. The leader’s example fueled the enthusiasm of all employees, resulting in the development of Korea’s first digital panoramic PaX-300.

However, the joy was short-lived, as Vatech was ignored by a well-known competitor at its first IDS. Instead of blaming the situation, Chairman Ro reinforced his goal to become the best in the world, and in 2005, he challenged himself to innovate technology, using Dental CT as the starting point. His passion for contributing to human health was so strong that he even collected the bones of the pork his employees ate for breakfast and used them in experiments. This challenge led to the creation of Implagraphy, the world’s first 3-in-1 (Pano, CT, Ceph) machine, which took the IDS 2007 by storm when it returned. His path is in line with Sartre’s dictum that ‘man creates himself through the choices he makes’.

By choosing his own path and facing many difficulties and suffering along the way, Ro has achieved his goal of becoming the number one global company and contributing to human health.

The way Chairman Ro has led technological innovation is similar to Erich Fromm’s concept of ‘love’. Erich Fromm believed that the essence of humanity is fulfilled through productive love and creative activity. Affection and love for humanity. This is the reason and the driving force behind Vatech’s technological innovation.

Erich Fromm defined love as not just an emotion, but an ‘active practice of helping others grow’. Vatech’s leadership in the low dose paradigm was not just about technological advancements, but about ‘people-centred innovation’ that put patients’ health first.

Ro’s ‘love’ for the people of Vatech naturally extended to his employees. Fromm pointed out the problem of dehumanizing organizational culture in the modern world, which alienates people. To reform the organizational culture and promote collaboration, Ro personally studied work collaboration tools, and in 2012, he introduced a system called OASIS to his workplace, which enabled collaboration and increased transparency of work, resulting in maximum creativity across the organization, creating a virtuous cycle of creative innovation.

During the pandemic, the global dental industry came to a standstill, and workers’ livelihoods were immediately threatened. However, in the midst of the crisis, Chairman Ro expanded the sales service force to strengthen customer relationships. He held one-on-one consultations with customers to educate them and improve their inconveniences, and held webinars to help educate dentists to take a leap forward. He also introduced an instalment system to share the pain with customers. In this way, Vatech increased contact with customers and comforted them during the difficult times, and his efforts were recognized with 62% sales growth after the pandemic (22 sales performance compared to 20).

Chairman Ro’s management philosophy of sharing the pain of others was the realization of ‘Humanistic Solidarity’.

Martin Buber once said, ‘I exist through others.’ Our existence is defined and changed by our relationships with others. Based on this philosophy of relationships, he sought to create a culture where employees recognize each other as ‘you’ through shared experiences and solidarity, both among themselves and within the wider community.

Buber divided relationships into Ich-Es (‘I That’) and Ich-Du (‘I-You’). The former are instrumental relationships, the latter are encounters based on a deep connection. To build a true ‘I-Thou’ relationship, Vatech introduced the concept of ‘Compraxis’, an attempt to transform volunteering from a one-time experience into a process of solidarity that lasts for years. It’s not just an act of kindness; it’s about creating a ‘path’ to walk together.

The path to independence

My days are filled with constant choices and decisions. Amidst a rapidly changing marketplace, fierce competition, and endless responsibilities, a question has emerged.