Culture as a Determinant of Motivation Essay Example for Free

Culture as a Determinant of Motivation Essay wherefore is the study of Different Theories of Motivation beta to managers? The World has channelized at a very fast chiliad and pass on continue to do so. The view point that many prominent researchers had on indigence has likewise evolved with changing multiplication. There has been a phenomenal change in the way organizations and undividedists function in the xx first century if we made a comparison with how organizations functioned back in the day. There is a importantly niftyer focus today on employee satisfaction, spurt life balance, cross cultural values, virtual team ups and statuesque capital punishment management processes to name a some. Globalization is one the key factors which has brought a prominent change in many organizational practices in the twenty first century.Hershey and Blanchard (1977) mentioned that motives cannister be fructifyd as needs, wants, drives or impulses inwardly the individual wh ich argon directed towards goals which may be conscious or zep conscious. Motivation has been defined by Robbins, Decenzo and Coulter (2011) as penury is the process by which a persons movements are energized, directed, and sustained towards attaining a goal In this paper we will define motivation as the force which helps an individual focus on his immediate and long term goals and helps him visitation the extra mile. Also in this essay we will be focusing on the impact of civilization on organizational doings and the reasons why managers need to be aware of various motivational theories so that they are well equipped to handle this impact of culture change.Motivation is a very important tool that is not effectively utilized by managers. Motivation if used effectively can significantly improve the performance of teams and employees. It was thought earlier that motivation could be directed only by immaterial factors, but it is now understood that all employee has his own desexualize of motivators which if addressed correctly can significantly improve a manager and his teams performance. It is the managers responsibility to correctly mention these motivating factors and take all steps possible to address them. But this is easier said than done. As detect in todays environment there are many issues which create a assay for managers to motivate their valueive teams. In most organizations because of the growing impetus of globalization and the fact that individuals from different cultures, ethnic backgrounds come on the same platform and work together, it is becoming increasingly difficult for managers to be on top of these growing trends and continue to motivate their respective teams.It is very important for managers to understand how important the thought of culture plays in the way an employee thinks and be take ins. Only when a manager is aware of the milltle changes in an individuals behavior because of their cultural background, can he act ually make a concentrated effort to analyze and evaluate methods to motivate that particular individual. Geert Hofstedes (1980) theory of cultural dimensions describes how a particular edicts culture influences the behavior and values of individuals using a structure derived from factor analysis. This theory proposed foursome concepts on the basis of which cultural values could be evaluated Individualism- collectivism, power distance, suspicion avoidance, power distance and masculinity- feminity. As per Sledge, Miles and Coppage (2008) power distance is the degree to which control and influence are distributed unequally in society.In countries with high power distance it would not be recommended to give employees a lot of freedom with respect to their work. The employees would be more(prenominal)(prenominal) comfortable when they are abiding by a strict protocol and set guidelines and procedures whereas in countries with low power distance decentralization of power would be rec ommended where employees can be empower and inspired to come up with creative ideas in their work. Countries bid Venezuela and Malaysia are examples of nations which show High major power distance whereas Denmark and with child(p) Britain are nations which show very low power distance. Sledge, Miles and Coppage (2008) defined the concept of individualization versus collectivism as I and Me versus We and Us. Cultures where the beliefs are that one is responsible for his own decisions and the general proclivity is to take care of only oneself and his own family are individualistic cultures.Collective cultures are those where people intrust more heavily on radicals and the general tendency is to take care of each other. Individualism is commonality in USA, Canada and mostly in the West whereas collectivism is more common in Pakistan, India and Brazil. In incarnate cultures promotions and appraisals are largely done on the basis of seniority, age and loyalty whereas in individ ualistic cultures appraisals are done only on the basis of merit. In countries where the culture is individualistic strong individual deferred correctment and rewards would be very strong motivators. Sledge, Miles and Coppage (2008) expounded that uncertainty avoidance was the degree of risk aversion. Individuals from Countries with high uncertainty avoidance are generally very wary of ambiguous situations and they create beliefs and situations to increase their sense of security. They micturate very strong belief in experts and they generally arrive at decisions only with consensus of their entire group.Denmark and Great Britain are examples of low uncertainty avoidance cultures whereas Germany, Japan and Spain are examples of High Uncertainty avoidance countries. Sledge, Miles, and Coppage (2008) elucidated on masculinity versus femininity as the desire for material possessions and recognition versus the desire for relationships and family In masculine societies fiscal rewards would make very effective motivators whereas in predominantly feminine societies Flexible workings hours or more time away from work for family would be very strong motivators. A feminine society is more concerned with family and personal relationships as against masculine societies where jobs are more or less gender based.Examples of such masculine cultures are China, Japan, Philippines, India, Bangladesh whereas examples of more feminine cultures are Thailand, Korea, Vietnam and Indonesia. Some researchers resembling William Ouchi ( possibleness Z) and Peters Waterman(Excellence theory) developed theories on the variation between management practices between Japanese and American business corporations . They firmly believed that most American and Japanese corporations functioned similar to the McGregors Theory X Theory Y where the American companies firmly believed that workers are generally unwilling to work and can be motivated only with economic benefits whereas the Jap anese corporations were of the belief that the workers can be motivated by a sense of duty and loyalty.The major difference in the carrying into action of these organizations was also the fact the managers from the west which are predominantly individualistic cultures could not generally think some the bigger picture and this probably showed in the treatment of their employees. Hence the intrinsic factors of most employees were not catered to. Companies from the eastern United States the likes of Japan which is a collective culture showed that managers used to generally be see with their workers like they were a part of a collective unit and this made the employees think about the companies as an extension to their individual self. This made them believe that money and economic benefits were not primary motivators. Such employees were motivated with other factors like by live onledge sharing, improving their self esteem, self respect, achievement, recognition and opportunities f or more challenging work. Organizations need to pay utmost attention to the cultural and ethnic sentiments of their employees.Lets say for instance Multinational Companies who have got their setup in India also have to take many factors into consideration like the fact that both state in India has some festivals which have a very strong regional and cultural flavor. Organizations have to keep in mind that even within Cultures there are many sub cultures and the sentiments of the employees within these sub cultures also need to be taken care of. Like for instance in India in the state of Maharashtra the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi is of very high cultural and emotional significance whereas in the state of Punjab Baisakhi as a festival is of very high importance. Organizations need to take these aspects also into consideration and keep a correct balance when they are deciding holidays for the employees in a particular culture or sub culture.If the management does not pay attention to the sentiments of their employees, this will send the wrong signals to their employees and they will be inefficient to identify themselves with the ideals of the company. In such situations motivating employees would buzz off very difficult. Having seen the impact of culture on the behavior of employees and individuals it would be very advantageous for managers to understand the underlying and basic crux of motivation theories. These theories when used in the estimable context with employees will help motivate them and improve their performance. Herzbergs Two Factor Theory of Motivation (1968) emphasizes on core job factors and distinguishes them into two categories Hygiene Factors and Motivational Factors. Herzberg gain added that the Hygiene Factors like Pay, Company Policies, Fringe Benefits, Physical working conditions, Status, Interpersonal Relations, and Job Security were only factors that were extrinsic to the work environment and only prevented dissatisfaction.These f actors never motivated individuals but only prevented the individuals from getting dissatisfied which might further lead to de-motivation. He further added that the motivational factors were intrinsic to an individual and were inherent in work. The motivational factors like recognition, Growth Opportunities, Responsibility, Leadership Quotient, and Meaningfulness of work were what were instrumental in creating satisfaction in an employee and motivating him. What is interesting to know is that in different cultures the motivators and hygiene factors are slightly different. In collective cultures sense of fulfillment and working towards company goal is considered far more important that individual pay and remuneration like in western cultures. Managers need to strike the right balance with employees to properly inspire them to perform give.In govern to be able to do this they need to have sufficient background knowledge of the culture quotient of an employee on with certain theori es of motivation which might be applicable to those employees. In recent times of financial crisis it has become even more important for managers to understand the key factors which can motivate their employees. Organizations in recent times have become hard pressed to offer economic benefits and rewards to their employees. In such situations it would a great advantage to managers if they have sufficient knowledge of motivation theories like the Equity theory of Motivation which states that every individual has an ingrained instinct to continuously evaluate what is it that he is gaining from the company with respect to what he investing in the company.Individuals also continuously compare themselves with their peers and colleagues. Such theories will help manages keep a right balance and ensure that certain factors which can give impetus to an employees dissatisfaction are sufficiently curtailed. They will then start focusing on improving an employees soft skills like interpersonal communication, contribute a sense of duty and loyalty towards the organization, making the employees strive for self improvement. Recognition and praise for good work will also be used more effectively used to motivate employees. The uses of motivation theories have become even more important as in most organizations virtual teams have become the order of the day.Employees work with their associates and colleagues whom they have never even met. It has become even more instrumental for managers to instill a sense of collectivism in their teams so that individuals working in a group can transform into a team in an actual sense. As per the survey done by Mckinsey(2010) it was found that most employees in organizations feel de motivated when they are unable to idolize themselves with the leadership of the company.It was also found that the many employees in the organization would feel even more motivated if they were offered a few words of praise from their boss. Like for instance if a manager appreciates the efforts of an employee who is a part of his virtual team whose first language is not English, this will really do wonders for that specific employee. All the small bits when dictate together make a collage. The study of motivation theories has now become of paramount importance to managers as they really need to understand that small bit which will motivate their team and their associates to do better than they actually can. This is what will separate a manager from a leader and will elevate the performance of a group of people to a team.BibliographyReferences* Hofstede, G. (1980). Motivation, Leadership, and Organization Do American Theories Apply Abroad? organizational Dynamics, 9(1), 42-63 * Hersey P, Kenneth Blanchard (1977). Management of Organisational Behaviour. Englewood Cliffs assimilator Hall * Sledge, S., Miles, A. K., Coppage, S. (2008). What role does culture play? 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