Do individuals from different cultures need to be motivated in different ways, intrinsically and extrinsically, by their employers? If you look at two somewhat similar yet different countries like China and India, employees may react differently to a one-size-fits-all approach. According to Hofstede’s six cultural dimensions, China and India are similar in terms of power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity, and indulgence, but differ in long-term orientation and individualism/collectivism (Redmond, 2017). Those two differences lead to some very different styles when it comes to motivation. Chinese and Indian employees are more inclined to be motivated based on the long-term goals of the organization and the employee’s self-interest respectively, but are similar in their regard towards extrinsic rewards and their needs for recognition.
Figure A. (Jacobsen, 2014)
The big distinction between India and China is while India is a combination of individualistic and collectivistic cultures, China leans primarily towards collectivism, as emphasized by the preference of terms such as “we” as opposed to “I” (See Figure A) (Redmond, 2017). This means that workers must (and typically do) understand how their work fits into the larger picture of shared group goals in order to be engaged (Jacobsen, 2014). This can be used towards a global leader’s advantage so that they can motivate and recognize their employees more efficiently. Jacobsen (2014) states that emphasizing the context by recognition in relation to the overall goals and values of the organization and remembering the team can be effective for motivating Chinese employees. Although China differs in terms of how they should be motivated, they are still human beings with expectations. According to Vroom’s Expectancy Theory, you need three factors—valence, instrumentality and expectancy—to increase motivation, which entails providing satisfying rewards (such as public recognition), consistent distribution of those rewards, and training employees to understand how increasing their efforts leads to better performance (Skattebo, 2017). Since China is also more long-term oriented, it may also be beneficial to motivate employees by focusing on the vision of the organization, and how their efforts will benefit them and the company in the long run.
Indian employees are similar to Americans in that their goals stem from both individual interests and organizational interests, and are typically a blend of short-term and long-term orientations (Redmond, 2017). The main difference here is that Indian employees may have a variety of intentions for working with an organization, and “the more you know about the individual people, the easier it is to know how to motivate them” (Miller, 2015). It may be most appropriate to apply a motivation strategy like Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Theory. This states that the source of motivation is certain needs, which are biological/instinctive in nature (such as security, family, health, friendships, etc.) and it is necessary to satisfy lower-order needs first before reaching higher levels, like self-actualization (Maslow, 1987 as cited by Skattebo, 2017). They may differ in cultural styles, but Indians are still people, with families, a need for social belonging, and a personal life outside of their work life. Understanding these peoples’ lives and finding a balance between a work and home life will work to a global leader’s benefit when it comes to motivating Indian employees.
China and India may have some differences, but on the whole, they are very similar—granted they are geologically close within the Asian mainland, so why would they be completely different? Both Chinese and Indian employees are not particularly indulgent, and are able to delay rewards, so extrinsic rewards may not be the best form of motivation (Redmond, 2017). Instead, recognition in and of itself is fundamental, and both cultures recognize that (pun intended). A survey found that “recognition for a job well done” was the #2 thing that kept Chinese workers in their jobs, and was rated extremely important by 48.6% of candidates (Jacobsen, 2014). Public praise is a motivator that has been found to motivate Indians (Miller, 2015). The point is, everyone wants to feel like the work they’re doing is important and beneficial to them and the organization and recognizing those behaviors will most likely have a positive impact most of the time. Keep your people happy by knowing what makes them happy, and you’ll be happy because they’re happy, and because your organization is profiting from it!
References
Jacobsen, D. (2014, May 13). How to Inspire & Motivate Chinese Employees. Retrieved March 23, 2017, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140513201809-81620020-how-to-inspire-and-motivate-chinese-employees
Miller, N. (2015, March 30). The True Secret to Motivating Indian Teams. Retrieved March 23, 2017, from http://learningindia.in/motivating-indian-teams/
Redmond, B. (2017). Pennsylvania State World Campus. Lesson 10: Asia: Focus on China and India. Retrieved March 23, 2017, from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1826457/modules/items/21654162
Skattebo, A. (2017). Pennsylvania State World Campus. Lesson 09: Job Motivation. Retrieved March 23, 2017, from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1834800/modules/items/21796582
Callie,
I’m a bit confused what you say when you state that individuals of different cultures are motivated to a “greater or less” degree by higher level factors. Are you saying it’s to a greater extent or to a lesser extent? From what I’ve learned about psychology in the workplace, the source of motivation for individuals is certain needs, which biological/instinctive in nature, and in order to be motivated you must satisfy the lower-order needs first. This is the concept of Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Theory (Maslow, 1987 as cited by Skattebo, 2017). Thus, while I agree that these individuals can be motivated by these factors, they do not differ from anybody else in terms of when they reach that level of motivation. Essentially what I’m saying is people need to have self-confidence, self-esteem, achievement, social belonging, financial security, etc. before they’re able to reach higher level orders like taking on more responsibility.
I agree with you about an individual being less likely to be motivated by an employee of the month scheme if they’re part of a collectivistic culture, but don’t forget about the differences between groups and the differences within groups that we learned about in Lesson 1! For instance, the Japanese score higher on collectivism as a group, but there are almost twice as many individualists in that culture as there are within the United States (Redmond, 2017). There may be individualists within either the Chinese or the Indian cultures, since there are in Japan.
References:
Redmond, B. (2017). Pennsylvania State World Campus. Lesson 01: Introduction to Leadership in a Global Context. Retrieved March 23, 2017, from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1826457/modules/items/21654070
Skattebo, A. (2017). Pennsylvania State World Campus. Lesson 09: Motivation. Retrieved March 16, 2017, from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1834800/discussion_topics/11484123?module_item_id=21796591
Individuals from different cultures do become motivated by different reasons. It is important for global leaders who have a diverse workforce to recognize this. Leaders need to be flexible and adapt their style to match the context they are working in and take the time to think about what motivates their employees who belong to a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures. (Management Tips: How to Motivate Your International Workforce, 2017)
Although different cultures are motivated differently, there are what are considered to be universal principals of motivation, which include: earning a good salary, feeling safe at work, having enough time off, and maintaining relationships with our colleagues. These factors, however, keep employees from being dissatisfied rather than being a source of motivation. Individuals of different cultures are motivated to a greater or less degree by higher level factors including: development, stimulation, variety, recognition, and responsibility. These factors vary enormously in how they translate across different cultures. (Management Tips: How to Motivate Your International Workforce, 2017)
As mentioned with the differences between China and India, individualistic cultures are motivated much differently than collectivistic cultures. In individualistic cultures, employee of the month schemes work well because employees are praised as individuals through companywide emails or intranet postings. However, in collectivistic culture, this would not increase motivation because employees prefer to be recognized for their hard work as part of a team. Being singled out as an individual can be embarrassing and affect the team dynamic. (Management Tips: How to Motivate Your International Workforce, 2017)
It is important for global leaders of international workforces to understand the need to motivate employees from different cultures through different incentives, processes, and reward and recognition schemes. Attempting to motivate a workforce based on the assumption that they are all motivated by the same incentives is dangerous and has a damaging impact on talent retention. An effective leader will take the time to understand how to best motivate employees, ensuring they feel fulfilled and valued. (Management Tips: How to Motivate Your International Workforce, 2017)
References
Management Tips: How to Motivate Your International Workforce. (2017). Retrieved from Global Communication: https://www.communicaid.com/cross-cultural-training/blog/motivating-international-workforce/