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Conduct interviews of three people. They may be friends or family members. Discuss their thoughts on what motivates them at work. For each of your three interviews, summarize their responses to the following:

· Provide a job title and a brief description of type of job setting in which they work.

· What tasks and responsibilities do they hold at their job?

· What motivates them at work to perform their job well?

· What theory or process supports their motivation at work?

Your paper should be a minimum of two pages in length. APA Style is not required.

MGT 6306, Intercultural Management 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit VII

Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

4. Examine diversity experiences within the workplace.
4.1 Discuss intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.

7. Contrast business practices from cultures around the world.

7.1 Apply content theory to job motivation.
7.2 Apply process theory to job motivation.

Course/Unit

Learning Outcomes
Learning Activity

4.1

Unit Lesson

Chapter 10
Unit VII Assignment

7.1

Unit Lesson
Chapter 10
Video: Building the Multicultural Team
Unit VII Assignment

7.2

Unit Lesson
Chapter 10
Video: Building the Multicultural Team
Unit VII Assignment

Required Unit Resources

Chapter 10: Motivating People and Leading Multicultural Teams

In order to access the following resource, click the link below.

Big World (Producer) (2005). Building the multicultural team [Video]. Films on Demand.

https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPl
aylists.aspx?wID=273866&xtid=185264

The transcript for this video can be found by clicking the “Transcript” tab to the right of the video in the Films
on Demand database.

Unit Lesson

Introduction

What is motivation? What drives you to do what you do? Does culture have any role in what motivates people
at work? Social psychologist Hazel Rose Markus explains that “motivation is shaped by the multiple
intersection of cultures, those of national origin but also those of gender, race, ethnicity, class, religion,
workplace, sexual orientation, etc. that people engage each day and across their lives” (Markus as cited in
Nahavandi, 2022, p. 459). To get a better understanding on how to motivate people, we will need to discuss
the meaning of work. There is no corner of the world in which some sort of work does not take place. Whether
it is in the corporate environment, business units, a farm, or utility installations and repairs, everyone knows
that work is work. The difference then is how each of us views what we do as work, and the difference it

UNIT VII STUDY GUIDE
Motivating People

https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=273866&xtid=185264

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makes in our lives. The focus of this unit will be motivation challenges of work, especially in a multicultural
environment.

Motivation and the Purpose of Work

The environment in which we work plays a huge role in motivating us. Consider the experience of working in
an environment that is toxic. Toxic workplaces will lead to low productivity and high staff turnover. Because
employees spend hours at work, they will thrive and be more focused in an environment that is free of any
type of harassment.

As we discuss motivation across cultures, the purpose of work can vary based on different cultural views. In
individualist cultures, work is based on fulfilling individual needs while collective cultures would look at work
as a means to provide for all. The result of the research conducted by Meaning of Work (MOW, 1987, MOW,
2019) and England and Harpaz (1990) indicate that work is relevant in all countries as a means of necessity,
as well as a means of drawing meaning and satisfaction from life.

Approaches to Motivation

Are motivation and engagement closely related? We expect employees that are motivated to be equally
engaged, but the reality is that this may not necessarily be the case. Some people may be motivated
because they love what they do but may be totally detached from everything else because of a lack of trust
in leadership. Others may be engaged only in behavior to save their job but may not be satisfied with the
job itself.

To achieve the highest motivation and engagement, the three factors of motivation, the person, the job, and
the organization, have to be considered. The person explains the role of individual differences because of
different personalities and values. The actual job itself can provide motivation when one is satisfied with all
aspects of the job, and, finally, working in an organization that provides an environment for everyone to thrive
can make a person motivated. It is important, therefore, to study the content and process theories that focus
on what motivates people and how to motivate people.

Content Theories

Two theorists, Abraham Maslow and Frederick Herzberg, took different approaches in discussing what
motivates people. Maslow in his hierarchy of needs explains that people are motivated to satisfy unmet
needs. Maslow categorized the levels of needs and further indicated that once that level of need is met,
people move on to the next level. Maslow depicted the levels of needs in a pyramid figure.

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(Adapted from Androidmarexpress, 2020)

Herzberg, on the other hand, “suggests that the factors that lead to dissatisfaction and those that lead to
motivation are on two separate fields” (Herzberg as cited in Nahavandi, 2022, p. 467). He proposed the two-
factor theory. These are hygiene factors, which are extrinsic rewards related to pay and company policies and
motivation factors, which are intrinsic rewards related to job satisfaction and achievements. When extrinsic
rewards are unsatisfying, the employees will be unsatisfied until they are addressed. Once the issues are
addressed, it will bring the employee to a neutral state (Nahavandi, 2022). After addressing the extrinsic
rewards, a manager can then work on the second factor which is to address the intrinsic rewards. Intrinsic
rewards can include recognition for job achievement and growth opportunities (Nahavandi, 2022).

Process Theories

Whereas content theories focus on what motivates people and an individual’s needs, the process theory’s
focus is about the means of managers to motivate their employees. In this unit, the theories that will be
covered are the expectancy theory, goal setting theory, equity theory, and job design framework.

Expectancy theory explains the understanding that people have of their reward. This means that people are
motivated if they believe that the level of effort they put into completing their work would yield desired
outcome. The theory further discusses people’s perception of motivation.

Goal setting theory is another means of encouraging and motivating employees to maximize their potentials.
The popular and often used SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, reasonable, timetable) method is a
result of this theory. Inasmuch as managers help with goal setting, the employees are also required to
participate to ensure engagement, motivation, and accountability.

Equity theory suggests that we are motivated when we presume the reward matches our efforts. People also
are motivated when people in a similar position (all things being equal) receive exact same reward for similar
jobs.

Job design framework identifies five core job characteristics: skills variety, task identity, task significance,
autonomy, and feedback. This also shows that people are highly motivated, are accountable, can positively
impact others, and have the autonomy to use their own initiatives in completing their work (Nahavandi, 2022).

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Though both the content and process theories present valuable information on what and how to motivate
people at work, we should also take into consideration that cultural differences may not necessarily follow the
same patterns presented.

Leading Multicultural Teams Effectively

Globalization and innovation in technology have changed how companies are organized and structured.
Companies are looking for ways to increase and improve their global presence, and that leads to a diverse
and multicultural team. Because of the global nature of the modern business environment and the diverse
locations in which team members live, many virtual teams are also multicultural teams. Anyone who has ever
worked on a team will appreciate that it takes a lot of patience, trust, understanding, and loyalty to accomplish
the team’s goals.

Let us consider a multicultural team and the challenges that managers face dealing with cultural differences of
team members, some of whom could be working virtually. Other challenges may also include communication,
time management, language barriers, and lack of technological advancement in some regions. Adler and
Gundersen (2008) assert the productivity of a team does not depend on the presence or absence of a team’s
diversity, but on how well a leader manages team diversity. As such, the focus should be on how managers
could effectively lead their multicultural teams. Figure 10.5 Factors in the Success of Multicultural Teams
summarizes the factors that can support the success of multicultural teams, which include setting up
appropriate team structures that address roles, equalizing power, specifying norms for behavior and those
related to tasks and responsibility, as well as more complex issues such as encouraging psychological safety,
and addressing conflict and biases. Building successful teams should not be left for the managers only but the
members should avoid activities that are unrelated to task and may result in stereotypes.

Managing Multicultural Teams

Managing multicultural teams can be quite challenging. Deploying unique strategies and team-building
exercises to address the unique needs of multicultural teams can improve team performance. Multicultural
teams will benefit from team-building activities that can support building an enabling structure and promote
better teamwork, which is one of the key factors associated with an organization’s success. These activities
generally consist of workshop exercises and learning and training programs, which helps team members
grow closer and work together effectively (Heathfield, 2017). It will also be beneficial to develop a code of
conduct, which should highlight the common behaviors that are expected of team members, including healthy
ways to resolve conflict. Organizations should also have human resource practices in place that support
multicultural teams.

References

Adler, N. J. & Gundersen, A. (2007). International dimensions of organizational behavior (5th ed.). Cengage

Learning.

Androidmarexpress (2010). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs [Image]. Wikimedia Commons.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs#/media/File:Maslow’s_Hierarchy_of_N
eeds2.svg

England, G. W., & Harpaz, I. (1990). How working is defined: National contexts and demographic

organizational role influences. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 11(4), 253–266.

Heathfield, S. M. (2019, August 31). Team building activities for the workplace: Easy team building activities

that foster team success in the workplace. The Balance Careers. https://www.thebalance.com/team-
building-workplace-activities-1919238

Herzberg, F. (2003, January). One more time: How do you motivate employees? Harvard Business Review.

https://hbr.org/2003/01/one-more-time-how-do-you-motivate-employees.

MOW-International Research Team. (1987). The meaning of working. Academic Press.

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MOW-International Research Team. (2019). The meaning of working. In G. Dlugos, K. Weiermair & W. Dorow
(Eds.), Management under differing value systems: Political, social and economical perspectives in a
changing world, (pp. 565–630). Walter de Gruyter.

Nahavandi, A. (2022). The cultural mindset: Managing people across cultures. SAGE.

Learning Activities (Nongraded)

Nongraded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit
them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further guidance and information.

Complete Self-Assessment 10.2: Are you a Team Leader? in Chapter 10. Note the question under
Interpretation and write your response in a personal journal.

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit VII

Required Unit Resources

Unit Lesson

Introduction

Motivation and the Purpose of Work

Approaches to Motivation

Content Theories

Process Theories

Leading Multicultural Teams Effectively

Managing Multicultural Teams

References

Learning Activities (Nongraded)