The Differences In Perceptions Of Work Motivation Between The Chinese And The American Employees

Work motivation is closely related to the performance of human resources in modern organizations. When motivation is applied to different contexts, it must be remembered that although the motivation process may be the same across cultures, the content of what motivates people is often culturally based. What motivates employees in the United States may only be moderately effective in China. Seen this way, the international context requires a country-by-country examination of differences in motivation.In the workplace, how to improve the employee's work performance has long been the focus of Chinese managers. Encouraged by the successful implementation of motivational approaches in the more developed countries, Chinese managers are often disappointed to find that the expected improvements have not been made, and the western management buzz words such as empowerment are regarded by employees as the lip service. It seems that these powerful motivational instruments confront great resistances when applied to the Chinese context. In fact, most popular motivation theories are originated from the United States. The American employees have far different hierarchy of needs from the Chinese staff members. Owing to the above, the thesis is intended to identify the differences in the employee's perceptions of work motivation between China and the US.After reviewing relevant cross-cultural theories and studies on Chinese and American cultures, the author puts forward three analytic dimensions: individualism versus collectivism, uncertainty avoidance and power distance. Based on these three dimensions, the author analyzes the perceptions of work motivation between Chinese and American employees and proposes three hypotheses accordingly. A survey is conducted further to collect data for the quantitative examination of the hypotheses. According to the data collected, the author attempts to make cultural bound explanations for these perceptive differences in employee motivation between two countries. Finally, the thesis comes to conclusions and points out the limitations of the study. A few constructive recommendations are then formulated to improve international managers' motivational capacities.