Responses should be a minimum of 150 words and include 1 direct questions.
Motivating in Global Business
Motivating in a cross-cultural setting can be difficult because of the societal, cultural and political variables of the affected relationship (Deresky, 2013). Diifferent cultures value relationships, work and the outcome of the dynamic interaction of these two aspects differently from other cultures. Take for instance Russian and American cultures; Russians generally require strong directive leadership and thus leadership may be autocratic leadership, invite conflict and risk taking (Alla & Armitage, 2006), and while Americans respect forceful, risk taking and confident leaders, they generally prefer leaders who empower, delegate and grant autonomy (Deresky, 2013). However, it is dangerous to make assumptions about a culture because subsets exist in each and can manifest differently based on geographic location or even gender. The complexity of cross-cultural relationships in business is often oversimplified in cultural analysis (Belhoste & Monin, 2013). Female Russian managers for instance exhibit traits much more similar to American males (Alla & Armitage, 2006). The most important aspects to consider are the employees' variables rather than the leader or manager. Problems can arise when the manager's leadership style and the employees' motivation does not align. While the result may be that the employees are simply not motivated, this misalignment can be destructive as it may result in demotivating the employees. The bottom line is that it is easier for the leader or manager to manipulate their style of leadership than it is to change the employees' way of thinking or their values. While there is no one-size-fits-all equation of leadership style and variable that affects motivation, understanding the different aspects of a society, its culture and its politics can positively affect a work environment.
References
Alla, E. O., & Armitage, A. (2006). Leadership prototypes: A Russian perspective. Baltic Journal of Management, 1(3), 315-338. doi:https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17465260610690953
Belhoste, N. & Monin, P. (2013). Constructing differences in a cross-cultural context: National distance, social differentiation or functional distinction. Human Relations, 66(6), 1529-1561. doi:https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0018726713484943
Deresky, H. (2013). International management: Management across borders. 8th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall