International Organizational Behavior-Cultural Differences in Job

There are two types of motivation for employees: extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic motivators are the types that come from outside of the employee.

There are many types of extrinsic motivators and while something as simple as a verbal appreciation from the supervisor may be enough for one, another might need a much more substantial motivator like more money. Extrinsic motivators can include Verbal or written mentions of thanks, appreciation, and positive feedback. Verbal is almost always appreciated but when things are written and placed in the employee file, both the supervisor and the employee tend to remember them longer and refer back to them during reviews and the like. Along with a personal compliment from one's supervisor, another motivator might be recognition in front of one's peers. That tends to motivate the whole office when they hear that. Even better is a public recognition. These can be made through recommending someone specific to a client or a mention in a business publication for example. The favorite and preferred among employees will probably always be financial recognition. Financial does not always mean just a pay raise, although that is always, always a motivator. Financial can come in other forms as well. If the company is involved in sales teams, they motivate the teams with cash prizes or a financial bonus, a day off with pay or a paid trip to somewhere that would not be considered part of their vacation days.

Intrinsic motivators come from within. This is to say that a person is motivated because they have a desire to do their job as best they can simply because that is what they believe is the right thing to do regardless of what extrinsic motivators they might receive. What we are driven by for the most part when it comes to intrinsic motivators are what we have been taught in our cultural upbringing and life experiences. We all want to feel a part of something. To be accepted in our work place is to be a part of something. We all desire honor and respect. If we follow the rules and do our best, we feel good about ourselves and feel that we are being ethical and therefore respected not only by coworkers, but we respect our own choices. Intrinsic also covers other areas of our own wellbeing, such as our social contacts, our status, our place in life and the power we have to be in charge of our destiny.

These explanations seem very simple and straight forward. However, when we throw in a mix of different cultures the priorities of each can become very different. Let's