45 Danish Journal of Psychology Sciences , July, 2015, Pages: 45-50

Organisational Behaviour: Values, Attitudes, and Job Satisfaction in a Global Market Place

Dr. James Atta-Panin

41 Burgess Road, Stratford, London. E15 2AD. UK
00(44)2085553732
00(44)7951701381

Article Information Abstract

Article history: Organisational Behaviour (OB) is the practice of businesses understanding and
Received: 11 June managing people at work. Central to the message of OB is the dedication of
Received in revised form: 25 June corporations to better their understanding of the needs of employees and how to
Accepted: 28 June
manage them and bring the best out of them. As the corporate world becomes more
Available online: July
integrated in a global fashion, the differences that exist within and between
cultures have become important features in improving organizational efficiency. It
Keywords: is asserted in the article that the values that employees bring with them as a result
Organizational behaviour (OB) of their individual cultures and upbringing determine those factors that motivate
Culture them and drive them to go the extra mile and help improve their commitment and
Motivation motivation. The factors that enhance employee motivation in a global context are
Values attitudes discussed within the article using conceptual theoretical framework as well as
Employee
contemporary business examples to illuminate the discussion. Analysis of the key
Job satisfaction
Globalization issues is based on the work of Maslow, Hofstede, Herzberg and McClelland and
shows how cultural and value differences conspire to influence motivation at work.
The article concludes that:
Corresponding Author: Employee values and attitudes are key influences on their job satisfaction and
Dr. James Atta-Panin determine workplace commitment and productivity;
attapanin@hotmail.com Understanding the cultural dimension of employee motivation is crucial to
recognize the powerful influence that situational context has on motivated
2015 Danish Journals All rights reserved behaviour.

To Cite This Article Dr. James Atta-Panin,41 Burgess Road, Stratford, London. E15 2AD. UK, Danish journal of Psychology Sciences, 45-50, 2015

Introduction
The phrase global village coined by Marshall McLuhan in 1964 (Dixon, 2009) is an utopian ideal of the real
world that never was, never is and never will be. Differences exist across the broad spectrum of all cultures
around the globe making cross-border organisational strategy an imperative aspect of business success. The
more we believe the world is changing due to the advent of modern technologies, linking countries together in a
global fashion, the more it remains the same due to the sustained cultural differences existing between countries,
leading Ghemawat (2007) to refer to the integration of the corporate world as semi-globalisation rather than a
full blown global integration. Ghemawat (2007), asserted that there is the need for businesses to pay serious
attention to such differences in developing and evaluating their strategies with the view to understanding the
cultures of the societies in which they operate and thereby meeting the needs of their staff, customers and the
communities in those countries. This article will explore how Organisational Behaviour (OB) the practice of
businesses understanding and managing people at work - helps businesses to appreciate the values and attitudes
of a cross-cultural workforce and how this leads to employee job satisfaction and ultimately organisational
effectiveness and profitability.
There is no doubt that productivity is at the heart of organisational philosophy. Businesses exist to create value
and thereby make profits for their owners. This is only possible where employee needs are aligned with
corporate goals creating a culture of trust and a healthy employer/employee relationship. Marcouse et al (2005)
explained that a motivated workforce can achieve twice the productivity of an unmotivated one. It is therefore
essential for businesses to understand what makes their employees give of their best and look for appropriate
strategies to ensure that their needs are met with the view to achieving a win-win situation. Central to the
message of OB is the dedication of corporations to better the understanding of the needs of employees and how
to manage them and bring the best out of them. This also implies the need to look after employees with the view
to retaining them and making them more productive whether in the USA or China, Europe or Africa, Qatar or
Australia. Achieving this is a win-win situation where the unit cost of operations goes down leading to
organisational efficiency and competitiveness, and job satisfaction for the employee. Unfortunately, it appears
current trend is for employees to job hop, even in a difficult economic climate, according to Kreitner and
Kinicki, (2008) due to lack of job satisfaction and the need to look for the ideal job. According to Kreitner and
Kinicki (2008), ' research indicates that employees are less likely to quit when their personal values are
consistent with the organisations values, when they have positive attitudes about the work environment, and

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when they are satisfied with their job (p. 154). The challenge to managers is to seek for ways of making
employees happy within the organisation to retain them and benefit from lower job turnover and increased
productivity.
Business success today has much to do with a companys ability to understand and respect the communities in
which it operates. A good appreciation of a business environment is crucial to the long term success of the
business because it enables the business to take cultural differences into account in its planning and strategizing
process. A number of companies have learnt the lessons of other businesses that have struggled due to lack of
cultural significance, and recognised the implications of cultural worth and have begun to take steps to address
such naivety.This is reflected in cultural initiatives, partnerships with communities, greater emphasis on
conflict-sensitive business practices and celebration of diversity in the workplace. A joint report by the United
Nations Alliance of Civilizations and the United Nations Global Compact Office explained that, there are more
than 6,000 participants in such initiatives from over 130 countries in the United Nations Global Compact. All of
them aspire to embrace universal values while respecting cultural diversity. Many have programmes to support
cultural understanding and dialogue, as well as multicultural management teams and workplaces (p. 6).
Working together with communities is now seen as being good corporate citizens and valued by the wider
stakeholders which enhance the reputation of a company, with significant benefits to both organisation and
communities.

Discussion
What do people want from employment? The point is made in the introduction section of this paper that a
motivated workforce is a productive workforce. However, motivating employees is a complex undertaking
requiring tact and skill due to its individual nature. Even within the same culture, individuals are motivated by
different factors due to their diverse backgrounds and their value systems. The diagram below (figure 1) shows
the major functions of work for selected countries and illustrates some of the key factors that drive people to
work. Whereas the need for money is the key factor that drives employees in Lithuania to work, it appears the
need for job security is the key motivating factor for employees from the Philippines. Social needs may be
insignificant in Nigeria but it is a very important reason for performance in Japan.

Figure 1: Motivational factors based on cultural differences

Source:
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CDAQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cob.sjsu.edu%2Fboyaci_n%2Fslides%2Fch13.ppt
&ei=U6cnVeLKM8zzauP6gXA&usg=AFQjCNHWKOihzQ3XOXFHxr2EvYd-xK49fQ&sig2=e5WFVKbwPzXEi7t71SeU5Q

We know from Maslows hierarchy of needs that the needs of employees vary according to individuals, (see
figure 2 below). According to Maslows theory, the needs of individuals are arranged in a hierarchical order
with the most basic needs at the bottom of the hierarchy. He also postulated that a lower level need must be
satisfied before the next level need becomes a motivating factor. In other words, a hungry and homeless person
will not be motivated by job security but will take any job, regardless of how secured the job is. It is only after
earning enough to feed and accommodate him/her that the worry of job security becomes a significant concern.

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47 Danish Journal of Psychology Sciences , July, 2015, Pages: 45-50

This implies that the young Lithuanian child who does not know where the next meal is coming from will be
driven to work harder, even if the job is temporary. On the other hand, in most western cultures where there are
social structures that guarantee ones daily meal, people will only be motivated by the permanency of a position.
In a similar light, research done by Johnson & Marcrum (1968) among army officers in the US concluded that,
the relative importance attached to the needs of officers in the ranks of captain through colonel indicated that
perceived deficiencies in need fulfilment tend to increase at successively lower levels in the organizational
hierarchy, need-fulfilment deficiencies are greatest for the needs in the ego and self-actualization categories, and
the deficiencies which appear to have the most deleterious effect on the accomplishment of army goals are those
associated with the opportunity to exercise authority and the comparative amount of recognition received in
command and staff positions.

Figure 2: Maslows Hierarchy of Needs

The implication of Maslows theory is that within the same company and among the same group of employees,
individuals will behave differently according to their perceived needs. The questions to ask therefore are, what
causes one person to be so committed to an organisation that he/she is prepared to stay with the company for life
and give a 110% every day while another person will come to work within the same organisation and labour on
for a few years or even months and decide to move on? Why are certain companies better at retaining their
employees than others? According to Kreitner and Kinicki, the central determinant of employee attitude and
behaviour are the values they have vis--vis the organisational values. They argue that both terminal and
instrumental values play important roles in the decisions made by individuals and influence their behaviour
towards an object. This is how Stuart-Kotse (2006) put it, what we value is what we consider excellent, useful
or desirable (p. 142). An understanding of the values and attitudes of people is thus fundamental to individual
motivation and job satisfaction.
Values are those basic convictions that a specific mode of conduct or end-state of existence is personally or
socially preferable to an opposite or converse mode of conduct or end-state of existence, (Rajeev, 2009). They
represent the judgement of what individuals or organizations consider is important. They form the basis for how
decisions and actions are evaluated. The power of deeply held values is that they determine how individuals act
without thinking how they naturally react to various situations (Stuart-Kotse, p. 143). It can be argued that
positive job outcomes are realised when an individuals personal values are similar to organisational values. In
other words, when there is positive value congruence. Values are important in determining employee motivation
because they provide understanding of the attitudes, motivation, and behaviors of individuals and cultures;
influence our perception of the world around us and represent interpretations of right and wrong, and thereby
determining which behaviors or outcomes are preferred over others (Rajeev, 2009). According to Heathfield
(2011), an organization that has identified and examined the values, by which employees want to live, is a
workplace with motivation potential. Values such as integrity, empowerment, perseverance, equality, discipline
and accountability, when truly integrated in the culture of the organization, are powerful motivators. (p. 1).

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In view of this, management responsibilities go beyond the allocation of resources and target setting.
Organisational culture needs to be aligned with the values associated with the cultures of the communities in
which they operate in order to bring the best out of the respective employees. Early and Erez (1997) asserted
that one of the challenges that managers face is how to link employee motivation to organizational goals.
According to them, this link occurs when employee behavior that leads to the attainment of the organizational
goals also directly creates a sense of self-worth and wellbeing, and leads to the attainment of organizational
rewards and recognition, as well. They posited that,
people use two sources of evaluation to determine whether or not their self-motives have been satisfied:
personal standards that are guided by internal criteria and differ from one individual to another, and standards
and norms they get from their social environment which are shaped by cultural values. These standards are
shared by all members of the same culture, and they change from one culture to another. Therefore,
motivational practices that have positive meaning in one culture may not have the same effect on employee
motivation in another culture. (p. 2).
This assertion is in line with Hofstedes organisational studies (1991) which emphasized that working in teams
may be most desirable in collectivistic cultures, such as Japan and Korea but not in individualistic cultures such
as the US, Australia, and Great Britain. Organizational hierarchy may be tolerated in high power distance
cultures like the Philippines and Brazil but not in egalitarian cultures like Israel and Denmark. Lack of
separation of roles between men and women may be highly regarded in societies with highly feminine values
such as Sweden and Norway, but not in masculine societies like Singapore and Venezuela. A high degree of
formality is appreciated in societies of high uncertainty avoidance like Greece and Portugal, but rejected in
societies of low uncertainty avoidance like Sweden, Denmark, and Jamaica. These examples highlight the need
to align geographical culture with corporate culture in formulating strategies relating to employee motivation.
This observation is in line with McClellands theory of the Achieving Society in which he identified three key
factors that motivate employees. He listed these as a need for achievement, a need for affiliation, and a need for
power, and concluded that an individuals dominant motivator is largely dependent on their culture and life
experiences. This is illustrated in figure 3. He asserted that an understanding of cultural differences and
peoples value systems will help a cross-cultural manager to lead, praise and motivate employees more
effectively, and to better structure employee roles and responsibilities.

Figure 3: Motivational factors and personality characteristics

Source: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/human-motivation-theory.htm

Loader (2014) goes further to assert that managing and motivating culturally diverse workforce is complex, with
so many different cultural sensitivities to consider. And just because you have two employees of a similar age
and ethnicity, with similar backgrounds and skillsets, it doesnt mean they will both respond to the same
management techniques. However, she asserted that it is important to start from the fundamentals and recognise
the common factors, referred to by Herzberg in his two-factor theory, as the hygiene factors, such as
remuneration, safety and work/life integration that influence all employees regardless of cultural differences.

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In his two-factor theory, Herzberg hypothesised that the various motivation factors can be grouped under two
broad categories. The basic ones, he referred to as the Hygiene factors and the higher level ones, he called the
Motivators. Like Maslows hierarchy of needs theory, Herzberg explained that although the hygiene factors
do not motivate employees on their own, they need to be present before the motivators can be effective. Some
of the examples of the hygiene factors are working conditions, money, method of supervision, safety at work,
team work, (job content) etc. Examples of the motivators are giving recognition and praise, giving employee
responsibilities, promotion and achievement, (job context) etc. Herzbergs theory implies that, factors included
in the job context are unlikely to motivate employees working within unsatisfactory work environment. It
seems sensible that an approach where the manager starts from the recognition of the common factors that need
to be present for the other motivators to work effectively, will help decide which approach is best in any given
situation.

Business examples
Research conducted by Dr. Karine Schomer, President of Change Management Consulting and Training
(CMCT) compared the motivating factors between American and Indian workers in Silicon Valley. His
findings revealed that when high-tech employees and managers from India, the US and other cultural
backgrounds are thrown together in the intense environment of Silicon Valley, they often bring with them
divergent expectations about workplace success factors, rewards and career development as well as differences
in motivational factors (Schomer, 2000).Whereas the American workers preferred friendly and professional
managers and do not expect the boss-subordinate relationships to be strongly hierarchical, the employees from
India preferred a more quasi-paternal relationship with structured interactions. In terms of remuneration, the US
staff were happy with modest base salary but high bonus earning potential without a strong desire for job
security, the employees from India have a strong preference for job security over higher financial rewards. He
further explained that,when it comes to motivation, no one strategy works for everyone - even within one
culture.Across cultures, it's even more difficult. With Americans, a manager shouldn't expect much from appeals
to duty, authority, company loyalty, group rewards or regular after-work socializing. Instead, he or she should
emphasize opportunities for personal growth and monetary gain. With employees from India, personal loyalty,
company prestige and appeal to authority can be effective, but above all, the manager should cultivate a certain
"human touch" in relating to the needs of subordinates, as their guide and friend as well as their boss (p. 1)
In a similar vein Hitt, Black & Porter (2012) refer to a research which compared the preferences of Asian and
American student for allocating rewards to members of work groups according to 1) equality (every member
gets an equal share of rewards) or 2) according equity (members are rewarded in proportion to their
individual contributions). The findings showed that although American students generally preferred equity as
the basis of reward, students from Asian background tended to put relatively more emphasis on equality than did
the Americans. This is in line with the hypothesis that those who are raised in a culture that values collectivism
will be influenced by group norms when put into a work situation.

Conclusion
Employee values and attitudes are key influences on their job satisfaction. These also determine how happy
employees are in the workplace and affect their productivity. Although motivation in the work setting is
sometimes overlooked by managers managing in multi-cultural teams, understanding the cultural dimension of
employee motivation is crucial to recognize the powerful influence that situational context has on motivated
behaviour. Most academic writers and researchers agree that no motivation strategy can be complete without
considering how peoples values and fundamental attitudes toward work affect what drives their desire towards
hard work and what factors are likely to lead to employees giving a 110% to what they do. These values and
attitudes are especially sensitive to cultural differences. As has been pointed out above, although there are
commonalities in the numerous factors that work together to motivate employees, there also are differences that
are the result of peoples values and experiences that they have learnt and grown up with. A conscientious leader
will seek to understand what drives employees from different backgrounds to show commitment and be
prepared to go the extra mile. Thus, to understand motivational issues in a culturally diverse workforce,
managers need to pay attention to both their peoples cultural values and the fundamental attitudes toward work.
In this regard, Google appears to have gotten it right with their philosophy that aims to create the happiest, most
productive workplace in the world. According to Vice President of people development at Google, its less
about the aspiration to be No. 1 in the world, and more that we want our employees and future employees to
love it here, because thats whats going to make us successful. Googles strategy recognises that it takes
happy employees to make a successful company which can only be achieved by recognising the culture and
values that influences employee behaviour and attitude to work.

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