A CROSS-CULTURAL STUDY OF WORK MOTIVATION: A COMPARISON OF MOTIVATIONAL ISSUES WITH SALESPERSONS IN THE U.S.A. AND IRAQ
Abstract
A review of literature on the expectancy theory of work motivation and the applicability of this theory in the cross-cultural settings raised several issues the present research dealt with and focused upon. The main interest of the study was the comparability of the expectancy theory of work motivation across cultures, the U.S.A. and Iraq. Specifically, the focus of the study was two-fold. The first dealt with the content of the theory. It aimed to discover the outcomes preferred by subjects in different cultures. The second focus dealt with the process of the theory. Specifically, this aspect tried to determine how specific variations of the theory work in each culture. The end result would be identifying specific model(s) which possessed the greatest predictive value in each culture. One hundred salespersons from each culture participated in the study as subjects. They answered the expectancy theory questionnaire which comprised the independent variable in the study. The performance of these salespersons was rated by two sources: their immediate supervisors and their peer salespersons. Concerning the content aspect of the theory, results showed a significant overall cultural difference between the U.S.A. and Iraq. Specifically, while American salespersons preferred the outcome payment on the job as the first and the security outcome as next, Iraqi salespersons preferred security outcome as the first, then payment on the job was next. The order of the other two outcomes was the same in the two cultures. The difference between the two cultures on payment on the job outcome was so significant that the overall significant difference between the cultures was totally due to that outcome. Concerning the content aspect of the theory, while the complete multiplicative model and the simplified valence model significantly predicted performance in the American culture only, the simplified instrumentality model has the greatest predictive value in both cultures. These results were discussed in terms of their reasons, especially for the Iraqi sample. Conclusions based on the results were presented.
Degree
Ph.D.
Subject Area
Educational psychology
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