Describe the four major theories discussed in your text that explain why motivation differs from one country to another.
Answer:
a. Materialism and Leisure: Historically, there is strong evidence that the desire for material wealth is a prime incentive for the work that leads to economic development.
b. Expectation of Success and Reward: Generally, people have little enthusiasm for efforts that seem too easy or too difficult, where the probability of either success or failure seems almost certain. The greatest enthusiasm for work exists when high uncertainty of success is combined with the likelihood of a very positive reward for success and little or none for failure.
c. Masculinity-Femininity Index: The average interest in career success varies substantially among countries. In one study, employees with a high masculinity score were those who admired the successful achiever, had little sympathy for the unfortunate, and preferred to be the best rather than be on a par with others.
d. Needs Hierarchy: According to this theory, people try to fulfill lower-order needs sufficiently before moving on to higher ones. People will work to satisfy a need, but once it is fulfilled, it is no longer a motivator.