Work motivation across borders can be influenced by very different factors. If you were launching a new start-up, how would you accommodate these differences in your incentive and rewards strategies? | Bài tiểu luận học phần Cross Culture

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL --------- o0o--------- REPORT SUBJECT: Cross Culture Course Code: INS 4018
TOPIC: Work motivation across borders can be influenced by very
different factors. If you were launching a new start-up, how would you
accommodate these differences in your incentive and rewards strategies?
Lecture: Phạm Thị Mỹ Dung MEMBERS OF GROUP 1: Phạm Khánh Ly 19071419 20070073 Dương Hà Anh 20070099 Phạm Phương Anh Phan Diệu Hoàng 19071368 Lê Tuyết Anh 19071285 Hoàng Anh 19071284 CONTRIBUTION Name ID student Contribution Lê Tuyết Anh 19071285 % 100 Phạm Khánh Ly 19071419 100 % Hoàng Anh 19071284 100 % Phạm Phương Anh 20070099 100 % Dương Hà Anh 20070073 100 % Phan Diệu Hoàng 19071368 100 % TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Question 2
II. Factors affecting the motivation to work across borders 2 1. Income and Benefits 2
2. Job stability - Working conditions - Career advancement 3
3. Language barriers - National culture - Work culture/spirit 3 a) Culture 3 b) Language barriers 5
4. Leadership style - Relationships with colleagues 5
III. Incentive and rewards strategies when launching a new start-up 6
1. Rewards and incentives 6
2. Organize workshops and training sessions to support development 7
3. Solving the problem of language and cultural barriers 7
4. Leadership and global organizational culture 8 IV. Recommendations 9 9 V. Conclusion 9 1 I. Question
Work motivation across borders can be influenced by very different factors. If you
were launching a new start-up, how would you accommodate these differences in your
incentive and rewards strategies?
II. Factors affecting the motivation to work across borders 1. Income and Benefits
Enterprises always try to pay well for the efforts of employees, and always have good
welfare regimes for employees and their families. Enterprises should maintain a regular
bonus scheme for employees on a monthly basis to make it more convenient for bookkeeping
activities as well as maintaining the work plan of employees, thereby maintaining the following advantages.
● Employees stick with the same organization for a long time. Any individual when
working has a need to be trained, to improve skills as well as to be evaluated and
recognized for their contributions. After each training period, select a number of
employees with good training achievements to reward in some specific forms such as
salary increase, bonus, promotion, etc. This will help create a movement to learn and
cultivate. expertise. Thereby, helping employees to stick with the company for a long time.
● Constantly improve the level of satisfaction with the business. Most people tend to
choose to work at companies with modern facilities, clean and fresh working
environments. The purpose is to create comfort, and ease when working and protect
health. From there, each employee can maintain the energy of dedication to the company
● Strive to bring the best results for the common good of all. The fact that the
remuneration regime is built based on specific criteria, associated with productivity,
capacity as well as work results of each position will both ensure fairness and
encourage and promote cohesion between individuals and groups.
The salary and bonus system is guaranteed to be consistent and transparent, rewarding
employees regularly to help businesses create motivation, promote enthusiasm, and increase
employee productivity continuously in the following months.
According to the announcement of JobStreet Vietnam, 6 out of 10 multinational
companies are on the list of the most desirable young Vietnamese to work for. Those 2
companies are Unilever, Samsung, Intel, Nestle, P&G, Pepsico besides Vietnamese
companies such as Vinamilk, Vingroup, FPT and Viettel. So why do they aspire to work
there , the main reason is because the salary is quite high compared to the common ground
with domestic enterprises . This creates a great motivation to work for the employees.
2. Job stability - Working conditions - Career advancement
Safe choices always give people a pleasant feeling, but for young people, safety can
kill courage, curiosity, excitement, and breakthrough to conquer their goals and dreams.
Especially for students who have many desires and ambitions to do great things, and always
want to find a job to assert themselves and pursue their ideals. Therefore, the issue of work
determines a lot about motivation to work transnationally.
● Interest or suitability will be a decisive factor in whether to move to
multinational work or not: friendly boss-employee and colleague relations;
income level corresponding to capacity; opportunity to learn and grow.
Multinational corporations ensure the above three criteria, creating a good
environment to keep employees and attract talent.
● Good and good suitable working conditions. Working with a foreign boss or
colleague will help you accumulate a lot of experience, as well as other
knowledge about their country, culture, and working style. In particular, to
improve foreign languages and communication skills - this is what any young
person who has just graduated from school wishes.
● Clear career path. With a large network of employees and customers, you can
expand your network, build relationships with people with status and ability,
and learn from them to develop more yourself.
Typical examples of work environment factors. Japan is considered as one of the most
stressful and stressful working environments because they have both a system of implicit
rules and laws that require employees to strictly adhere to. One of the characteristics of the
Japanese is that they are always on time. For the Japanese, when an appointment takes place
at 9am, you have to arrive 15 minutes before. Therefore, if the working environment is not
suitable or you do not adapt in time, you will feel overwhelmed and lose motivation.
3. Language barriers - National culture - Work culture/spirit a) Culture
How can cultural differences influence employee motivation? 3
Individualistic cultures tend to emphasize: extrinsic rewards tied to personal
achievement; individually based incentives; personal responsibility for accomplishment;
viewing employees as performers, and providing employees with autonomy and opportunities for advancement.
Collectivistic cultures tend to emphasize intrinsic rewards (e.g., meaningful work)
tied to commitment and loyalty; group-based incentives; group norms, and moral persuasion;
viewing employees as family members, and building teams and networks focused on task performance
Hierarchical cultures tend to emphasize: extrinsic rewards; large salary differentials;
clear directives to subordinates; decisive and powerful leaders; and rewards for complying with managerial directives.
Egalitarian cultures tend to emphasize intrinsic rewards; minimal salary differentials;
participative or consultative decision-making; flexible or collaborative leaders; and rewards
for creativity and constructive feedback.
Mastery-based cultures tend to emphasize: competitive environments within the organization
to stimulate best efforts; using performance-based incentives with monetary rewards;
showcasing high performers; encouraging thinking big and conquering the environment, and
assertiveness training programs.
Harmony-based cultures tend to emphasize: group harmony and team efforts for
collective results; seniority or membership-based incentives; showcasing team efforts and
organization-wide accomplishments; encouraging respect for traditions and the environment;
and encouraging continued membership for the entire workforce.
Sequential (monochronic) cultures tend to emphasize: providing people with simple
sequential directions; providing strict time limits for each project with intermittent updates;
focusing on the job; and keeping personal relations to a minimum.
Synchronic (polychronic) cultures tend to emphasize: greater flexibility in how tasks
are approached; flexible time limits for various tasks; progress checks through personal
discussions; and a greater focus on personal relations as a means of succeeding on the job
Universalistic (rule-based) cultures tend to emphasize: clearly acknowledged rules, and
regulations; universal enforcement; providing people with certainty and security; rewards tied
to compliance; and decisions based on objective criteria.
Particularistic (relationship-based) cultures tend to emphasize: building interpersonal
trust as a basis for relationships; investing time meeting with employees; building informal 4
networks; using influential people to help motivate others; recognizing extenuating
circumstances in rule enforcement, and decisions often based on personal ties.
Eg: British and Canadian companies motivate their employees primarily through financial
incentives, while German and Dutch companies focus on providing employment stability and
employee benefits. Indonesian and Korean companies prefer rigid and often autocratic
organizational hierarchies where everyone knows their place, while Swedish and Norwegian
companies stress informality, power sharing, and mutual benefit in the workplace. Some
countries, such as Germany, even combine formality and rigid hierarchies with power sharing
and an emphasis on securing mutual gain for all employees.
A simple example of this is the 'unique' communication behavior in India - the culture of
shaking heads when communicating. In India, shaking the head does not represent
disapproval or negativity like in other cultures. In fact, the act of shaking the head is an
expression of enthusiastic interest or respectful listening to the other person. While for most
other countries, a shake of the head will indicate disagreement with that opinion. Imagine, if
you don't know about this cultural difference, you will mistake that the Indian partner does
not agree with your ideas in the discussions and takes time to convince and explain. for them,
creating an unproductive dialogue b) Language barriers
No matter which communication channels we use, our biggest obstacle is the ability
(or inability) to understand what others are saying. If someone’s words don’t make sense to
you, every conversation, email, report, and memo will be unproductive. You won’t be able to
execute ideas well as a team because there isn’t a clear agreement on what to do or how to do it.
A language barrier is any linguistic limitation that creates confusion or prevents
comprehension. A barrier could refer to national and cultural languages, but it may also
include specialized knowledge or speech impairments.
People can technically speak the same language and still face misunderstandings and gaps in
communication due to dialectical differences. So it can affect employees' motivation to work across borders
4. Leadership style - Relationships with colleagues
Managers involved in international business must recognize that if employee behavior
is critical for the success of an organization, and if culture influences such behavior, then it 5
represents a major influence on the ultimate competitiveness of the firm. Knowledge of this
fact, as well as an understanding of how culture influences employee behavior and
performance, represents a critical strategic asset for global managers in a highly competitive world.
Managers in hierarchical cultures, where power is centralized at the top, often
emphasize extrinsic rewards over intrinsic ones. Job requirements and directives to
employees are usually direct and clear.
● Decisive and powerful leaders typically run most organizations. In many African
societies, for example, leaders are often compared to parents, while in many Western
societies leaders are compared to athletes. Finally, managers in such cultures often
prefer unquestioning subordinate compliance with their directives. Participation in
decision-making is typically low.
● Managers in highly egalitarian cultures, on the other hand, often emphasize the use of
power equalization models, with an emphasis on intrinsic rewards and minimal salary
differentials between groups of employees. Money is often less of a motivator than it
can be in more hierarchical societies. Decision-making is frequently based on
widespread employee participation and involvement. And leaders are often flexible
and collaborative, even if their standards remain high.
Individual and group-centered action:
● Managers in individualistic cultures often emphasize extrinsic rewards (e.g., pay,
promotion) tied to personal achievement, individual-based incentives, personal
responsibility for task accomplishment, and the ability of employees to work independently.
● At the same time, managers in highly collectivistic cultures often emphasize intrinsic
rewards tied to organizational commitment and loyalty (e.g., group camaraderie),
group-based incentives, group norms, and moral persuasion as motivators, and
teambuilding focused on collective task accomplishment.
III. Incentive and rewards strategies when launching a new start-up
1. Rewards and incentives
People are rewarded for their accomplishments and contributions. If incentives are
valuable and achievable, and individuals understand how to obtain them, they can serve as
motivators. Rewards might be monetary or non-monetary. Incentives are intended to motivate 6
people to attain their goals. They are meant to create immediate incentives. Incentives are
often monetary in nature, but they can also offer non-monetary advantages such as
recognition, promotion, or a particularly fascinating job. Financial incentives and rewards
have the potential to motivate. What is obvious is that oversimplified beliefs about the ability
of money to inspire can cause businesses to design oversimplified performance-based pay
schemes or other types of incentives. And we may be quite clear that a variety of interrelated
elements play a role in inspiring individuals. Money is merely one of those things that may
work for some people in some conditions but not for others in others. It should also be
recognized that, while an increase in pay resulting from a contingent compensation system
may stimulate those who get it, it will almost definitely demotivate those who do not receive
it or believe they are not receiving enough in comparison to others.
Extrinsic benefits in the form of salary offered by employers will assist to recruit and
retain employees and, for a brief time, may improve effort and decrease unhappiness.
Nonmonetary intrinsic incentives for responsibility, performance, and the task itself may have
a longer-term and deeper influence on motivation. As a result, incentive systems should
incorporate both extrinsic and intrinsic benefits.
2. Organize workshops and training sessions to support development
One of the most difficult challenges as a manager is to keep all participants engaged
and to establish a pleasant learning environment. There are three levels of engagement:
Disengaged, Partly Engaged and Fully Engaged.
Employees of all genders are motivated by educational options that can help them
enhance their job performance and develop their careers. Nonetheless, research shows that
women may need such opportunities to be presented differently in order to improve their job
excitement. This is because women who have parents or care for elderly parents may have
too many caregiving responsibilities to participate in college courses or other training
choices. As a result, I believe that skill-development days, in which employees spend the
workday honing their professional skills through lectures or seminars, may be more
motivating for women. Training across the professional world would relieve women of the burden of caring for others.
3. Solving the problem of language and cultural barriers.
Language and culture are two intertwined categories. When you interact with another
language, it means that you are also interacting with the culture that uses that language. 7
a) To overcome language barriers in a cross-border working environment: ●
Provide language classes
Teach them words, phrases, warnings, and other critical communication elements that are
necessary for daily life and business if they are a foreigner ● Use simple words
Use words in the right context, avoid slang, idioms, and words that have a double meaning,
and repeat anything that’s causing confusion. ● Show, don’t tell
Sometimes the easiest way of learning something new is by watching someone else do it.
Demonstrate what you want and then have the employees perform the function until the
employees can perform the task successfully. ● Translating documents
Translating key documents into an employee’s native language helps employees understand
more complex tasks or instructions
b) To overcome cultural barriers in the cross-border working environment:
To overcome cultural barriers in a cross-border working environment:
Avoid promoting only one culture in the workplace by organizing informal gatherings for
your team members. This is an ideal way to learn more about other cultures. For example,
you can talk about what makes a certain culture unique: food, holidays, customs, and more. ●
Consider Different Cultural Communication Styles
Communication culture here is classified into low-context and high-context. High-context
cultures use nonverbal cues often. Low-context cultures rely on words themselves. ● Avoid Stereotypes
To avoid stereotypes, take time to become acquainted with every team member.
You need to remind yourself frequently that:
➢ Each team member has a unique way of working and communicating with others
➢ Everyone is an individual and has specific preferences
➢ Culture shapes behavior but does not dictate it
4. Leadership and global organizational culture
An effective cross-cultural leader must have a well-rounded skillset and understanding of the
differences that exist among people from different backgrounds.
There are some traits to be associated with a successful international executive ● Business Knowledge 8 ● Interpersonal Skills ● Commitment ● Courage
● Ease in dealing with cross-cultural issues ● Open Personality ● Flexibility
● Multicultural Perspective Taking
Culture in a global company is gaining familiarity with local traditions in new locations and
balancing staff autonomy with corporate goals.
● Acknowledge and respect regional differences
● Place culture in public view
● Infuse freedom to own ideas
● Create and live common values
● Understanding the state of global organisational culture IV. Recommendations
● Increase employee engagement in the company, increase motivation in the workplace,
and recognize appreciation for good performance
● To promote work motivation, the company needs to build a company culture that is
open and always up to date with the news.
● Focus on individual development towards the common goal of the company V. Conclusion
Motivating factors are an essential part of every business or organization. The
effectiveness and efficiency of the organization, as well as the timely and precise completion
of tasks and deadlines, depend on knowing how to motivate personnel. “Where there is a
will, there is a way” (Pauline Kael)
(Pauline Kael was an American film critic who wrote for The New Yorker magazine from 1968 to 1991). 9