Abstract
Background: Various researchers have identified a trend of individuals shifting their preference from extrinsic to intrinsic motivation. The authors aimed to research this phenomenon specifically within the context of two different cultures as to date, this had not been done. This research explored the differing levels of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation in Germans and South Africans.Aim: The main objective of this study was to investigate similarities and differences concerning extrinsic and intrinsic motivation in the workplace between German and South African cultures by examining individuals with working experience and tertiary education specifically. In addition, the research investigated differences in the motivation of respondents with regard to demographics such as gender, age and income.Setting: The setting took place in South Africa and Germany.Methods: In the study, exploratory factor analysis was utilised to prove validity of Cinar, Bektas and Aslan’s two-dimensional measure of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. Moreover, analysis of variance and t-tests were used to show differences among demographic variables. Descriptive statistics such as means, central tendency and Cronbach’s alpha were also utilised.Results: The results revealed preferences for intrinsic motivational factors for the whole sample with higher levels of intrinsic motivation for the South African respondents compared to German respondents. Demographic characteristics played a minor role in determining levels of intrinsic motivation within individuals. Culture, however, played the biggest role in determining one’s levels of intrinsic or extrinsic motivation.Conclusion: These findings play an important role in explaining differences in motivation between the two countries Germany and South Africa. It highlights the important role that cultural differences play in shaping one’s form of motivation.
Highlights
To ensure job satisfaction in employees, it is important to know what motivates them to perform optimally
Renard’s (2015) study revealed too that South African employees in general exhibit higher levels of intrinsic motivation than other countries
The results show that South Africans demonstrate higher levels of intrinsic motivation than they do extrinsic motivation
Summary
To ensure job satisfaction in employees, it is important to know what motivates them to perform optimally. In the global economy, geographical borders seem to matter less than in the past, while on the other hand cultural and social differences continue to influence people’s motivation. Academic research far has focused mainly on the theoretical characteristics of motivation but has not taken into consideration the differences in the cultural and economic environments of various countries (Vaitkuviene, Balvociute & Stoskus 2010). Employee motivation depends predominantly on the organisation; the impact of both the economic and social conditions in a country on an employee’s motivation need to be considered as well (Vaitkuviene, Balvociute & Stoskus 2010). This research explored the differing levels of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation in Germans and South Africans
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