Cross-Cultural Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Cross-Cultural Management - Essay Example The management practices at EZ-ABC are authoritative and do not motivate employees towards achievement of the organizational goals. The national culture of Korea is characterized by high power differences and high uncertainty avoidance. Korean culture is masculine and values collectivism unlike Canadian culture which appreciates individualism and autonomy in work. . Cross-cultural management Introduction Case study analysis The practices are not geared at fair compensation for all employees since a city tax deduction which is discriminatory and illegal is included in the employees’ salaries. The management practices aim at exploiting employees since a majority are foreigners. EZ-ABC does not allow employees to design their own lesson plans or interact with fellow employees during work. Sandy who is Australian woman with a doctorate in education leadership is authoritative and does not delegate some jobs to subordinates since she is in control of every decision in the school (F itzsimmons & Shantz, 2010). Lee who is a retired military man in charge of the local branch of EZ-ABC in Kangman district believes that higher salaries are the only motivating factor for employees (Fitzsimmons & Shantz, 2010). The management practices encourage competition among employees since those who receive low ratings are fired. The school norm does not allow teachers to share experiences or form informal groups. Ian who is an American teacher is forced to sign a document which will lead to his ultimate dismissal even if he is late again for one minute. Sandy is interested in furthering her own objectives of designing her own curriculum in order to run an ESL school once the curriculum is popular across the EZ-ABC chain (Fitzsimmons & Shantz, 2010). EZ-ABC policy prohibits discussion of pay among co-workers and Visa and apartment lease is tied to employer. If an employee is interested leaving the job, a letter of release must be granted by the employer which many employers are reluctant to offer (Fitzsimmons & Shantz, 2010). Evaluation of management practices of EZ-ABC using motivation theories and cultural dimensions There are two broad categories of motivation theories that are the content theories and process theories. According to content theories, the unsatisfied needs of individuals will create tension. Maslow’s theory of motivation asserts that individuals are motivated by satisfying their needs in a hierarchy (Bhattacharyya, 2010). The first needs that should be satisfied are the physiological needs which include food and shelter. The second needs include safety. EZ-ABC has not provided safety needs since employees need security of tenure in their work. The third class of needs is the sense of belonging which is not available in EZ-ABC since employees need to feel loved and appreciated by forming both formal and informal groups in the workplace. The fourth category is self-esteem needs. The employees at EZ-ABC have no self-esteem since the y are not happy with the current management practices. The highest hierarchy is self-actualization. For instance, Sandy has failed to attain this need since Lee has rejected the curriculum designed by Sandy. According to McClelland’s theory, employees need a sense achievement, affiliation and power in order to be motivated in their work. Some employees who need achievement may strive for personal success. For instance, Lee and Sandy are in need of power dominance and achievement which makes them take control of every decision in the organization. EZ-ABC should fulfill the employees need for affiliation and need of collective achievement in the school (Bhattacharyya, 2010). Process theories of motivation deal with the choices made by employees in their behaviors. Examples of these theories include equity