China Association for the

International Exchange of
Personnel Program
December 2004
Dr. Richard Field
School of Business
University of Alberta
 Introduction
Who am I?
Dr. Richard H.G. Field
Professor of Strategic

Management and
Organization
Richard.Field@ualberta.ca
http://www.bus.ualberta.ca/rfield/

Who are you?

 Todays Topics

The Individual at Work

Societal Culture Dimensions

Perception

Management and Motivation

Team Performance Model

Culture Shock Cycle

 The Individual at Work: Five Culture Questions
How do I see the world?

Is the relationship to the environment one of

dominance, submission, harmony, or finding an
appropriate niche?
How do I use time and space?
The nature of reality, time, and space. Questions are
what is real and what is not, what is a fact, how truth is
ultimately to be determined, and whether truth is
revealed or discovered.
Who am I?
The nature of human nature. What does it mean to be
human, and what attributes are considered intrinsic or
ultimate? Is human nature good, evil, or neutral? Are
human beings perfectible or not?
 The Individual at Work: Five Culture Questions
What do I do?

What is the right thing for human beings to do, on the

basis of the above assumptions about reality, the
environment, and human nature? Should one be active,
passive, self-developmental or fatalistic? What is work
and what is play?
How do I relate to other people?
The nature of human relationships. What is considered
to be the right way for people to relate to each other, to
distribute power and love? Is life cooperative or
competitive; individualistic, collaborative, or communal?
Is it based on traditional lineal authority, law, or
charisma?
Societal Cultural Dimensions

Power Distance
Individualism / Collectivism

Masculinity / Femininity

Uncertainty Avoidance

Long-term / Short-term Orientation

 Perception
The Physical World
Perceptual Selection

External Factors size, intensity, motion, novelty

Internal Factors personality, learning, motivation

Perception Process
Perceptual Organization grouping, figure-ground
principle
Attributions
Attribution errors fundamental attribution error,
self-serving bias
Perceptual errors stereotyping, halo effect,

projection
The vase/two faces figure-ground illusion
 The Old
Woman/Young
Woman Illusion
and Frames of
Reference
Frame of Reference Effect
 Management
Being a manager in different types of
organizations
The Nature of Managerial Work

What is it like to be a manager?

The managerial job differs by culture and

country
Motivation definition

Motivation theories
 Internal

Internal Human
Process Relations
Coordinator Mentor
Monitor Facilitator
Control Flexibility
Director Broker
Producer Innovator

Rational Open
Goal External Systems

Managerial Roles for each of the Four Models

THE MANAGERIAL JOB IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES
Percentage in
Agreement
70
70
It is important for a manager to Sweden
60
60 have at hand precise answers to
most of the questions that
Netherlands
50
50 subordinates may raise about United States
their work
40
40 Denmark
30 Great Britain
30
Switzerland
20
20 Belgium
10
10 Germany
00 France
Country
Country Italy
 Motivation Definition
Motivation is the attention paid, effort
exerted, and persistence of behaviour
 Motivation Theories
Maslows Hierarchy in Western Cultures
 Motivation Theories
Equity Theory
The ratio of the

outcomes to inputs one

person receives from
work are compared to
the ratio of outcomes to
inputs of another
person at work
Inequity motivates

action to restore equity

of the ratios
 Motivation Theories
Goal Setting
Difficult goals will produce higher
performance than easy goals.
Specific difficult goals will produce
higher performance than will no goals or
Ill do my best kinds of goals.
Goal setting with feedback on goal
attainment will produce higher
performance than goal setting alone.
 Motivation Theories
Reinforcement Theory and Systems
People will do what they are rewarded for

doing
Rewards must be close in time to the

desired behaviour
Punishments should be used sparingly,

only for very important reasons

 Motivation Theories
Job Design The Job Characteristics
Model
 FIVE CORE JOB DIMENSIONS
Skill Variety: the number of skills necessary to do the job
Task Identity: the degree to which the whole job is done
by one worker
Task Significance: the importance of the job to other
people's lives
Autonomy: the freedom to do the job in the way desired
by the worker
Feedback: information about job performance from the
job itself (by observation of the product, for
example) or from co-workers.
THE JOB CHARACTERISTICS MODEL
Critical Personal &
Core Job
Psychological Work
Dimensions
States Outcomes

Skill Variety

Task Experienced High Internal

Identity Meaningfulness Work Motivation
of the Work
Task
Significance High Quality
Work Performance
Autonomy Experienced
Responsibility for
Outcomes of Work High Satisfaction
Feedback with the Work
Knowledge of the
Actual Results of
the Work Activities Low Absenteeism
and Turnover

Moderators

1. Employee Growth Need Strength

2. Knowledge and Skills
3. Context satisfactions positive or negative
 Drexler-Sibbet Team Performance Model

Orientation Renewal

WHY
am I WHY
here? continue?

WHO
are you?
Trust Building
High Performance
WHAT WHO
are we does
Goal Role Clarification doing? WHAT? Implementation
Commitment

HOW?

Creating Establishing Doing Renewing

THE CULTURE SHOCK CYCLE
HIGH

TOURIST
MOOD

BASE BACK TO NORMAL

LINE
MOOD

ADJUSTMENT
CRISIS

LOW

TIME