Work Motivation, Culture, And Economic Development: Is Work Motivation Shaped By Its Socio-Economic Context?

Abstract

Cultural impacts on work motivation have been well-studied. While a number of authors have assessed the effect of scarcity versus affluence on work motivation, few researchers have considered whether both cultural and economic factors may be jointly shaping national characteristics of work motivation. A regression analysis based on economic and cultural indexes indicates that a national level of work motivation is strongly correlated with aspects of culture as well as economic development. While national income is not, itself, a strong predictor of work motivation, indicators which describe a nation’s economic strength and stability are. The article concludes with suggestions for further research.