Hofstede’s Cultural Value Framework Relationship to Theory X and Theory Y

Theory X Theory Y

McGregor’s Motivation TheoriesTheory X

• Dislike work• Must be coerced and

threatened • Require close supervision

and direction• Prefer to be directed• Responsibility avoidance • Exhibit low ambition• Interested only in security

Theory Y

• Work is like play or rest• Capable of self control and

direction• Capable of seeking and

accepting responsibly• Imaginative and creative• Committed to organization• Capacity for ingenuity

Five Dimensions of Hofstede’s Cultural Value Framework

• Long Term vs. Short Term Orientation• Individualism vs. Collectivism• Masculinity vs. Femininity• Low Uncertainty Avoidance vs. High

Uncertainty Avoidance• Low Power Distance vs. High Power Distance

Cultural Value ComparisonChina United States

Long Term (LTO) vs. Short Term (STO) Orientation

• LTO– Tend to attach more

importance to the future– Value tradition– Value thrift

– “The future belongs to those who prepare for it today”

• STO– Tend to attach more

importance to the here and now

– Accept change more readily

– “You are only limited by your own fears and inaction”

China as a Theory X Nation

• Foxconn in China– Assembly line work– Long Hours– Suicides 2010– Dormitories– Nets

Foxconn Dormitories

FoxConn

LTO values influence on Theory X Attributes

Theory X Attributes

• People dislike work

• Most people prefer to be directed

• Only interested in security

Long Term Oriented Values

• People value tradition

• People value tradition (hierarchy)

• Attach more importance to the future

America as a Theory Y Nation

$0-$1,000 $1000-$10,0000%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%50%

2010 Average American Retirement Sav-ings

Savings in US dollars

Percentage of Americans

America as a Theory Y Nation

• Americans have an inherent entrepreneurial spirit.

– Wal-Mart– Google– Facebook

• Americans are more willing to give up old ideas for new opportunities.

Short Term Oriented Values• Attach more importance to

the here and now

• Accept change more readily

Theory Y Attributes

• Think of work as a natural activity, like play or rest

• Will learn to accept and seek responsibility

• Capacity for imagination and ingenuity

STO values influence on Theory Y Attributes

Works Cited• Baculinao, Eric (2004). China grapples with legacy of its ‘missing girls’. Retrieved from http://

www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5953508/ns/world_news/t/china-grapples-legacy-its-missing- girls/#.TtKXPWNE0q5

• Denise Rotondo Fernandez, Dawn S. Carlson, Lee P. Stepina &Joel D. Nicholson (1997): Hofstede's Country Classification 25 Years Later, The Journalof Social Psychology, 137:1, 43-54

• The Economist (2009). The United States of Entrepreneurs. America still leads the world. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/node/13216037

• The Economist (2006). Women in the workforce. The importance of sex. Forget China, India and the internet: economic growth is driven by women. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/node/6800723

• Itim International (2009). Geert Hofstede Cultural Dimensions. Retrieved from http://www.geert-hofstede.com/hofstede_china.shtml

• Itim International (2009). Geert Hofstede Cultural Dimensions. Retrieved from http://www.geert-hofstede.com/hofstede_dimensions.php?culture1=95&culture2=18

• Itim International (2009). Geert Hofstede Cultural Dimensions. Retrieved from http://www.geert-hofstede.com/hofstede_united_states.shtml

• Johnson, Joel (2001). 1 Million Workers. 90 Million iPhones. 17 Suicides. Who’s to Blame?. Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/02/ff_joelinchina/all/1

• Robbins, Stephen P. and Timothy A. Judge. (2010). Essentials of Organizational Behavior, Tenth Edition (page 28- 29). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

• U.S. Census Bureau (n.d.). 2012 Statistical Abstract. Population: Estimates and Projections by Age, Sex, Race/Ethnicity. Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/population/estimates_and_projections_by_age_sex_raceethnicity.html

• Wang, Jim (n.d.). Working Americans Have Almost No Retirement Savings. Retrieved from http://www.bargaineering.com/articles/working-americans-have-almost-no-retirement- savings.html