Sources of Work Motivation of Business Leaders in the USA and South Africa: A Cross-Cultural Comparison Using the Motivational Sources Inventory

Abstract

Motivational differences in response to the Motivation Sources Inventory were tested between U.S. (n = 138) and South-African (n = 114) work samples. Analysis indicated that American managers scored significantly higher on intrinsic process (fun), while South-African managers scored significantly higher on self-concept external and goal internalization when measured using ratio analysis. Replication and extension with large groups representative of populations of interest in conjunction with Hofstede's cultural dimensions could allow generalization.

Does Culturally Adapted Online Communication Work? A Study of American and Chinese Internet Users’ Attitudes and Preferences Toward Culturally Customized Web Design Elements

“…The model has been developed and applied primarily in anthropological and sociological contexts (Basu, 2003; Hofstede, 1994). In cross‐cultural research, the use of Hofstede's framework has been limited to macrolevel inquiries concerned with identifying cultural predictors of social and economic trends, such as corruption rates (Cheung & Chan, 2008), sexual harass (Luthar & Luthar, 2008), work motivation (Barbuto & Gifford, 2007), and gender inequality (Cheung, 2007). We think that our study expanded Hofstede's theoretical model by introducing previously underexplored technological dimensions, such as hyperlinking and blogging.…”

Multilevel perspectives on leadership in the African context

“…Other studies explored more leadership styles, such as virtuous leadership (Adewale, 2020) and Afro-centric leadership (Bolden & Kirk, 2009). Still others focused on investigating leaders' motivations (Barbuto & Gifford, 2007) or preferred skills (Lee, 2011). Collectively these studies highlight that there is still much to be learned to understand fully the nature of leadership in Africa.…”

An Examination of the Factor Structure and Scale Reliability of the Work Motivation Scale, the Motivation Sources Inventory

“…The variation between the current findings and the factor structure and reliability presented by the instrument's developers highlights potential flaws in the MSI. An examination of those published research studies that have reported use of the MSI shows it to have been employed primarily by its primary developer (Barbuto, 2000; Barbuto et al., 2000; Barbuto & Gifford, 2007; Barbuto & Xu, 2006) with none of the further published studies re‐examining the original factor structure originally reported by Barbuto and Scholl (1998).…”