Critically Evaluate Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as Way of Understanding Employee Motivation in Contemporary Chinese Business

Critically evaluate Maslows hierarchy of postulate as way of understanding employee motivation in contemporary Chinese business. Because of the great developing and con jointuree potentials in china, much than and more multinationals argon attracted. Companies who had rich successful experiences in west have difficulties to manage in this unfamiliar emerging market (in Alas, 2008). To define the way of understanding employee in mainland China, need and motivations of Chinese employees should be considered first. Maslows hierarchy of call for as one(a) of the most discussed theories which related to people motivations should be included.According to Maslows cast, individuals have the similar order of needs all over the world. Some criticisms pointed out that needs would change under contrasting cultures. Furthermore, following the great changes of China, employee motivations between current China and contemporary China changed as well. Due to the reform in China, Chinese pe ople have more chance to communicate with occidental sandwich which gave a important impact on Chinese employees knead determine and motivations. This essay will evaluate Maslows hierarchy of needs as way of understanding employee motivation in contemporary Chinese business.From Maslows perspective (in Geren, 2011), human needs argon the same worldwide. It indicated that the hierarchy of needs which developing based on U. S. orderliness can be utilize all over the world. Whereas the research of Hofsted (2001) reported that people under different cultures have diverse set which have a motivational puzzle out on life choices and behaviors (in Alas, 2008). Compared with the individualism culture in U. S. , China exists as a collectivist society due to its long history of tralatitious culture and the dominant position of imperial power.Individuals in the individualistic society are concerned more about self-success, but for Chinese people, contain harmony within their social e nvironment is more portentous. According to Kirkman and Shapiro (in Alas, 2008), at that place are some crucial links between ethnical determine and job attitudes which can be the approach to study employee motivations between U. S. and China deeply. A diagram about the hierarchy of needs of the Peoples Republic of China by Nevis (in Gambrel and Cianci, 2003) showed that the order of needs of Chinese people and employees are social belonging, physiological, safety and elf-actualization. Employees in China tend to emphasize social needs more over individualistic needs which means the perspective and identity were concerned more in a society, while employees in more individualistic society such as America sift more on individualistic needs. A famous case was at Lenovo when Chinese and American employees loped as a group, Chinese employee considered the team as the key for companys successful. However, The Americans were trying to identify individual naughty performers (Gallo, 2 008).The hierarchy of needs model seems not appropriate for understanding the employee motivations in China business. However, an pushful reform program was launched in China. Instead of a relatively closed trunk previously, an open, market-driven system had been set up. A serial of actions including entering the WTO, opening the Hesperian region of China and building up an information net defecate have given dynamic to support the system and take the way to develop. As a result of these great changes of China, employee motivations and work values between new China and contemporary China changed as well.According to studies by Ralston et al. (in Jaw, 2007), Work values of contemporary Chinese leaders who overtake a higher score on individualism differ from those erstwhile(a) generation of the past. It indicated that new generation of Chinese conductor characterized more individualistic. Furthermore, because of the experiences to western thought and management practices, Chines e employees who ever had under western ethnical influence are more aggressive (in Jaw, 2007). It stated that work values are different between Chinese employees who have western cultural experiences and those who have not.Chinese employees who have western cultural exposure experiences focus more on individual values, especially self-esteem and self-actualization which can be use in Maslows model. As the number of those employees increasing, this tendency will go bad more obviously. For those Chinese employees who do not have a western background, they put more emphasis on the corporal standard of living and work conditions which can be seen as the first level of Maslows model. For example, high wages have been seen as one of the most significant factors to attract employees in contemporary Chinese business.In order to motivate employees more effectively, Googles office in China not only put forward fresh fruit and high quality food, but overly occasion relax and comfortable w orking environment (Marre, 2011). The ANOVA test of work values in 4 areas showed that Chinese respondents pay more trouble to the provision of welfare than employees in the other areas (in Alas, 2008) . When employees age is old complete to retire, they need the welfare to support daily life without working. It reflected the importance of the credential of their work.The reasons behind their needs were attributed to the different developments in the economy after experiencing a centrally planned economy in China and low material standards of living (in Jaw, 2007). Although China has been seen as the emerging market with full of power, the agricultural had experienced a socialist regime which have considerable slight wealth than traditional capitalist searchries and started to develop only around 30 years. That caused most of Chinese employees still strive for the lowest need and also pardon the rationality of Maslows hierarchy of needs in China. To sum up, as the representer of U.S. middle class values during the period of individual achievements were stressed, Maslows model is not applied across all cultures (in Jaw, 2007). However, as a result of the reform in China in 1978, links between China and the world connected. By the influence of western culture, Chinese manager and employee who had a background in foreign countries shown more aggressive and ambitious which closer the stage of self-esteem and self-actualization among Maslows theory. On the other hand, global employees focus more on income, work environment and welfare which explain Maslows model in a practical way.Although Maslows model is not apply in a collectivistic society, it becomes more kosher to express Chinese employees motivations after 30 years development. Word count1004 References Alas, R. (2008) Attitudes and values in Chinese manufacturing companies A Comparison with Japanese, South Korean and Hong Kong companies. Chinese Management Studies Vol. 2 No. 1 pp. 32-51 Marre, W. ( 2011) Is GOOGLE Employee Heaven? acquirable from March 2012 Gambrel, P Cianci, R. (2003) Maslows Hierarchy of needs Does It Apply In A Collectivist Culture. Journal of Applied Management and Entrepreneurship Apr 2003 8,2 ABI/INFORM Global pg. 43 Gallo, F. (2008) Business Leadership In China How to Blend Best western sandwich Practices with Chinese Wisdom, Publisher Wiley (August 1, 2008) Geren, B. (2011) Motivation Chinese theoretical Perspectives. Journal of behavioural Studies in Business Vol. 3 online. Available from March 2012 Hofstede,G. (2001) Cultures Consequences Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions, and Organizations across Nation(2nd ed. ), keen-witted Publications Thousand Oaks, CA Jaw, B-S Ling, Y-H Wang, C. Y-P Chang, W-C. (2007) The impact of culture on Chinese employees work values. Personnel Review Vol. 36 No. 1, 2007 (pp. 128-144)