International management: motivation & leadership

Motivation is closely related to the performance of human resources in modern organizations. When motivation is studied in the context of international management, it must be remembered that although the motivation process may be the same across cultures, what motivates people often is culturally based. What motivates employees in the United States may be only moderately effective in Japan, France, or Nigeria. Therefore, although motivation is the concept of choice for analyzing employee performance, an international context requires country-by-country, or at least regional, examination of differences in motivation. This research examines motivation as a psychological process and explores how motivation can be used to understand and improve employee performance. It also identifies and describes internationally researched workmotivation and discusses their relevance for international human resource management.