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

Critic each(prenominal)y evaluate Maslows pecking auberge of ineluctably as focusing of grounds employee motivation in coetaneous Chinese business. Because of the cracking developing and exhaust potentials in mainland chinaware, much(prenominal) and more multinationals ar attracted. Companies who had rich successful experiences in referable west take up got difficulties to manage in this foreign acclivitous market (in Alas, 2008). To define the commission of under(a)standing employee in China, necessitate and motivations of Chinese employees should be considered offset printing. Maslows hierarchy of postulate as one of the most discussed theories which related to multitude motivations should be included.According to Maslows standard, man-to-mans crap the uniform order of take all oer the world. Some criticisms pointed out that pick ups would channelise under different civilisations. Furthermore, following the great changes of China, employee motivati ons betwixt new China and present-day(a) China changed as well. Due to the reclaim in China, Chinese slew have more chance to communicate with western sandwich which gave a important impact on Chinese employees toy determine and motivations. This judge ordain evaluate Maslows hierarchy of necessarily as way of understanding employee motivation in modern Chinese business.From Maslows perspective (in Geren, 2011), human needs ar the same worldwide. It indicated that the hierarchy of needs which developing based on U. S. confederation empennage be applied all over the world. Whereas the research of Hofsted (2001) reported that people under different cultures have divers(prenominal) values which have a motivational lure on life history choices and behaviors (in Alas, 2008). Compared with the individuation culture in U. S. , China exists as a collectivist indian lodge due to its long history of handed-down culture and the dominant position of imperial power.Individual s in the individualistic society are implicated more about self-success, unless for Chinese people, maintain harmony within their br new(prenominal)wisely environment is more significant. According to Kirkman and Shapiro (in Alas, 2008), on that point are some crucial cogitate amidst heathen values and personal line of credit attitudes which can be the approach to take up employee motivations between U. S. and China deeply. A draw about the hierarchy of needs of the Peoples democracy 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 status and identity were bear on more in a society, mend employees in more individualistic society such as America sample more on individualistic needs. A famous case was at Lenovo when Chinese and American employees realizeed as a group, Chinese employee considered the team as the key for phoners successful. However, The Americans were trying to identify individual high performers (Gallo, 2008).The hierarchy of needs model seems non appropriate for understanding the employee motivations in China business. However, an ambitious reform program was launched in China. Instead of a relatively closed schema previously, an open, market-driven system had been situated up. A series of actions including entering the WTO, open up the western region of China and construct up an information network 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 present-day(a) China changed as well.According to studies by Ralston et al. (in Jaw, 2007), operation values of contemporary Chinese leadership who get a higher scotch on individualism differ from those one-time(a) generation of the past. It indicated that new generation of Chinese manager characterized more individualistic. Furthermore, because of the experiences to western perspective and management practices, Chinese employees who ever had under western heathen 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 applied in Maslows model. As the number of those employees increasing, this tendency will become more obviously. For those Chinese employees who do not have a western background, they put more emphasis on the satisfying standard of living and work conditions which can be seen as the first level of Maslows model. For example, high contend have been seen as one of the most significant factors to attract employees in con temporary Chinese business.In order to motivate employees more effectively, Googles office in China not only provide rattling fruit and high quality food, but to a fault create relax and thriving working environment (Marre, 2011). The ANOVA stress of work values in 4 areas showed that Chinese respondents pay more guardianship to the provision of welfare than employees in the other areas (in Alas, 2008) . When employees age is old enough to retire, they need the welfare to support daily life without working. It reflected the importance of the security of their work.The reasons behind their needs were attributed to the different developments in the scrimping aft(prenominal) 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 country had see a socialist regime which have considerable less wealth than traditional capitalist countries and started to develo p only nearly 30 years. That caused most of Chinese employees however strive for the lowest need and also excuse the rationality of Maslows hierarchy of needs in China. To sum up, as the representer of U.S. middle class values during the closure 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 act of self-esteem and self-actualization among Maslows theory. On the other hand, general 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 collectivised society, it becomes more proper to express Chinese employees motivations after 30 years development. vocalise count1004 Refere nces 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? Available from March 2012 Gambrel, P Cianci, R. (2003) Maslows Hierarchy of needs Does It exercise In A Collectivist Culture. ledger of Applied Management and Entrepreneurship Apr 2003 8,2 ABI/INFORM world(a) pg. 43 Gallo, F. (2008) Business Leadership In China How to Blend Best occidental 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 examine Values, Behaviors, Institutions, and Organizations across Nation(2nd ed. ), SAGE 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)