How to Motivate Generation Y with Different CulturalBackgrounds - A Cross-Cultural Comparison between China and Sweden

Abstract: Generation Y have become the newest group of the global workforce in Multinational Business and are about to become the largest. They are often referred to as a global group with global characteristics which leads them to be recruited and retained in the same way. Generation Y have their own general (global) characteristics, but are still affected by their national culture. The most up-to-date and comprehensive research made on national culture is the Global Leadership Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (GLOBE) research. This research has measured national culture in 62 countries and attributed them National Culture Values that can be measured in nine different cultural dimensions. These National Culture Values must be taken into account in order to properly motivate Generation Y with different cultural backgrounds. When you want to motivate someone, it is important to understand his/her wants and needs. The classical Content Motivation Theories focus on people’s needs and how these needs must be identified and met if you want to motivate people properly, but since they were constructed for generations with different characteristics than Generation Y, they have to be modified. This dissertation is based on the impact of National Culture Values on Generation Y in China and Sweden, and how these values may be in conflict with Generation Y’s general characteristics. To measure if the National Culture Values are stronger than the general characteristics of Generation Y in these conflicts, we have conducted a survey with two sample groups, one with Chinese students and one with Swedish students. The result of survey shows in some situations, the National Culture Values are stronger than the general characteristics of Generation Y, and vice versa. The main hypothesis of this dissertation is: National Culture Values affect Generation Y and must be taken into account in order to properly motivate them.