Do the same things satisfy people around the globe? Even though
many of the findings regarding satisfaction are generalizable to
different cultures, some research reveals that differences may also
exist. In one study comparing job satisfaction in 20 countries,
work–family conflict was found to lower job satisfaction only in
individualistic cultures. It is possible that in collectivistic
cultures, when people have to make sacrifices for work, they may
compensate by forming better relations with coworkers, which
prevents employees from being dissatisfied. There is also evidence
that while autonomy and empowerment are valued in the United
States, Mexico, and Poland, high levels of empowerment were related
to lower job satisfaction in India (Robert et al., 2000; Spector et
al., 2007). Despite some variation, major factors that make people
happy, such as being treated well and having good relations with
others, are likely to generalize across cultures.
Culture also influences work behaviors. Behaviors regarded as a
citizenship behavior in the United States or other Western
cultures, such as helping a new coworker learn the job, may be
viewed as part of a person’s job performance in other cultures.
Research shows that managers in cultures such as Hong Kong and
Japan define job performance more broadly. For example, the
willingness to tolerate less than ideal circumstances within the
company without complaining was viewed as part of someone’s job in
Hong Kong, whereas this was viewed as more discretionary in the
United States and Australia. Norms regarding absenteeism and
turnover are also subject to cultural differences. One study shows
that in China, absence from work because of one’s illness, stress,
or depression was relatively unacceptable, while in Canada, these
reasons were viewed as legitimate reasons for being absent (Johns
& Xie, 1998; Lam, Hui, & Law, 1999).
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