IS Characteristics

1
IS Characteristics

• Conflict with Hofstede?

2
Agenda

• Hofstedes Dimensions
• Cougar and Zawackis Work
• Background, Hertzberg, Job Motivation
• Potential Conflicts?

3
Hofstedes Dimensions

• Power Distance (US Moderate, maybe low?)
• Uncertainty Avoidance (US Moderate, maybe high,
  maybe low?)
• Individualism (US Very High)
• Masculinity (US High)

PD Know your placeUA Decision making under
uncertaintyIN Valuing the contribution of the
individualMA Assertiveness focus on objects
rather than relationships
4
Cougar and Zawackis Work

• From 1980, has been replicated dozens of times in
  different countries.
• Based on the JOB DIAGNOSTIC SURVEY, diagnosing
  job tenure
• Underlying model is that people are motivated to
  stay in jobs that appeal to their psychological
  characteristics (but see Hertzberg, next slide)

5
Previous Work on Job Satisfaction

• Other than Maslow, the big name is Hertzberg
• Hertzberg hypothesized that staying in a job is
  related to how satisfied one is in working in it
  and that there were two types of satisfaction
  factors
• Motivators positive
• Hygiene Factors negative

6
Hertzbergs Theory of Satisfaction
Satisfaction M H
An increase in the motivator is accompanied by an
increase in satisfaction in some pattern.

Sufficient to induce increases in
satisfaction Necessary to have any satisfaction
at all.
Motivation
Level of Input Factor
-
Typical Hygiene (H) Factor Behavior
7
Hertzbergs Implicit Model
Motivators
Hygiene Factors
8
Early Results

• Money was seen as a hygiene factor and even more
  strongly in technical jobs
• Job interest, challenge, content was seen as a
  motivator
• Different job categories rated working conditions
  differently
• Hertzbergs work was done in the 1960s before IT
  was very sophisticated

9
Interpreting Hertzberg

• In the 1960s, most IT people were very young and
  very mobile.
• Salaries were relatively high, job security very
  high, shortage of trained staff high
• Need for money wasnt strong as a motivator
• Most IT people were technical, mathematically
  oriented, little business experience

10
But

• While IT people were motivated to work, they were
  NOT motivated to stay with their current
  employer.
• This phenomenon is called turnover or, more
  positively, job retention
• Research attention turned from just satisfaction
  and productivity to motivation and retention

11
Shortages

• Turnover in the 1960s , 70s and 80s approached
  25 ANNUALLY!
• Job retention was really important, given high
  costs of turnover
• Research focused on how to retain IT staff as a
  critical need for management.

12
Cougar and Zawackis Model
Programmer Personality
Given the personality of the programmer, what can
management do to increase productivity and
retention?
13
What They Found

• Job satisfaction is related to personality
• Personality may be described, in part, by two
  values or skills or needs
• Social Need Strength (SNS) others
• Growth Need Strength (GNS) achievement
• In the IT shop (programmers), they found this
• SNS The lowest of all employment groups
• GNS The highest of all employment groups

14
Are the Results Still Valid?

• Possibly not
• First, the scores of women differed from those of
  men
• Second, while shortages still exist in IT, it is
  not just the extremely technical who go into IT
  for a career
• Third, IT employees are no longer just kids
  they are older and have a different portfolio of
  skills and values

15
What Does this Mean?

• If SNS is still low, then individualism might be
  enhanced and power-distance might be even further
  attenuated compared to general culture (CTNC)
• If GNS is still high, uncertainty avoidance might
  be relatively low CTNC
• Masculinity might be extremely high its not
  clear what the effect would be, especially as IT
  is no longer exclusively a male domain and as
  competitive in the way it once was.

16
Hofstedes Dimensions Revisited in the IT Shop.

• Power Distance (US Moderate, IT very low)
• Uncertainty Avoidance (US Moderate, IT very low)
• Individualism (US Very High, IT extreme)
• Masculinity (US High, IT extreme)