Motivation and Leadership in Ghana

Ghana is a country with a collectivist culture. People therefore countries have a low level of individualism. They are motivated by knowing that their work fully utilizes their skills, and that they are being provided with optimum working conditions, training and fringe benefits by the company they are working for (Steers, Lyman, and Gregory, 95). Furthermore, Ghana has  high level of “masculinity”.Unlike “feminine” cultures , Ghanaians feel motivated by being provided with more opportunities for personal accomplishment, higher pay and job advancement.

            Various needs are satisfied by the job a person does. A team of researchers, the Meaning  of Work  International Research Team came up with the order of importance of these needs. This included: income, interest and satisfaction, contact with others, a means of serving the society , a way of being occupied and lastly, status and prestige (Aldag, Buck and Jeff, 189). From this, income was the greatest factor. A foreign company in Ghana should therefore capitalize on income as a motivational  tool.

            Ghana is a third world country found in Africa. Its relative wealth is thus quite low hence people have low standards of living. This greatly affects their attitude towards work. Ghanaians therefore have very high competitiveness in work and an overall acquisitiveness for money at the expense of ethics and “mastery”. This emphasizes the importance of  higher income as a means of motivation of worker.

            When it comes to leadership, a foreign firm in Ghana should employ leaders with a broadened mindset, strategically and cross-culturally. A flexible model of leadership will be best, employing a “Global Mindset” that comprises of intellectual capital, psychological capital and social capital. The managers in such companies should have a lot of travel experience.  A high level of experience in international assignments molds one to be able to make decisions that are embraced by different cultures (Blanchard, Patricia, and Drea, 57).

Works Cited,

Aldag, Ramon J, Buck Joseph, and Jeff Woodman. Leadership and Vision: 25 keys to Motivation.             Roseland , N.J.: Listen & Live Audio, 2005. Print.

Blanchard, Kenneth H, Patricia Zigarmi, and Drea Ziagrmi. Leadership and the One Minute          Manager: Increasing Effectiveness Through Situational Leadership. New York: Morrow,        1985. Print.

Steers, Richard M, Lyman W. Porter, and Gregory A. Bigley. Motivation and Leadership at Work.          New York: McGraw-Hill, 1996. Print.