Managing Mexican Workers: Implications of Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions

INTRODUCTION The way an employee chooses to think, feel, and act on the job can be a function of the culture from which he or she comes. Thus, applying a single management approach in all work settings around the world may be ineffective in motivating and leading workers to be more productive and successful in their job. Cultural research indicates that Western-based theories of management may fail in some countries and in some societies because countries have unique views of job satisfaction and motivation. Management literature has revealed that an individual's job interests and the importance with which these interests are viewed vary from country to country; and the significance of an individual's needs is influenced by his/her values and beliefs within a given culture (Ronen, 2001). For a company to achieve maximum success when entering a new country in the international arena, management should evaluate and understand the country's culture prior to establishing a toehold there. For this reason, multinational corporations cannot simply transfer U.S. management practices (i.e. reward systems, incentives, benefits) to subsidiaries without taking into account the local setting and culture. In this research, we specifically attempt to uncover what is on the minds of Mexican maquiladora workers and what matters to them as they work in the manufacturing plants of Mexico. The main purpose of this study is to determine what maquiladora workers are talking about in relation to their job and then to break the results down by such demographic categories as sex, education, marital status, number of dependents, tenure, and age to determine if these variables matter in the dialogue. Hofstede and Hofstede (2005), based on their research, have established a framework in relating the Mexican culture to work factors. The results of this study are presented in light of Hofstede and Hofstede's (2005) work in an effort to determine how the outcomes of the study match their framework. HOFSTEDE'S DIMENSIONS Cultural dimensions by Hofstede and Hofstede (2005) as well as socio-economic status are used as the framework in explaining the Mexican culture and the key factors that may explain why some work factors are more important than others. Culture may be the underlying factor in the discovery of their positive statements. Cultural factors that will be discussed are collectivism, socioeconomic status, masculinity/femininity, socio-economic status, and uncertainty avoidance. Collectivism and Mexican Culture According to Hofstede (1983), Mexico is shown as being a collectivist country where the group (family) is preferred over individualistic roles. Mexican tradition greatly displays values: Mexican cultural principles of male dominance (machismo) and age-based authority in decision making are considered the core of Mexican families. The Mexican household is rooted in an intricate extended system of families and friends, based entirely on their collectivist beliefs. Mexican families are also said to be familistic in that solidarity arrangements are not focused on the nuclear family. Instead, the family of origin and the compadre ties are supposed to be more important to Mexicans (Teagarden, Butler, & Von Glinow, 1992). Extended families have been the prevailing form of family arrangement in Mexico. It is common for grandparents and other relatives to live with an extended Mexican family. Relatives may also include immediate family members, distant relatives, close family friends (compadres), long-standing neighbors, in-laws, and godparents (padrinos). In addition, nuclear households, even though they are physically distanced and not part of the household production, remain part of the extended web of family. Mexican families assist extended family members with monetary assistance like lodging, work, money; as well as, non-monetary, like emotional support, advice, or reassurance. …