Motivational factors at work of e-commerce and e-business employees. What is the difference between genders?

The objective of this research is to understand gender differences in motivational drivers at workplace, with a focus on people with working experiences in the field of e-commerce and e-business. Special attention is devoted to the preference of the competitive and cooperative behaviour. We examined gender differences in the preference of eight motivational drivers on a sample of N = 429 (41 % females). Results showed that males ranked higher in motivation by professional challenge, preference of competitive settings and opportunities to develop. Females scored higher in the motivation by social support and physical working environment. Interestingly, there were found no gender differences in preference of financial reward and recognition, what supports the thesis of equal pay and equal treatment policies. The most pronounced gender differences occurred in the preference of competitive vs. cooperative behaviour. Males have significantly higher preference of competition when compared to females and vice-versa. In the analytical quadrant of motivation by high competition and low cooperation there was 35 % of males and 16 % of females. In the opposite quadrant of motivation by low competition and high cooperation there were 24 % of males vs. 45 % of females. Results have interesting implications for management of human resources and gender-based talent management.