The primary factor that has driven the sharp increase of achievement scores is the national culture of

the United States. This can be explained using Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, such as Power Distance,
Uncertainty Avoidance, Individualism and Masculinity.

The combination in the United States of weak Uncertainty Avoidance and relatively high Masculinity can
tell us more about why the achievement motive has become so popular in that country. This leads us to
the conclusion that the concept of the achievement motive presupposes two cultural choices-a
willingness to accept risk (equivalent to weak Uncertainty Avoidance; see Figure 2) and a concern with
performance (equivalent to strong Masculinity; see Figure 4). The countries on the feminine side of
Figure 7 distinguish themselves by a focusing on quality of life rather than on performance and on
relationships between people rather than on money and things (see Figure 4). This means social
motivation: quality of life.

the Individualism scale leads to other potential conflicts between the U.S. way of thinking about
organizations and the values dominant in other parts of the world. In the U.S. Individualist conception,
the relationship between the individual and the organization is essentially calculative, being based on
enlightened self-interest. In fact, there is a strong historical and cultural link between Individualism and
Capitalism. The capitalist system-based on self-interest and the market mechanism-was “invented” in
Great Britain, which is still among the top three most Individualist countries in the world. Consequently,
the need for personal achievement should be stronger among members of societies with individualistic
orientations,

The respondents from the U.S.A., a culture emphasizing the individualistic orientation, demonstrated
the strongest tendencies for personal achievement.
Six components of achievement motivation were reflected: readiness to confront with uncertainty,
facing difficulty, undertaking personal responsibility, calculating risks, solving problems, and satisfying
the need to succeed.

The increase in achievement motivation can possibly be explained in terms of organizational, market
and economic background. For example, the stock market crash in late-October 1987 raised fear that
the US economy was headed to a financial crisis and recession, which increased the incentive to focus
on short-term performance and goals.

The event of “The fall of the Berlin Wall” followed by the end of Cold War in 1989 promoted the
international spread of liberal democratic system long championed by the US. It also brought huge
potential emerging markets of Eastern Europe and former Soviet Union, igniting a revolution for the US
companies.

With the rapid growth in the adoption of internet and the development of technology, the dot-com era
from the late 1990s to early 20002 saw a tremendous innovation and, ultimately, tremendous
speculation. This event might have contributed to the increase in achievement motivation of many
entrepreneurs, managers and executives.

https://www.thestreet.com/investing/stocks/100-events-that-changed-business-1900-2000-11173297

https://www.wired.com/1997/07/longboom/