Generational Differences &
Change: It Isn’t About Values
by
Robert J. Hartl
Hartl Pearson Consulting, LLC
Age Cohorts – Viewed from the
“Different Values” Hypothesis
Traditionalists (1900 –1945)
Experienced Great Depression and two world wars
Loyal, hardworking, financially conservative and faithful to institutions
Many have already retired or are approaching retirement
Some have returned from retirement to work part-time jobs
Baby Boomers (1946 – 1964)
Challenged the status quo when they entered job market; responsible
for many of the rights and opportunities now taken for granted
Competed against each other for jobs; created the 60 hour work week
(believing that hard work would get them ahead); identities are
connected to work
Skilled at dealing with organizational politics
Cohorts Described (continued)
Gen Xers (1965 – 1980)
Good with technology – grew up with video games/computers
Skeptical about/distrust institutions (based on observation of parents’
divorce rates, layoffs, and challenges to institutions)
Don’t expect loyalty from employers and therefore change jobs more
frequently than earlier generations
Work isn’t the most important thing in their lives; they work hard, but go
home at 5:00 PM - try to maintain greater balance than parents
Millennials (1981 – 1999)
The youngest are still in school; some have entered workforce
Grew up around cell phones, pagers, and personal computers
They are enthusiastic learners who question things; have self-confidence and
high self-esteem; collaborators who prefer teamwork
Don’t like boundaries or constraints on their job descriptions
Xers change jobs, but Millennials are likely to change careers
What is the age profile of the US?
Do generational differences play a role
in how we work together?
• Many people believe they do.
• Early research suggested that behavioral
differences across age cohorts could be explained
by different values, reflecting the unique world
events and experiences of each group.
• More recent research has found that other
factors like “career stage,” personality and
motivation may offer a better explanations for
behavioral differences.
More Recent Research
Results are not supportive of generational
stereotypes that have been pervasive in the
management literature and the media.
Specifically, few meaningful differences were
found between the three generations.
Moreover, even when differences were observed,
these have related more to age rather than
generational differences.
- Wong, Gardiner, Lang, & Coulon (2008)
Research (continued)
Consistent with our expectations, results revealed that the
generations were similar on seven of ten work values
examined. Differences were only found for 3 of 4 values
predicted to exhibit a difference between generations
(career advancement, diversity, and immediate feedback
and recognition).
…findings supported the contention that similarities would
outweigh differences regarding the role of generations on
the relationships between employee perceptions of the
work factors and the importance of work factors on
attitudinal reactions.
- Mencl & Lester (2014)
By the way, what’s an attitude?
Evaluative statements, either favorable or
unfavorable, concerning objects, people, or
events.
- Robbins & Judge (2014)
From our perspective, one explanation is
particularly helpful in offering
explanations for why the generational
groups behave in different ways: “stage
of life cycle.”
(60-65)
Late Adulthood
Concept of the Life Cycle Adapted from
D. Levinson as presented in “The
Seasons of a Man’s Life”
Late Adult Transition
Middle Adulthood
(40-45)
Mid-life transition
Early Adulthood
(17-22)
Early Adult Transition
(0-3)
Early Childhood Transition
Childhood & Adolescence
…another concept that may help account for
how we perceive “generational differences” is
what our friend Edgar Schein referred to as the
dimensions of career dynamics.
Edgar Schein’s
Dimensions of
Career Dynamics
Dimensions:
Hierarchical
Expertise/function
Inclusion/membership
4
1
1 =Engineer
2= Project Engineer
3
2
3=Manager
4=Mentor
Career Anchors (defined by Edgar Schein)
Concept of an Anchor:
The pattern of self-perceived talents, motives and values
– serves to guide, constrain, stabilize, and integrate the
person’s career.
The Anchors:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Technical /Functional Competence
General Managerial Competence
Autonomy/Independence
Security/Stability
Entrepreneurial Creativity
Service/Dedication to a Cause
Pure Challenge
Lifestyle
What do you think?
• Are generational differences a factor in your
life or workplace?
• What are your thoughts about what best
explains the so-called “differences?”
Creating Cultural Islands to Bridge
Generational Differences
• A cultural island is an environment in which
people suspend the need to maintain face.
• They explore their tacit assumptions, especially
those about authority & intimacy.
• One easily created cultural island is a “dialogue.”
Dialogue…
Is about shared inquiry, a way of thinking and
reflecting together. It is not something you do to
another person. It is something you do with people.
…this has to do with learning to shift your attitudes
about relationships with others, so that we gradually
give up the effort to make them understand us, and
come to a greater understanding of ourselves and
each other.
- William Isaacs
Why use dialogue?
• To learn what we and others think
• To get beneath the cultural assumptions that
limit our understanding
• To create collective knowledge
• As a basis (or foundation) for addressing issues
that we may have previously considered
problems
Anatomy of a Dialogue Circle
Dialogue Process (Adapted from Schein)
Make all your remarks to the campfire; do not
look at each other.
Do not feel obligated to ask others for
clarification even if you haven’t understood
them.
Do not feel obligated to answer questions that
someone asks you directly.
Examples of Dialogue Prompts
• What are your thoughts about “generational
differences?”
• Talk about the extent to which you believe
generational differences influence work in your
organization.
• What are the steps you have taken in your
organization to deal with problems associated
with generations differences?
• What can be done to improve communications
across and between generational groups?
Ideas for Improving Communication
• Xers to use with Boomers:
–
–
–
–
Show respect
Use face-to-face communication
Play the political game
Learn about the organization’s history
• Boomers to use with Xers:
–
–
–
–
–
Get to the point (avoid jargon & buzzwords)
Use emails but be concise
Give them space
Get over the concept of “paying dues”
“Lighten-up”
• Boomers & Xers to use with Millenials:
–
–
–
–
–
Challenge them/offer more responsibility
Ask their opinions
Create opportunities to collaborate
Use mentors
Provide timely feedback
References
• Mencl, J., & Lester, S. W. (2014, August). More alike than
different: What generations value and how the values
affect employee workplace perceptions. Journal of
Leadership & Organizational Studies, 21(3), 257-272.
• Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2014). Essentials of
organizational behavior (12 ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
• Wong, M., Gardiner, E., Lang, W., & Coulon, L. (2008).
Generational differences in personality and motivation:
Do they exist and what are the implications for the
workplace? Journal of Managerial Psychology, 23(8), 878890.
Contact Information
hartlpearsonconsulting@gmail.com
…or
rhartl@css.edu