Running head: GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES
Managing Generational Differences in the Workplace
Cassandra Bezeau
Siena Heights University
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Managing Generational Differences in the Workplace
For the first time in history, managers are dealing with five different generations in the
workforce at one time. These generations consist of Traditionalists, also known as Veterans,
Matures and the Silent Generation born between 1925 and 1945; Baby Boomers born between
1946 and 1964; Generation X born between 1965 and 1980; and the Millennial also known as
Gen Y, NGen, or GenMe born between 1981 and 1999 (Kapoor & Solomon, 2011). Mixing
these generations within the workplace brings challenges not only for the managers, but also for
the workers themselves. Different generations have different personalities and ways for relating
which can cause conflict within the workplace.
Organizations are seeing an influx of younger workers and they do not know how to
recruit, retain, or motivate a multigenerational workforce (Twenge, 2010). Many managers are
noticing the differences in priorities, values, and motivation among Baby Boomers, Gen X and
the Milliennials, and they are unsure how to manage teams in the midst of all these differences.
Millennials have received a bad reputation for being lazy, having a bad work ethic, being
selfish, needing instant gratification and many other things. “Most studies…show that Gen X and
especially GenMe [Millennials] rate work as less central to their lives, value leisure more, and
express a weaker work ethic than Boomers”(Twenge, 2010, p. 2). But the popular reputation may
be nothing more than a misunderstanding. If the other generations knew how to relate to these
Millennials it might make a difference. Kapoor and Solomon (2011) say that Millennials are
more affluent, better educated, technically savvy, and more diverse than any other generation
before them. It appears that there is a gap between the perspective some people have on this
generation and their true identity. Regardless of what people’s perceptions are, the truth of the
matter is the Millennials are the future.
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The purpose of this paper will be to develop an understanding of generational cohort
differences within the workplace, and how to lead or manage multigenerational teams despite
their differences. I hope to gain insight from this study about how to relate to individuals from all
generations and the tools necessary to encourage synergy and cooperation among teams
consisting of multigenerational people.
Review of Literature
Generations Defined
The literature presents many different names and dates to define the generations. Before
discussing the generations it is important to note that even though a generation may be known for
certain characteristics, these may not apply to everyone within that generation. People are unique
individuals and they possess their own personalities, characteristics, and values. In addition,
there is controversy over the birth years of each generation (Kapoor & Solomon, 2011).
However, the purpose of this review is to identify the common values and characteristics among
generational cohorts. A generation can be identified as “an identifiable group of people who
share birth years and experiences as they move through time together, influencing and being
influenced by a variety of critical factors” (Davis, Pawlowski, & Houston, 2006, p. 43). Meriac,
Woehr, and Banister (2010) state, “It has been widely postulated that generational cohorts
develop similarities in their attitudes and beliefs based on shared life experiences” (para. 2).
The first generation is known as the Veterans. The birth years determined for this
generation are anywhere between 1922 and 1946 (Dwyer, 2008; Kapoor & Solomon, 2011).
Most of this generation endured poverty and traumatic events like The Great Depression and
World War II. These events have shaped the Veterans to be more frugal and risk-averse. They
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appreciate security. This generation is also known to place importance on what is best for the
group instead of what is best for the individual (Kapoor & Solomon, 2011).
The next generation is known as the Baby Boomers. The birth years for Baby Boomers
range between 1946 and 1964. The defining events of this generation include the Civil Rights
Movement, Cold War, the Kennedy assassination, the Women’s Rights Movement, and
Woodstock (Dwyer, 2008; Kapoor & Solomon, 2011). The Baby Boomers are known to be
idealistic and willing to sacrifice to succeed. They are also known by the adage that “they live to
work”, respecting authority and hierarchy.
The generation succeeding the Baby Boomers is known a Gen X. The birth years for this
generation range between 1965 and 1980 (Dwyer, 2008; Kapoor & Solomon, 2011). The
defining events for this generation include The Challenger incident, Rodney King, the energy
crisis, and the first personal computers (Arsenault, 2003; Dwyer, 2008). Gen X were latchkey
kids spending more time in daycares and with babysitters due to living in single parent homes
and the rising need of two incomes in the household. This generation grew up in a state of
uncertainty seeing their parents being laid off during the economic recession in the 1980s. This is
believed to be the reason for their lack of loyalty to companies. Gen X was also a time of rising
personal debts, challenges to honesty of national leaders, and the emergence of the AIDS
epidemic (Kapoor & Solomon, 2011).
The final generation to enter the workforce is the Millennials. The birth years of this
generation range between 1980 and 1999. The Millennials are said to be more affluent, more
tech savvy, and better educated than any previous generation (Kapoor & Solomon, 2010). The
defining events of this generation include increasing high school violence, scandals like
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President Bill Clinton and O.J. Simpson, an increase in diverse families, reality TV, government
scandals, and terrorist attacks including those of September 11th, 2001 (Dwyer, 2008).
Generational Characteristics
According to Haeberle, Herzberg, and Hobbs (2009), “Generational differences impact
communication styles, technology needs, professional development preferences, workplace
expectations, compensation and benefit needs, desired leadership styles, and the effectiveness of
reward systems” (p. 64). Understanding generational differences is a very important aspect of
any company’s success. In order to understand how to lead a multi-generational workforce one
must first understand the characteristics and preferences of each generation.
The Baby Boomer generation is more likely to have a career path, they relate working
long hours to dedication and promotion, they are intensely loyal to their organizations, dress
conservatively, use proper language, and are resistant to change. The younger generations,
including Gen X and the Millennials, prefer to work flexible hours that correspond with their
personal life. They have personal loyalty rather than loyalty to an organization, are concerned
about work conflicting with family, are willing to embrace and value change, and individual
development is important to them (Dwyer, 2008).
Studies show that work centrality declines with each generation, as the younger
generations become more family centric. Gen X and Millennials value more leisure time and
having a work/life balance is very important to them. A member of these generations may
sacrifice higher pay for more time off. These generations also value having freedom in their
work by working with less supervision. However, they have less interest in working hard or
putting in overtime and studies show that they take less pride in their work compared to previous
generations (Twenge, 2010).
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Baby Boomers on the other hand are characterized by their hard work and commitment to
their employers. They take pride in their work and relate their self-worth to their work
performance. Baby Boomers may view Gen X and Millennials as slackers because they do not
conform to a culture of being overworked. This view may cause conflict within multigenerational groups due to the lack of understanding of each generation’s preferences (Kapoor &
Solomon, 2011).
The three key differences among the generational cohorts that were expressed throughout
the literature pertained to communication, commitment, and compensation. Gen X and
Millennials prefer to communicate through e-mail, social networks, and text messaging. Baby
Boomers prefer face-to-face meetings or the telephone. These differences in communication
preferences may also lead to conflict within multi-generational teams because they are unaware
of how to communicate effectively with one another (Kapoor & Solomon, 2010). Need more
information on differences in compensation
Due to the differences between generational cohorts, each generation has a different
preference for leadership style. Baby Boomers prefer a consensual style of leadership. They do
not believe in a hierarchal system and favor participation and sharing of responsibility. Members
of Gen X do not respect authority like the generations before them. They believe in being fair
and straightforward, and they like to be challenged. The Millennials prefer a polite relationship
with authority. They like leaders that pull people together and they believe in collective action.
These differences within the generational cohorts require leaders to have a broad and flexible
leadership style (Arsenault, 2003). Maybe comment on similarities between Boomers and
Millennials
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While the majority of the literature reviewed presented common themes and ideas about
generational differences, generational cohorts may not be the issue. Davis et al. (2006) conducted
a study within the IT profession that tells a different story. Their findings provide little support
for generational differences within the topics of work involvement, job involvement, work group
attachment, organizational commitment, and professional commitment. Davis et al. (2006) argue
that even when generational differences are found, there are at least two other alternative
explanations for the differences such as “cohort and lifecycle/career stage explanations” (p. 44).
Baby Boomers and Gen X may have more in common than anticipated. The complaints
that Veterans had about Baby Boomers are very similar to the complaints that Baby Boomers
have about Gen X. Gen X is just as committed to their profession and organizations as Baby
Boomers (Davis et al., 2006). Davis et al. (2006) state, “In light of the growing evidence, these
differences can be attributed to other factors (e.g. stage of life) instead of a true ‘generational
divide.’ Perhaps the only true difference between the generations is age” (p. 47).
Leadership Theory
The literature does not present a specific leadership theory when dealing with multigenerational teams. However, the literature repeatedly expressed the importance of leaders to be
able to adapt to the leadership needs of their multi-generational subordinates. According to
Dubrin (2010), “The essence of a contingency approach to leadership is that leaders are most
effective when they make their behavior contingent on situational forces, including group
member characteristics” (p. 133).
Situational leadership may be an effective style of leadership for multi-generational
teams. Situational leadership allows the leader to identify which leadership style is most effective
for an individual or group. Those leadership styles include directive, supportive, coaching, and
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delegating (Dubrin, 2010). According to the literature, Veterans prefer the directive style of
leadership, Baby Boomers prefer participative leadership which would fall under a supporting
leadership style, Gen X may fall under the delegating leadership style because they like to have
freedom when they are working, and the Millennials may respond well to the coaching
leadership style.
Research Question
This study will examine how to create synergy and cooperation within multi-generational
teams. The guiding questions for this study include: 1) How does each generation define synergy
and cooperation within a team environment? 2) What characteristics of a team member are
preferred by each generation? 3) What triggers conflict within multi-generational teams? 4) What
role does leadership play in creating synergy and cooperation?
Method
Participants
There will be between 25 to 30 participants within the study. The group of participants
will be multi-generational consisting of people between the ages of 29 and 67. The participants
are employees from the credit union where the researcher is employed. Their positions within the
credit union vary among executives, managers, tellers, accounting clerks, member service
representatives, and loan officers.
Data Collection
This will be a qualitative study utilizing interviews with the participants as the main tool
for data collection. Depending on the preference of the participant, the interviews will either be
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conducted face-to-face or through an electronic resource such as e-mail or a website. Face-toface interviews will take place within the organization during work hours. If the participant
chooses to complete the interview through electronic means, an e-mail will be sent to the
participant inviting them to participate in the interview. Follow up e-mails will be sent as
reminders to the participants as they are needed until the interviews are complete. All
information gathered from the interviews will be recorded by hand written notes taken by the
researcher. The notes from each interview will be kept separate and labeled with the participant’s
name.
Data will also be collected through observation. The participants engage in team
activities frequently throughout the work week. The participants will be observed while working
in teams to determine what works well and creates synergy within the team, and also what causes
conflict within the team. The observations will be conducted with the researcher as a participant.
The role of researcher will be secondary to the role of participant. The information gathered from
the observation will be recorded by hand written notes of thoughts and observations.
Data Analysis
The data will be reviewed in order to gain an understanding of the information uncovered
throughout the data collection. Similarities will be identified and organized into categories. Once
the information is organized the researcher will look to identify four or five themes from the
observations. Triangulation will be used to determine if the themes are consistent among the
interviews and the observations.
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References
Arsenault, P. (2004). Validating generational differences: A legitimate diversity and leadership
issue. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 25(1), 124-141.
Davis, J. B., Pawlowski, S. D., & Houston, A. (2006). Work commitments of baby boomers and
gen-xers in the IT profession: Generational differences or myth? The Journal of
Computer Information Systems, 46(3), 43-49.
Dubrin, A. (2010). Leadership research findings, practice, and skills. Mason, OH: South-Western
Dwyer, R. J. (2009). Prepare for the impact of the multi-generational workforce! Transforming
Government: People, Process and Policy, 3(2), 101-110. doi:
10.1108/17506160910960513
Gibson, J., Greenwood, R., & Murphy, E. (2009). Generational differences in the workplace:
Personal values, behaviors, and popular beliefs. Journal of Diversity Management, 4(3),
1-7.
Haeberle, K., Herzberg, J., & Hobbs, T. (2009). Leading the multigenerational work force.
Healthcare Executive, 24(5), 62-67.
Kapoor, C., & Solomon, N. (2011). Understanding and managing generational differences in the
workplace. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 3(4), 308-318.
doi:10.1108/17554211111162435
Meriac, J., Woehr, D., & Banister, C. (2010). Generational differences in work ethic: An
examination of measurement equivalence across three cohorts. Journal of Business and
Psychology, 25(2), 315-324. doi:10.1007/s10869-010-9164-7.
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References
Twenge, J. (2010). A review of the empirical evidence on generational differences in work
attitudes. Journal of Business and Psychology, 25(2), 201-210. doi:10.1007/s10869-0109165-6
Twenge, J. M., & Campbell, S. M. (2008). Generational differences in psychological traits and
their impact on the workplace. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 23(8), 862-877.
doi:10.1108/02683940810904367