Running head: GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES 1

Managing Generational Differences in the Workplace

Cassandra Bezeau

Siena Heights University

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 studiesshow 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 peoples perceptions are, the truth of the

matter is the Millennials are the future.

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 Womens 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 companys 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).

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 multi-

generational groups due to the lack of understanding of each generations 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 multi-

generational 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-to-

face 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 participants

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.

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.

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/s10869-010-

9165-6

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