Generation Integration Thriving in the Multigenerational Workforce 1 (original) (raw)
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Corporate Ownership and Control, 2016
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The challenge of generation gap within organization
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Organizations are facing the retirement of many older workers and the challenge of recruiting and retaining young talent. However, few studies have empirically substantiated generational differences in work values.The differences generation representing Silent, Traditional or Veterans Generation, Baby Boomers, Generation X (Gen X) and Generation Y (Gen Me, also known as gen Y, or Millennials). Each generation is shaped by economic, social, historical and contemporary politics.This will create a conflict of generation gap in an organization that requires immediate action from the management and the workers themselves between which can be done to address this problem is to understand the nature and the characteristics of each generation in order to reduce the existing public perception of every generation and introduce appropriate measures to be taken by the management of the organization. Each generation and their unique perspective should be acknowledged and incorporated through the...
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The multiple generations present in the workforce today has led to an exponential increase in teams with a multigenerational composition. The individuals in these teams have varying values, goals, and characteristics as well as stereotypes that are perceived by other generations, which leads to many open questions such as: What outcomes and conflicts do teams of this nature produce? What ways can the effectiveness of these teams be enhanced? This review of literature seeks to address these questions by first examining the varying attributes of the generations present in the workforce today. Then, it reviews the effect of age inclusive practices, multigenerational team composition, and conflict on outcomes such as productivity and employee satisfaction. The paper concludes with recommendations for creating an ageinclusive environment to enhance the effectiveness of multigenerational teams and identifies important areas for future research. 5 MULTIGENERATIONAL TEAMS IN THE WORKPLACE Boomers were the largest adult generation from the years 1999 until 2019 (Fry, 2020). Not only was the Baby Boomer generation large, but it was also a pivotal generation (Hughes & O'Rand, 2005). Experiences Baby Boomers have lived through a variety of notable experiences unique to the generation. Baby Boomers "inherited, encountered, and redirected social change" (Hughes & O'Rand, 2005, p.224). The population born during this period were exposed to the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, the assassination of President Kennedy, and economic prosperity (Hopkins et al., 2018) ("November 22, 1963: Death of the president," n.d.). Their exposure to these events gave them experience with controversy, conflict, and idealism. The Baby Boomer generation also was the first generation to live through a large transformation of popular tastes and lifestyles by way of a mass consumer revolution (Phillipson, 2008). Common Characteristics The experiences common to Baby Boomers shaped the way they relate with and experience the world around them. The historical events they experienced contributed to the development of attributes that are shared throughout the Baby Boomer generational cohort (Hayes et al., 2018). Baby Boomers are commonly found to be "hardworking team players who remained… achievement-oriented and competitive" (Hayes, et al., 2018, p 846). Baby Boomers are also able to focus on the task at hand, resourceful, and experienced (Dahl, 2019c). According to Dahl, Owen J (2019c), Baby Boomers in the workforce today have three categories of workplace characteristics. The first type of Baby Boomer is the type who has worked their way up the ranks to a leadership or management position. The second type of Baby 6 MULTIGENERATIONAL TEAMS IN THE WORKPLACE Boomer loves what they do and are well suited for their role, so they work very hard to contribute to the overall mission (Dahl, 2019c). The third type of Baby Boomer in the workforce is just waiting to retire, so their work consists of the bare minimum to retain employment (Dahl, 2019). Values Many of these characteristics exhibited are symptomatic of the strong values that Baby Boomers hold. Baby Boomers are very goal oriented. They also value a sense of community and teams, and value a structured environment (Dahl, 2019c). Loyalty is something that Boomers value deeply and have sometimes been criticized as being loyal to the point of personal detriment to their workplace (Hayes et al., 2018). Considering the type of historical events that Baby Boomers were exposed to, it is not surprising that Boomers are "motivated to change the world with their idealism and considered optimistic" (Hayes, et al.,2018, pp 846). Stereotypes Baby Boomers also have some prevalent stereotypes from the other generations that include being overbearing, resistant to change, being bad with technology, and caring too much about the chain of command (Hayes et al.,2018) (Ferri-Reed, 2013). Table 1 explains common characteristics, values, and stereotypes of the Baby Boomer generation.
Strategies for Managing a Multigenerational Workforce
2016
Strategies for Managing a Multigenerational Workforce by Ronald Iden MBA, Regis University, 2001 BBA, Mount Vernon Nazarene University, 1999 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration Walden University February 2016 Abstract The multigenerational workforce presents a critical challenge for business managers, and each generation has different expectations. A human resource management study of organizations with more than 500 employees reported 58% of the managers experiencing conflict between younger and older workers. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the multigenerational strategies used by 3 managers from a Franklin County, Ohio manufacturing facility with a population size of 6 participants. The conceptual framework for this study was built upon generational theory and cohort group theory. The data were collected through face-to-face semistructured interviews, company documents, and a ...