Generational Differences in the Workforce

Generational Differences in the Workforce Workforce in todays organisations fall into four broad categories and it has been well established that individuals growing up in different times has affected their values, behaviours and viewpoints. These generational differences present a significant challenge for current organisations. This topic of Generational differences at work place has been immensely researched over the past decade. There has been a spawning number of consulting reports, magazine articles, academic literature produced and replicated in-order to conclude these differences in perceived and actual values between four generations of workforce (Lyons, Urick, Kuron, Schweitzer, 2015). Costanza Finkelstein (2015) reported that the evidence presented in majority of research about this topic is controversial and lacks the depth and rigor (Costanza Finkelstein, 2015). An appraisal of vast majority of systematic and critical reviews provide documented evidence that the perceived differences across the generations might exist, but do these generational cohorts actually have different wishes in a work context or is it perceived commonly held biases that needs to be investigated empirically (Lyons et al., 2015). This question has been addressed in a research conducted by (Lester, Standifer, Schultz, Windsor, 2012) in the article titled as Actual Verses Perceived Generational Differences at Work; An empirical Examination. (Lester et al., 2012) have discussed generational differences in detail, with emphasis on why the nature of these values may lead to the generational misconceptions and its impact on the workplaces. This study thus provides an articulate discussion about the perceived and actual differences in the organisations with multigenerational workforce and its impact on workplace. This summary briefing will share the salient features of the article by (Lester et al., 2012) and will provide the insight of this research paper concluding with application of the key concepts to my current workplace. Literature Review Generational cohort theory established by Inglehart (1997) merely states that the behaviour and values of the generations born in the same era are shaped by the internal and external events of that era. The generations who are affected by the comparable issues, impacted by the same events and share similar experiences are likely to have similar underlying work values. According to (Lester et al., 2012) currently there are four different generational cohorts in the American workforce; Traditionalists, Boomers, Generation X and Generation X based on the era they were born. This board categorization has been reasoned throughout the literature, traditionalist include individuals born prior to 1946, boomers between 1946 and 1964, Generation X between 1965 and 1981 and Generation Y between 1981 and 2000. Literature suggests that these generational cohorts possess a unique set of distinctive and unique characteristics that distinguish their workplace tendencies (Hill Stephens, 2003). This study only includes three generational cohorts due to the reason Traditionalists (65 years of age) is commonly viewed as the benchmark age for the retirement (Lester et al., 2012). Boomers This generational cohort is viewed as consensus seekers, who are competitive micromanagers and possess a moderate level of disrespect for authority. Preference of Face-to-face interaction and conventional mail are other characteristics of this generational cohort, additionally they are presumed to open in using online tools are resources in their work (Reynolds et al., 2008, cited in Lester et al., 2012, p. 342). Generation X This generational cohort is viewed as sceptical individuals who prefer relatively informal work climate with weaker work ethics. They crave autonomy, challenge authority and believe in work-life balance, where personal activity takes priority. Additionally, they prefer technology based interactions in comparison to face -to-face meetings and value direct feedback form the leaders (Twenge., 2010; Reynolds et al., 2008, cited in Lester et al., 2012, p342). Generation X This generational cohort is viewed as technology driven, multitasking individuals who prefer working with peers in a team oriented work environment. They strongly value fast paced technological interactions and regard work-life balance important and where engagement with friends and family take priority over work commitments (Sessa et al., 2007; Steele Gordon, 2006; Crumpacker Crumpacker, 2007; Myers Sadaghiani, 2010, cited in Lester et al., 2012, p342). The literature review suggested although there are many assumptions and perceptions for each of the generational cohort but very little empirical evidence exists to substantiate these differences (Twenge, 2010). Lester et al. (2012) selected 15 specific aspects of ones work context; and the reasoning was based on the generational cohort theory. They also expected greatest actual disparity in generational preferences with respect to technology; e-mail communication; social media; technology; formal authority and fun-at-work. On the basis of generational cohort theory, the generations are likely to differ across generational lines in technological means of communication. This is rational on the basis that Boomers generation grew up without the significant exposure to the technology compared to Generation X. The other end of the spectrum is Generation Y who have been exposed to digital world throughout their entire lives; would be expected to place highest value on technology (Lester et al., 2012). The generational theory also suggests that when Boomers entered workforce communicating was predominantly by phone, face-to-face and through traditional mail; by the time Generation X cohort joined employment early use of internet and email had arrived. However, the communication for Generation X has been drastically changed by social media like (Facebook, Twitter Texting etc.). Another area of difference between the generation cohorts will be the preference regarding work culture due to ones view of formal authority and its association with leadership (Crampton Hodge, 2007., cited in Lester et al.,2012). On the other hand, perceived differences in what generational cohorts desire in their work context are expected in far greater number. Firstly, from the attribution theory perspective that proposes in order to understand the cause of our or someone else human behaviour, individuals have tendency to link these traits to internal or external causes rather than assuming the behaviours are random in nature (Bell, 2008). Due to this reason it will not be surprising to see generational cohorts have different perception of work values across with respect to each generation lines (Buss, 1978). According to Lester et al (2012) generational stereotyping is another reason for expected perceptual differences across three generational cohorts in the study. Immense research in the area of negative and positive stereotyping exit in literature. No statistical significant differences exist yet age stereotyping exist in all organisations with multigenerational workforce. Literature suggests older employees are more likely to contemplate they have stronger work ethics then younger employees of an organisation and younger employees are likely to think they are better at multi-tasking and creativity compared to older employees (Blauth, McDaniel, Perrin, Perrin, 2011). Additionally, authors suggest that in expecting generational value differences regarding technology, views of authority, communication and work culture, these actual value differences will influence perceived generational differences (Lester et al., 2012, p344). Hypothesis 1 Actual generational differences exist regarding the extent to which technology, face-to-face communication, e-mail communication, social media, formal authority and fun-at-work are valued (Lester et al., 2012, p 344). Hypothesis 2 There are more perceived value differences between generations than actual value differences (Lester et al., 2012, p 344). Methods This study was conducted in United States from a Midwestern organisation. The sample size was 466, with a response received form 263 employees. Female participants formed 84% of the workforce with 16% being male. Participants ranged from 17 to 65 years of age with 4 % having a graduate degree, 30% with bachelors degree, 19% 2-year associate degree, 30% had attend some college and 17% reported of having completed high school. The data was gathered though online survey using a 6-point Likert-type scale (Lester et al., 2012). Measures Participants were placed in the four generational categories on the basis of their age where 62 categorised as Generation Y, 102 Boomers and 99 Generation Y respectively. Three or four participants fell into Traditionalist but were included into Boomers category due to their small number (Lester et al., 2012). Participants were asked about the how they personally valued already selected 15 different items (table 1) that could represent their work content I Value and then they were asked to rate the same items based on the extent to which they believed each if the three generations valued the items (Lester et al., 2012). Table 1 (15 specific aspects of ones work context and I value measure grouping Table 1. I Value Measure Groupings Engagement Nature of Job Technology Structure Teamwork Autonomy Technology Formal authority Face-to-face communication Security E-mail communication Structure Participation Professional Social media Continuous learning Flexible Fun at work Recognition (Lester et al., 2012, p346). Results Multivariate statistical analysis was conducted to test the relationship between generational designation and 15 I Value items. Control variables of gender, educational level, ethnicity and generational design were entered as fixed factors and 15 I Value items were entered as dependent variables. Table 2. Hypothesis 1: Actual Differences Between Generations on I Value Items Mean Value Generation Y Generation X Boomers Differencea Interpretation E-mail communication 4.90 4.19 0.71** Generation Y reports valuing it more than Boomers report valuing it Social media 3.90 2.74 1.16*** Generation Y reports valuing it more than Generation X reports valuing it 3.90 2.40 1.50*** Generation Y reports valuing it more than Boomers report valuing it Fun at work 5.48 4.79 0.69** Generation Y reports valuing it more than Generation X reports valuing it 5.48 4.82 0.66** Generation Y reports valuing it more than Boomers report valuing it Continuous learning 5.33 4.82 0.51* Generation Y reports valuing it more than Boomers report valuing it Professionalism 5.06 5.43 0.38* Boomers report valuing it more than Generation X reports valuing it a. The values represent absolute difference mean scores. *p à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ .05. **p à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ .01. ***p à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ .001 (Lester et al., 2012, p347). References Bell, E. E. (2008). Exploring employee perception of the work environment along generational lines. Performance Improvement, 47(9), 35-45. Blauth, C., McDaniel, J., Perrin, C., Perrin, P. (2011). Age-based stereotypes: Silent killer of collaboration and productivity. No. M01360). Tampa: AchieveGlobal. Buss, A. R. (1978). Causes and reasons in attribution theory: A conceptual critique. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 36(11), 1311. Costanza, D. P., Finkelstein, L. M. (2015). Generationally based differences in the workplace: Is there a there there? Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 8(03), 308-323. Hill, R. P., Stephens, D. L. (2003). The compassionate organization in the 21st century. Organizational Dynamics, 32(4), 331-341. Lester, S. W., Standifer, R. L., Schultz, N. J., Windsor, J. M. (2012). Actual versus perceived generational differences at work an empirical examination. Journal of Leadership Organizational Studies, 19(3), 341-354. Lyons, S., Urick, M., Kuron, L., Schweitzer, L. (2015). Generational Differences in the Workplace: There Is Complexity Beyond the Stereotypes. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 8(03), 346-356. Twenge, J. M. (2010). A review of the empirical evidence on generational differences in work attitudes. Journal of Business and Psychology, 25(2), 201-210.

Greek literature

During the time of Homer, Greek literature was saturated in laws and rituals carefully presented through the thrilling plots of adventure and drama. This way, a storyteller could keep the interest of his audience by relating a fantastic episode to the everyday occurrences of an oikos and give the reader both the extraordinary and the familiar. The Odyssey is an assemblage of these episodes whose cloaked intentions were to represent a distinct theme in Ithacan culture. Each story presented in the Odyssey allows the reader to further understand the true state of Ithaca and how it compares in civility to other cultures, on the basis of laws, rituals and social conduct. A passage of particular interest is found in Book IX, lines 105-141. It is when Odysseus sits in the palace of the Phaiakians and recalls his encounter with the culture of the Cyclopes. The obvious purpose of this recount is to give the audience another adventure, a new idea which will keep their attention. Yet his journey to the land of the Cyclopes has a greater purpose. It allows the audience to consider another culture with much different civil standards than their own oikos (which in many ways is similar to Ithaca). The Cycloptic culture is that of great indolence and barbarism. Its inhabitants are extremely lazy and live off the livelihood provided to them by Zeus. â€Å"[The Cyclopes'] neither plow with their hands no plant anything, but all grow for them without seed-planting, without cultivation, wheat and barley and also grapevines, which yield for them wine of strength, and it is Zeus' rain that waters it for them† (Book IX. ll. 108-111). They do no take part in any of the food making process, so it isn't even as though Zeus is helping them out, he is just doing it for them; this shows how lethargic these creatures truly are. The culture of the Cycloptic civilization has a striking resemblance to the situation in Ithaca. Although during Odysseus' reign of Ithaca's, we are lead to believe that it is a great city with hard working citizens, this is not the case all the time. While Odysseus is gone, the situation Telemachos must face reflects an environment with a similar social conduct. The suitors that have come to court Penelope have completely overtaken the oikos. All of Ithaca's goods and services are at their disposal, of which they did not work or pay for in any manner. â€Å"[The suitors'] heralds poured water over their hands for them to wash with, and the serving maids brought them bread heaped up in baskets, and the young men filled the mixing bowls with wine for their drinking† (Book I. ll. 44-149). Just as the Cyclopes relied on the gods, the suitors did not earn any of their food, but rather they relied on the (one-sided) hospitality of the Ithacans. The political order of the Cyclopes is a very sketchy, undefined one. There is no central government and it is as though they are in constant competition in order to maintain their survival. They do not necessarily look out for each other, but rather have their own personal goal to take care of themselves and their families by any means necessary. â€Å"These people have no institutions, no meetings for council†¦ and each one is the law for his own wives and children and cares nothing about the others† (Book IX. ll. 110-115). Again, this is similar to the way the suitors treat the situation they are put in. Each man is out for himself, to win Penelope's hand in marriage. Telemachos is fully aware of this fact and tells the assembly of their misconduct. â€Å"For my mother, against her will, is beset by suitors, own sons to the men who are the greatest hereabouts. These shrink from making the journey to the house of her father Ikarios, so that he might take bride gifts for his daughter and bestow her on the one he wished, who came as his favorite; rather all their days, they come and loiter in our house and sacrifice our oxen and our sheep and our fat goats and make a holiday feast of it and drink the bright wine recklessly† (Book II. ll. 50-58). Telemachos tells of how the suitors have no respect for Penelope or the oikos and how they do not care about whether or not the food will run out. They are only out for themselves. In fact, they did not even go to Penelope's father's home to pay gift because they are too lazy and selfish. They is no order in the oikos, it just an unruly chaos in which every man is out to get the grand prize for the lowest price possible. Homer has a very ingenious style of story telling, in which he compares and contrasts Ithaca with the civilizations Odysseus encounters during his many years away. Each of these civilization is a reflection of what Ithaca is, was, or could be. In the case of the land of the Cyclopes, Odysseus has a glimpse of what is going back home without even being there. Because Odysseus goes through these journeys, he is able to better understand his own country, and gain a new appreciation for the social rituals which are common during his reign in Ithaca.

The Novel Mayflower By Nathaniel Philbrick - 1220 Words

In the novel Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, the author educates us on how the New World was discovered and created. It all started with a group of roughly 100 men and women who originated from England known as the Pilgrims. The Pilgrims were sick and tired of the lack of religious freedom and work/economic opportunities. There was no future for the Pilgrims in England. This was all until the group set sail on the Mayflower in order to find new land. After a rough journey, they came across a piece of land now known as New England. The Pilgrims settled here because it was relatively empty. They believed that in New England they would be able to create a godly city or a place where they wouldn’t be criticized for their religious views.†¦show more content†¦In reality, if it were not for the Native Americans, the Pilgrims would have been wiped out in a short period of time. The first relationship dealt with economics. In the Pilgrims first winter, many died from disea se and starvation because they had no idea about how bad the winters are in New England. They didn’t understand how to grow crops successfully until the Native Americans helped them out, resulting in less death from starvation. Since the Pilgrims were in need of food fast in order to survive, they would have no choice but to steal corn from the group called the Nausets. â€Å"The snow made it difficult to find the corn, but eventually they located 10 catches of it.† They educated the Pilgrims about some of their practices such as how to build warm and protected shelters. But in a short period of time this ended up hurting the Native Americans. There was a native man by the name of Squanto who did not mind helping out the Pilgrims at all. Squanto showed the Pilgrims everything he knew about building crops, fishing, building shelters and basically how to survive. Squanto was a very talented eel fisherman and he provided eels to the Pilgrims so that they would have someth ing to eat. â€Å"That night the Pilgrims at the eels with relish, praising them†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He also explained to the Pilgrims that if you plant fish in the soil next to your crops, the soil will get richer and the plants will grow better. Even though the Native AmericansShow MoreRelatedMayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick, Essay on Pt. One903 Words   |  4 PagesMayflower: Part One The novel Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick has a long list of things to teach us about the New World. The fact that it’s showed us that the very first pilgrims had no idea what they were in for was crucial. They were hit with the realization that the Natives would be wild and ferocious instead of calm and tame. They’d known they would be introduced to new ways of life, and disease, but they didn’t suspect that it’d be the most destructive part to the goodwill of the newly bornRead MoreAnalysis Of Nathaniel Philbrick s Mayflower 1521 Words   |  7 PagesNathaniel Philbrick is an American author and novelist. He was born June 11, 1956 in Boston, Massachusetts but spent most of his early life in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where he grew up. He attended Brown and Duke Universities where he earned a BA in English and an MA in American Literature. Where he was born, what he studied in school, and where he currently resides (Nantucket, MA along with his wife Mel issa) contribute greatly to his career. Philbrick used his acquired knowledge and experience from

A Beginners Guide to the French Revolution

Between 1789 and 1802, France was wracked by a revolution which radically changed the government, administration, military, and culture of the nation as well as plunging Europe into a series of wars. France went from a largely feudal state under an absolutist monarch through the French Revolution to a republic which executed the king and then to an empire under Napoleon Bonaparte. Not only were centuries of law, tradition, and practice wiped away by a revolution few people had been able to predict going this far, but warfare spread the revolution across Europe, changing the continent permanently. Key People King Louis XVI: King of France when the revolution began in 1789, he was executed in 1792.Emmanuel Sieyà ¨s: Deputy who helped radicalize the third estate and instigated the coup which brought the consuls to power.Jean-Paul Marat: Popular journalist who advocated extreme measures against traitors and hoarders. Assassinated in 1793.Maximilien Robespierre: Lawyer who went from advocating an end to the death penalty to the architect of the Terror. Executed in 1794.Napoleon Bonaparte: French general whose rise to power brought the revolution to an end. Dates Although historians are agreed that the French Revolution started in 1789, they are divided on the end date. A few histories stop in 1795 with the creation of the Directory, some stop in 1799 with the creation of the Consulate, while many more stop in 1802, when Napoleon Bonaparte became Consul for Life, or 1804 when he became Emperor. A rare few continue to the restoration of the monarchy in 1814. In Brief A medium-term financial crisis, caused partly by Frances decisive involvement in the American Revolutionary War, led to the French crown first calling an Assembly of Notables and then, in 1789, a meeting called the Estates General in order to gain assent for new tax laws. The Enlightenment had affected the views of middle-class French society to the point where they demanded involvement in government and the financial crisis gave them a way in to get it. The Estates General was composed of three Estates: the clergy, the nobility, and the rest of France, but there were arguments over how fair this was: the Third Estate was far larger than the other two but only had a third of the vote. Debate ensued, with a call for the Third getting a bigger say. This Third Estate, informed by long term doubts over the constitution of France and the development of a new social order of bourgeoisie, declared itself a National Assembly and decreed the suspension of taxation, taking French sovereignty i nto its own hands. After a power struggle which saw the National Assembly take the Tennis Court Oath not to disband, the king gave in and the Assembly began reforming France, scrapping the old system and drawing up a new constitution with a Legislative Assembly. This continued the reforms but it created divisions in France by legislating against the church and declaring war on nations which supported the French king. In 1792, a second revolution  took place, as Jacobins and sansculottes forced the Assembly to replace itself with a National Convention which abolished the monarchy, declared France a republic and in 1793, executed the king. As the Revolutionary Wars went against France, as regions angry at attacks on the church and conscription rebelled and as the revolution became increasingly radicalized, the National Convention created a Committee of Public Safety to run France in 1793. After a struggle between political factions called the Girondins and the Montagnards was won by the latter, an era of bloody measures called The Terror began, when over 16,000 people were guillotined. In 1794, the revolution again changed, this time turning against the Terror and its architect Robespierre. The Terrorists were removed in a coup and a new constitution was drawn up which created, in 1795, a new legislative system run by a Directory of five men. This remained in power thanks to rigging elections and purging the assemblies before being replaced, thanks to the army and a general called Napoleon Bonaparte, by a new constitution in 1799 which created three consuls to rule France. Bonaparte was the first consul and, while the reform of France continued, Bonaparte managed to bring the revolutionary wars to a close and have himself declared consul for life. In 1804 he crowned himself Emperor of France; the revolution was over, the empire had begun. Consequences There is universal agreement that the political and administrative face of France was wholly altered: a republic based around elected—mainly bourgeois—deputies replaced a monarchy supported by nobles while the many and varied feudal systems were replaced by new, usually elected institutions which were applied universally across France. The culture was also affected, at least in the short term, with the revolution permeating every creative endeavor. However, there is still debate over whether the revolution permanently changed the social structures of France or whether they were only altered in the short term. Europe was also changed. The revolutionaries of 1792 began a war which extended through the Imperial period and forced nations to marshal their resources to a greater extent than ever before. Some areas, like Belgium and Switzerland, became client states of France with reforms similar to those of the revolution. National identities also began coalescing like never before. The many and fast developing ideologies of the revolution were also spread across Europe, helped by French being the continental elite’s dominant language. The French Revolution has often been called the start of the modern world, and while this is an exaggeration—many of the supposed revolutionary developments had precursors—it was an epochal event that permanently changed the European mindset. Patriotism, devotion to the state instead of the monarch, mass warfare, all became solidified in the modern mind.