Williams BHR 3551 Unit 3 Article Review

Advances In Management Vol. 9 (5) May (2016)

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Generation Gaps: Changes in the Workplace due to
Differing Generational Values

Carbary Kelly, Fredericks Elizabeth, Mishra Bharat and Mishra Jitendra*
Management Department, Grand Valley State University, 50 Front Ave, SW Grand Rapids Michigan 49504-6424, USA

*[email protected]

Abstract
The purpose of this study is to discuss the

generational gaps that are found in the workplace

today. With multiple generations working together,

and the oldest generation having to work longer and

retire later, generational changes are occurring in the

workplace and for management. There is a lack of

communication and understanding between the

different generations caused through differing values

and goals. Younger generations are also entering

different fields than those that were popular for older

generations. There is a serious new problem in the

workplace, and it has nothing to do with downsizing,

global competition, pointy-haired bosses, stress or

greed. Instead, it is the problem of distinct

generations — the Veterans, the Baby Boomers, Gen

X and Gen Y — working together and often colliding

as their paths cross.

Individuals with different values, different ideas,

different ways of getting things done and different

ways of communicating in the workplace have always

existed. So, why is this becoming a problem now? At

work, generation differences can affect everything

including recruiting, building teams, dealing with

change, motivating, managing, and maintaining and

increasing productivity All of these ideas are

explored, discussed, and evaluated, through looking

at current research on the topic and case studies that

have been conducted not only in the United States but

around the world.

Keywords: Generation gap, workplace, values.

Introduction
Throughout the years, as the population has continued to

both grow and age, it has caused generational changes to

take place in the various aspects of life. With the changes in

the demographics of the world’s population, there have also

been changes in how each group thinks and what they

value. This not only affects the way people behave in their

personal lives, but it also affects the workplace. As

generational changes occur in the workplace, a lack of

communication has caused adisconnect to occur between

the values and goals present among the different age groups

along with newer generations choosing different career

paths.

* Author for Correspondence

In order to understand where these differences stem from,

you need to analyze how each generation is different when

it comes to their beliefs and values. So, it is best to identify

the different groups present in workplace which range from

those born in 1922 to those born in the early 1990’s.

Moving chronologically, the first generation introduced

will be the Traditional Generation also known as the Silent

Generation born between 1922 and 1945. While their

numbers are diminishing in the workplace as they age, they

still play a role in the workplace dynamics. Their values

include strictly adhering to the hierarchy present in the

structure of their organization along with following all the

rules which comes from their strong sense of what is right

and wrong.
10

The next group that has most recently started exiting the

workforce is the Baby Boomers which include those who

were born between 1956 through 1964. While they are

similar to the silent generation in the fact that they are

loyal, there are some differences present in this particular

generation. They are more dedicated to the workplace and

there is less separation between the workplace and their

private lives. Instead of being focused on following the

rules, a baby boomer is more likely to try and be the person

who is in authority and makes the rules.

In contrast to the work obsessed baby boomers, the next

generation was able to find a better balance between their

personal lives and work. This generation is known as

Generation X, and it includes all individuals born between

the years of 1965 and 1980. While they are still dedicated

to their jobs, they are not as impressed with authority

figures, nor are they as loyal as the previous generations.

Instead, they see themselves as independent people who are

able to market themselves successfully. They are more

independent than both the silent generation and the baby

boomers
17

.

The final generation present in the workforce consists of

those who are a part of Generation Y who are also known

as the Millennials including people who were born between

the years 1981 through 1994. This generation’s beliefs and

values are almost the polar opposite of the silent

generation. They highly value their free time and do not

define themselves through their job. Instead, they value the

impact they are able to make on the community through

their active involvement in things that matter to them. At

work, generational differences can affect everything
including recruiting, building teams, dealing with change,

motivating, managing and maintaining and increasing

productivity. Research indicates that people communicate

Advances In Management Vol. 9 (5) May (2016)

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based on their generational backgrounds. Each generation

has distinct attitudes, behaviors, expectations, habits and

motivational buttons. Learning how to communicate with

the different generations can eliminate many major

confrontations and misunderstandings in the workplace and

the world of business.

The characteristics listed in the table 1 and 2 are but a very

few of those that have been studied and reported by various

authors. Not every person in a generation will share all of

the various characteristics shown in table 1 or 2 with others

in the same generation. However, these examples are

indicative of general patterns in the relationships between

and among family members, friends and people in the

workplace. Individuals born at one end of the date range or

the other may see overlapping characteristics with the

preceding or succeeding generation. From the tables, you

can easily see why Generation X cannot understand what

their grandparents mean by the traditional family or what

fun it was to spend Christmas together as a family. Are you

worried about the possibility of your Baby Boomer children

being unable to retire or having to move in with you or

their children as they reach the latter years of their lives?

By understanding the differences present in each

generation, it explains where the disconnect stems from.

Over time, it seems that the things that each generation

values has slowly transformed. While there is a huge

dichotomy between the Silent Generation and the

Millennials, this did not take place overnight. When

examining each generation it is clear that it was a slow

metamorphous that took place and that this change is

currently affecting the workplace.

With the individuals who are a part of the different

generations being so different, it can cause conflict in the

workplace. This comes from miscommunication and

predisposed notions that the generations may have of each

other. By having such different viewpoints, it is clear that

people are making different life choices and it makes it

harder to develop interpersonal relationships. However,

with better communication, it is possible to bridge this

generation gap.

Differences in Generational Values and the

influence on the Workplace
The Generation Gap is a constant issue within the

workplace, primarily from a manager’s viewpoint. An

article found in the Benefits and Compensation Digest

states, “Some HR directors are strongly biased in favor of

retiring workers over the age of 50, claiming that older

workers are expensive to maintain, adapt poorly to change,

are hard to mesh with younger workers and have a poor

return on investment for training.
7
” This shows the

difference in generations and how many problems may

occur in the workplace. The older generation is less focused

on technology and the bottom line than the new generation.

However, they excel in planning and verbal abilities.

An Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers survey

reported that “Older U.S. workers were better problem

solvers and equal in technical knowledge and teamwork

skills. While younger people may be better at adopting the

latest technologies, workers aged 45 and over were stronger

as project managers.
2
” Many differences between the

generations create issues and the most problematic being;

older generations are often managing younger generations.

This creates an issue when knowing how employees work

best and how to manage them. The baby boomers and older

are not satisfying the needs of generation Y, the most

recent generation. As generation Y is the most recent group

of job seekers coming from college, it makes it difficult to

fulfill a job to their satisfaction when working under a

different style of management.

“Gen Xers were born between 1961 and 1976. Unlike the

generations before them, almost half of Gen Xers spent

time in single-family homes where the parent was often

working, so they became independent, self-reliant

survivors. Gen Xers generally lack reverence for authority

because they’ve seen many authority figures falter, so they

place a relatively low value on the hierarchical status of an

individual. They’re the first generation to insist on

independence in the workplace, the freedom to do things

their own way with minimal rules and bureaucracy and

they’re repelled by command-and-control management

structures.
2
”

Socio-psychological Model of Career Choice
Years of research and numerous studies have proven that

different factors influence men and women when they are

deciding what career path to take. Men and women see

things differently and may hold different core values

playing a role in the career that they end up choosing.

However there are certain things that are the same for both

men and women when it comes to influencing work choice.

One of the major factors that are the same for both sexes is

motivation in the form of survival, pleasure and

contribution
1
. The motivation to work in order to satisfy

these needs, including getting a paying job and supporting a

family, is exactly the same for both men and women.

A major influence on men and women often choosing

different career paths comes from how the different genders

are treated. Men are stereotyped to be very physical, strong

and intellectual whereas women are seen to be more

demure, nurturing and sympathetic towards others. These

stereotypes are often enforced through school and the

media, influencing future work choices
1
. Men are more

likely to pick careers as police men and engineers whereas
women seem to become schoolteachers more than men.

Advances In Management Vol. 9 (5) May (2016)

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Table 1

Generation Timeline

.

Source: Greg Hammill

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Table 2

Workplace Characteristics

Source: Greg Hammill

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Advances In Management Vol. 9 (5) May (2016)

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Although some factors are the same for men and women

already, the factors that cause them to choose different

careers are changing. There are more opportunities for

women now that allow them a wider range of career

options, allowing the opportunities to become more

equalized between the genders.

Medical Field Career Choices
Many recent studies have indicated that there has been a

major decrease in the number of medical students choosing

to become primary care or general surgeons has greatly

decreased, while the number of students choosing to study

non-primary care and specialties has increased
11

. In 1998,

the percentage of students matching to primary care

specialties was 53.2% and by the year 2002, this number

had decreased to only 44.2%. At the same time, both

anesthesiology and orthopedic surgery have seen great

increases in the number of students choosing this career

path.

One of the reasons that have been used to explain the

decreasing number of primary care physicians is that much

of primary care today is provided by nurse practitioners and

physician assistants in an office setting
11

. Many of students

are choosing to study specialties that require the use of new

medical technologies that are constantly changing and

needing to be learned. The youngest generation today

wants to be up to date and using the newest technologies,

influencing their decision on the type of medicine they

would like to practice in the future. Much of older

generations were general surgeons because the technology

was not available then for a student to specialize in some of

the areas that they are able to specialize in today.

The dramatic reduction in the number of medical students

choosing to become general surgeons and primary care

physicians may have major effects in the future, if this

trend in decline continues to occur. With less general care

doctors, patients will have to wait longer to be treated at a

doctor’s office. Patients will also be forced to go to

multiple specialty doctors for different problems as

opposed to one primary care doctor that may be able to

help out with all the medical issues at once.

Gender Differences in Job Choice Factors
Studies have shown that job choice influences are different

in some aspects for men and women. In the past, women’s

future consisted of homemaking. There are many more

opportunities for women today, allowing them to choose

from a wide range of jobs. However, men and women still

often choose different jobs and are influenced by different

factors despite growing gender equality.

In a study done by Borg
3
, males were more likely to wish

to enter skilled and unskilled operations than girls,

suggesting that girls may have higher aspirations than boys.

However, boys are still more likely to have higher positions

in occupations than girls are. Girls are also more likely than

boys to choose personal service jobs. Both sexes equally

showed a preference for working in a bank.

As part of the study, students had to choose from three

different motives for choosing a certain occupation. The

three motives were enjoyment of chosen work, job security,

and good wages. Students could also give a different reason

in they wished to. For both sexes, the top factor in job

choice was interest in the future career and being good at it.

The next two most important factors for boys were good

wages and job security whereas for girls they were reasons

of their own such as being useful to society, over good

pay
3
. These leading factors are a change from older

generations where good pay and a job that could be held for

the entire career lifetime of a person were the most

important factors in picking a job. Younger generations

wish to have a job that they enjoy and that contributes to

society, rather than one that has a high paying salary.

Our Generation: Generation Y
Generation Y is a complex and exciting young generation

that offers unique challenges and advantages to marketers,

managers, and educators. The values and behavior of the

“Millennials” are understood to be generally optimistic to

the point of idealism, entitled to fulfillment outside of

simply profiting from their work, and they have a strong

need for encouragement and recognition. These traits

sometimes cause misunderstandings and can be the basis

for youth-targeted discrimination and ageism but when

there is mutual understanding, the younger generation and

the older generations can work together to create more

progress, synergy, and a stronger economy than the world

has ever seen.

To fully understand the Millennials, one must first look at

their environment. The wants and needs of the younger

generation come often from a parental and societal pressure

to “be anything”, “do anything”, and reach one’s full

potential in a broad sense of the word. Most children of the

past twenty years were raised lovingly by baby boomers

who told them they were special, exceptional with

unlimited potential. This leads to idealism and entitlement

but also great expectations of accomplishment and

fulfillment. While Generation Y might feel they deserve

everything they want, they are also a valuable asset in the

respect that they strive for perfection and excellence when

they care about the subject at hand. This element of

engagement is crucial to getting the most out of a

millennial worker because their needs of personal

investment in their work are often higher than their need for

monetary gain.

Employee retention presents a difficulty with millennial

workers, because they do not see themselves as the type to

work one job their entire lives as their Baby-Boomer

parents did. In contrast to older generations, most

Millennials see their work as a smaller part of their lives,

not as the central purpose or drive. This should not frighten

Advances In Management Vol. 9 (5) May (2016)

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employers because it means that often Millennials will

work for less money at a job they love while on the other

hand it takes more money to retain unsatisfied or

uninterested millennial employees. This highlights the

importance of cultivating personal investment in the

millennial employees under your management. This can be

done with praise, respect, and by making the goals of the

individual align with the company’s goals. Many successful

managers choose to both mentor and learn from Millennials

to better gain their trust. While Millennials have a need to

understand the workings and goals of the company, the

older generations should understand that they have much to

learn from the technology, ideas, and attitudes of the

millennial employees.

Implications/Analysis of Career Choice

Perceptions
Generation gaps in different careers and the workforce as a

whole are the big problems being faced in the career world

today. Managers have to learn how to manage workers

from different generations including the Baby Boomers,

Generation X, and Generation Y. We see today a trend

change in the types of jobs that recent college graduates are

choosing. Different factors are being taken in consideration

by younger generations when they enter the work force.

All of these different factors and trends that have been

studied and theorized about can be seen in the real world

today. An Australian study by Ruth Sibson
14

shows that

students who are currently studying for a degree in event,

sport and recreation management value different things in a

job than were valued by people of older generations such as

Baby Boomers. The purpose of the case study was to

“examine the factors undergraduate university students

studying event, sport, and recreation management found

important when seeking a career.” This is a field of study

that is becoming increasingly popular as students seek to

study applied business practices.

In order to understand what students wanted in a career,

every first year student in the event, sport, and recreation

management field of study took a survey on what they were

looking for. The survey had three parts. The first part asked

for the student’s demographic information. The second part

was an open response section where the students were able

to list the top three things they looked for when searching

for a job. For the last part of the survey, students were

given a list of 21 different factors to consider when looking

for a job and they had to rank those factors from most

important to least important in terms of what they

considered while job hunting.

The results of this survey were interesting and indicate a

change from the trends in career choice factors that have

been observed in the past. The results of the survey

indicated that the top three factors for the students in

looking for a career were enjoyable work, interesting work,

and good career opportunities. The bottom three factors

were challenging work, professional prestige/high status of

future career and standard hours of work. The opportunity

for creativity and originality also ranked very highly, above

any factors that discussed wages in fact.

These results show a change in trends in career choice

factors. In the past, especially with the Baby Boomer

generation, men looked for a high paying job with standard

9-5 hours that could fully support their family. One of the

most important things to these men was the reputation that

their name held in the community and a high status job

improved this reputation. Today, the chance for

professional prestige ranks at the very bottom of the list, at

20 out of 21.

Based on the current research, it appears as though the

factors that influence job choice and the importance

students place on certain ones are changing. There is no

consensus that has definitively been reached yet, but all

research indicates a change away from jobs that were

considered most desirable by older generations. Generation

Y, the generation that is currently entering the job force, is

looking for interesting and creative work that they will

enjoy. They want a job that they enjoy doing, over a job

that pays the highest salary.

Generations together in Employment
When examining the case, “Generations Together in

Employment,” it is clear that there are many benefits that

can result from communication between the older and

younger generations. When the Worcestershire County

Council organized this case study, their primary focus was

the uniting of the generations so they could foster an

environment that helped them respect each other and share

their skills. Once they recruited individuals and paired them

together in a mentor/mentee relationship, they began to

analyze the changes that took place over time.

When this project was initially started, neither party

showed much interest in working together towards the

common goal of enriching each other’s lives. Both groups

held negative stereotypes geared towards each other, and

were reluctant to let these ideals go. However as time

progressed, these viewpoints changed. By spending a

couple hours together a week, both parties had the negative

stereotypes they held about each other challenged and

dispelled. This helped people feel comfortable interacting

with each other and it improved their individual feeling of

self-worth.

While these improvements were great on an individual

basis, they also had a wider impact on the community as a

whole. Through the interactions among the different age

groups, it increased the value of the input that was being

contributed to the community. After the conclusion of the
case study, people were working together and making

positive changes around the community
19

. This case study

shows that by building relationships and having open

Advances In Management Vol. 9 (5) May (2016)

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communication it can change how people perceive each

other and improve the overall environment.

While this case study was not conducted in the workplace,

it can still be inferred that there would be a similar effect if

these bonds were formed there. The case illustrates that

people typically form assumptions about others based on

what they have observed a few people in a particular group

do. Based on these stereotypes, it can cause there to be

issues when it comes to forming relationships because of

what that person believes they already know. These things

can be dispelled through communication; however this is

not something that is always easy to do. One of the

struggles the County Council faced at the start of this case

was finding a way to get people to be interested in

participating because there was a general lack of

enthusiasm.

In the workplace, it is also not as likely that mentor/mentee

relationships will automatically develop and would be

faced with some type of resistance. There may also be

additional barriers present since someone is either on your

same level as your coworker or one of the individuals is the

boss. So, if a similar program were to be implemented, they

would also need to rely on upper management and media

incentives to get the program up and running.

Generational Differences in Work Values
An examination of work values and generational gaps in

the hospitality workforce is a case study that was done in

order to identify generational differences and similarities

among hospitality employees and managers in order to

develop leadership strategies and management styles that

can be utilized to increase employee morale. Data was

collected by a series of in-depth focus groups and

discussions. These focus groups are real life examples that

are used in order to examine real people in the workforce.

Perceptions of Millennial Generation employees include:

No sense of urgency, lack ownership, teach a lot more, lack

common sense, quick learners, they are in search of role

models, overconfident, want constant praise, and do not

understand that business is driven by customers and guests.

Baby Boomers are too financially driven, cut too many

corners, very loyal to the company, fear change, not part of

a team, and are not up to date with technology.

After observing these different values the two groups

possess it is evident that the older generation is extremely

bothered by the younger generation. In order to best

manage baby boomers, it is important to show a high

amount of recognition in order to praise them for their long

work history and encourage them to help train the younger

generations as they come into the work force. The findings

show that companies should offer mentor programs in order
to decrease workplace conflicts. Pairing a baby boomer

with a younger generation member might solve complaints

they have of one another. It will also give baby boomers a

chance to mentor younger generations by utilizing their life

experiences and sharing obstacles they have encountered as

well as providing an opportunity to get to know one

another.

Training sessions should be in place in order to focus on

how to show respect to the experiences of older employees.

To make older employees feel more important and

recognized for their long time of hard work, Gen X

managers and employees should acknowledge that they

have less experience than the baby boomers and are

willing/want to learn from them. This more times than not

creates a positive work environment.

Generation Y
The future will see more and more Millennials taking on

management roles themselves which will create new

difficulties and rewards. One major challenge faced by

young managers will be to understand the needs and

expectations of older generations. With many economic

and demographic changes affecting the makeup of the

global workplace, the average age of employed people is

getting older and older. Many retired people are returning

to work or taking on other jobs to help support themselves

and their families and as people live longer, their need for

support increases. This will create a need for sympathetic

and professional managers who can deal with the

differences of outlook and expectations. While Millennials

will continue to be idealistic and entitled for much of their

lives, they will often have more ambitious goals and needs

than their previous generations. They will need to balance

their personal needs for success and growth with the

realities of the working world- namely that they would not

all be changing the world. Many jobs are mundane by

nature and do not necessarily evoke a feeling of purpose

and dedication in their employees.

The types of jobs that attract the Millennials are jobs that

engage them on multiple levels- enjoyment, social

responsibility, and advancement towards a greater goal or

responsibility. Millennials are high involvement in many

products that they like so their dream jobs are at their

favorite companies, usually tech giants like Apple, Google,

and Facebook. The challenge of managers is to bring the

same level of desire and job satisfaction to employees of

their business that they might find elsewhere. The inclusion

of reward- based management, free and open vertical

communication, and clear direction all will help to further

this end. The increase in employee autonomy allows the

Millennials to work unbridled by the communication and

transportation problems of the past. Many Millennials

might feel more comfortable working from home, or using

their laptop as their office, allowing for many more flexible

working situations in the future.

Conclusion and Recommendations
With the above observations in mind, let us look at a few

work situations and how one might handle them.

Advances In Management Vol. 9 (5) May (2016)

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• At annual appraisal time, a manager from the Veterans

generation gives out a nice bonus for a project well done.

The Generation X employee is ungrateful and says, “Why

didn’t I get this six months ago, when the project was

completed?” Gen X wants instant gratification, whereas a

person in the Veterans generation is happy to get money

anytime. The solution here may be for the company to

explore reward plans geared to the different generations, or

things like monetary rewards and recognition given at the

time when it is earned.

• A Generation X manager tells a Boomer he has been

working too hard and should take time off to take the

family on vacation. Instead of saying thanks, the Boomer

replies, “I work to get ahead, to get a promotion, not for a

vacation.” The next time that situation comes up, the

manager might elect to give this particular employee a

bonus, rather than suggest a vacation.

A Boomer is working for a Generation Y individual, and

there is nothing but animosity between the two. Why?

Generation Y individuals, born since 1980, have many of

the traits of the Veterans. They are not like their parents.

They are curious, goal-oriented and loyal. Solution,

consider having Boomers work for Veterans rather than

Gen Ys.. To work effectively and efficiently, to increase

productivity and quality, one needs to understand

generational characteristics and learn how to use them

effectively in dealing with each individual.

Some other suggestions to bridge the generation gap are to

introduce programs and policies that allow all generations

to feel comfortable and as if their needs are being met and

they are being respected as an individual
18

. By making the

workplace more flexible and fair to everyone, it allows

people to find their comfort zone and work in an

environment that suits them. Introducing specific programs

that allow workers to build upon teamwork and the sharing

of their knowledge can also close the generation gap by

providing the tools necessary to make sure everyone is on

the same level.

One recommendation being extremely relevant is a way for

baby boomers to manage younger employees. The younger

generation works to live and wants to balance a healthy

work and life lifestyle. If baby boomers expect the younger

generation to work long hours and make too many

sacrifices for the company, it will often send them job

hunting. Communication needs to be at its prime and

objectives need to be set in order to get work done.

Younger generations are good at multi-tasking, so keep

them motivated by giving them several things to do at once.

They like getting everything done and accomplished and

need praise for it. Boomers should spend time assessing

younger employees and give frequent criticism and praise.

To help minimize the number of problems that occur

between generations, employers and managers need to

educate their workers. Oftentimes, it is solid facts that get

the point across to people. If employers were to provide

their workers with the results from surveys that indicate

what the younger generations look for in a job, older

generations may better understand. This will not fix the

problem entirely, but it will certainly help the older

generations to understand why younger workers act the

way they do, hold certain values, and do not place their job

as the number one priority in their life.

Through the unification of the different generations in the

workplace, the generation gap would not exist. If everyone

were to feel included and appreciated in their work

environment, there would be fewer issues that can arise

from generation gaps. Being a part of such an open

environment would lead to the sharing of knowledge and

skills that could have otherwise been lost. By bridging the

generation gap, it can improve on the level of human

capital present in the workplace and the overall working

environment.

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18. Watt D., Different generations, same objectives, CA

Magazine, 143(2), 10-10, retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com/docview/203948986?accountid=39473

(2010)

19. Worcestershire County Council, Generations Together in

Employment, In Gale Group, Retrieved March 12, 2012, from

http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/ps/i.do?action=interpre

t&id=GALE%7CA225791861&v=2.1&u=lom_gvalleysu&it=r&

p=ITOF&sw=w&authCount=13 (2010).

(Received 05
th
February 2016, accepted 12

th
March 2016)

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without
permission.

Advances In Management Vol. 9 (5) May (2016)

1

Generation Gaps: Changes in the Workplace due to
Differing Generational Values

Carbary Kelly, Fredericks Elizabeth, Mishra Bharat and Mishra Jitendra*
Management Department, Grand Valley State University, 50 Front Ave, SW Grand Rapids Michigan 49504-6424, USA

*[email protected]

Abstract
The purpose of this study is to discuss the

generational gaps that are found in the workplace

today. With multiple generations working together,

and the oldest generation having to work longer and

retire later, generational changes are occurring in the

workplace and for management. There is a lack of

communication and understanding between the

different generations caused through differing values

and goals. Younger generations are also entering

different fields than those that were popular for older

generations. There is a serious new problem in the

workplace, and it has nothing to do with downsizing,

global competition, pointy-haired bosses, stress or

greed. Instead, it is the problem of distinct

generations — the Veterans, the Baby Boomers, Gen

X and Gen Y — working together and often colliding

as their paths cross.

Individuals with different values, different ideas,

different ways of getting things done and different

ways of communicating in the workplace have always

existed. So, why is this becoming a problem now? At

work, generation differences can affect everything

including recruiting, building teams, dealing with

change, motivating, managing, and maintaining and

increasing productivity All of these ideas are

explored, discussed, and evaluated, through looking

at current research on the topic and case studies that

have been conducted not only in the United States but

around the world.

Keywords: Generation gap, workplace, values.

Introduction
Throughout the years, as the population has continued to

both grow and age, it has caused generational changes to

take place in the various aspects of life. With the changes in

the demographics of the world’s population, there have also

been changes in how each group thinks and what they

value. This not only affects the way people behave in their

personal lives, but it also affects the workplace. As

generational changes occur in the workplace, a lack of

communication has caused adisconnect to occur between

the values and goals present among the different age groups

along with newer generations choosing different career

paths.

* Author for Correspondence

In order to understand where these differences stem from,

you need to analyze how each generation is different when

it comes to their beliefs and values. So, it is best to identify

the different groups present in workplace which range from

those born in 1922 to those born in the early 1990’s.

Moving chronologically, the first generation introduced

will be the Traditional Generation also known as the Silent

Generation born between 1922 and 1945. While their

numbers are diminishing in the workplace as they age, they

still play a role in the workplace dynamics. Their values

include strictly adhering to the hierarchy present in the

structure of their organization along with following all the

rules which comes from their strong sense of what is right

and wrong.
10

The next group that has most recently started exiting the

workforce is the Baby Boomers which include those who

were born between 1956 through 1964. While they are

similar to the silent generation in the fact that they are

loyal, there are some differences present in this particular

generation. They are more dedicated to the workplace and

there is less separation between the workplace and their

private lives. Instead of being focused on following the

rules, a baby boomer is more likely to try and be the person

who is in authority and makes the rules.

In contrast to the work obsessed baby boomers, the next

generation was able to find a better balance between their

personal lives and work. This generation is known as

Generation X, and it includes all individuals born between

the years of 1965 and 1980. While they are still dedicated

to their jobs, they are not as impressed with authority

figures, nor are they as loyal as the previous generations.

Instead, they see themselves as independent people who are

able to market themselves successfully. They are more

independent than both the silent generation and the baby

boomers
17

.

The final generation present in the workforce consists of

those who are a part of Generation Y who are also known

as the Millennials including people who were born between

the years 1981 through 1994. This generation’s beliefs and

values are almost the polar opposite of the silent

generation. They highly value their free time and do not

define themselves through their job. Instead, they value the

impact they are able to make on the community through

their active involvement in things that matter to them. At

work, generational differences can affect everything
including recruiting, building teams, dealing with change,

motivating, managing and maintaining and increasing

productivity. Research indicates that people communicate

Advances In Management Vol. 9 (5) May (2016)

2

based on their generational backgrounds. Each generation

has distinct attitudes, behaviors, expectations, habits and

motivational buttons. Learning how to communicate with

the different generations can eliminate many major

confrontations and misunderstandings in the workplace and

the world of business.

The characteristics listed in the table 1 and 2 are but a very

few of those that have been studied and reported by various

authors. Not every person in a generation will share all of

the various characteristics shown in table 1 or 2 with others

in the same generation. However, these examples are

indicative of general patterns in the relationships between

and among family members, friends and people in the

workplace. Individuals born at one end of the date range or

the other may see overlapping characteristics with the

preceding or succeeding generation. From the tables, you

can easily see why Generation X cannot understand what

their grandparents mean by the traditional family or what

fun it was to spend Christmas together as a family. Are you

worried about the possibility of your Baby Boomer children

being unable to retire or having to move in with you or

their children as they reach the latter years of their lives?

By understanding the differences present in each

generation, it explains where the disconnect stems from.

Over time, it seems that the things that each generation

values has slowly transformed. While there is a huge

dichotomy between the Silent Generation and the

Millennials, this did not take place overnight. When

examining each generation it is clear that it was a slow

metamorphous that took place and that this change is

currently affecting the workplace.

With the individuals who are a part of the different

generations being so different, it can cause conflict in the

workplace. This comes from miscommunication and

predisposed notions that the generations may have of each

other. By having such different viewpoints, it is clear that

people are making different life choices and it makes it

harder to develop interpersonal relationships. However,

with better communication, it is possible to bridge this

generation gap.

Differences in Generational Values and the

influence on the Workplace
The Generation Gap is a constant issue within the

workplace, primarily from a manager’s viewpoint. An

article found in the Benefits and Compensation Digest

states, “Some HR directors are strongly biased in favor of

retiring workers over the age of 50, claiming that older

workers are expensive to maintain, adapt poorly to change,

are hard to mesh with younger workers and have a poor

return on investment for training.
7
” This shows the

difference in generations and how many problems may

occur in the workplace. The older generation is less focused

on technology and the bottom line than the new generation.

However, they excel in planning and verbal abilities.

An Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers survey

reported that “Older U.S. workers were better problem

solvers and equal in technical knowledge and teamwork

skills. While younger people may be better at adopting the

latest technologies, workers aged 45 and over were stronger

as project managers.
2
” Many differences between the

generations create issues and the most problematic being;

older generations are often managing younger generations.

This creates an issue when knowing how employees work

best and how to manage them. The baby boomers and older

are not satisfying the needs of generation Y, the most

recent generation. As generation Y is the most recent group

of job seekers coming from college, it makes it difficult to

fulfill a job to their satisfaction when working under a

different style of management.

“Gen Xers were born between 1961 and 1976. Unlike the

generations before them, almost half of Gen Xers spent

time in single-family homes where the parent was often

working, so they became independent, self-reliant

survivors. Gen Xers generally lack reverence for authority

because they’ve seen many authority figures falter, so they

place a relatively low value on the hierarchical status of an

individual. They’re the first generation to insist on

independence in the workplace, the freedom to do things

their own way with minimal rules and bureaucracy and

they’re repelled by command-and-control management

structures.
2
”

Socio-psychological Model of Career Choice
Years of research and numerous studies have proven that

different factors influence men and women when they are

deciding what career path to take. Men and women see

things differently and may hold different core values

playing a role in the career that they end up choosing.

However there are certain things that are the same for both

men and women when it comes to influencing work choice.

One of the major factors that are the same for both sexes is

motivation in the form of survival, pleasure and

contribution
1
. The motivation to work in order to satisfy

these needs, including getting a paying job and supporting a

family, is exactly the same for both men and women.

A major influence on men and women often choosing

different career paths comes from how the different genders

are treated. Men are stereotyped to be very physical, strong

and intellectual whereas women are seen to be more

demure, nurturing and sympathetic towards others. These

stereotypes are often enforced through school and the

media, influencing future work choices
1
. Men are more

likely to pick careers as police men and engineers whereas
women seem to become schoolteachers more than men.

Advances In Management Vol. 9 (5) May (2016)

3

Table 1

Generation Timeline

.

Source: Greg Hammill

5

Table 2

Workplace Characteristics

Source: Greg Hammill

5

Advances In Management Vol. 9 (5) May (2016)

4

Although some factors are the same for men and women

already, the factors that cause them to choose different

careers are changing. There are more opportunities for

women now that allow them a wider range of career

options, allowing the opportunities to become more

equalized between the genders.

Medical Field Career Choices
Many recent studies have indicated that there has been a

major decrease in the number of medical students choosing

to become primary care or general surgeons has greatly

decreased, while the number of students choosing to study

non-primary care and specialties has increased
11

. In 1998,

the percentage of students matching to primary care

specialties was 53.2% and by the year 2002, this number

had decreased to only 44.2%. At the same time, both

anesthesiology and orthopedic surgery have seen great

increases in the number of students choosing this career

path.

One of the reasons that have been used to explain the

decreasing number of primary care physicians is that much

of primary care today is provided by nurse practitioners and

physician assistants in an office setting
11

. Many of students

are choosing to study specialties that require the use of new

medical technologies that are constantly changing and

needing to be learned. The youngest generation today

wants to be up to date and using the newest technologies,

influencing their decision on the type of medicine they

would like to practice in the future. Much of older

generations were general surgeons because the technology

was not available then for a student to specialize in some of

the areas that they are able to specialize in today.

The dramatic reduction in the number of medical students

choosing to become general surgeons and primary care

physicians may have major effects in the future, if this

trend in decline continues to occur. With less general care

doctors, patients will have to wait longer to be treated at a

doctor’s office. Patients will also be forced to go to

multiple specialty doctors for different problems as

opposed to one primary care doctor that may be able to

help out with all the medical issues at once.

Gender Differences in Job Choice Factors
Studies have shown that job choice influences are different

in some aspects for men and women. In the past, women’s

future consisted of homemaking. There are many more

opportunities for women today, allowing them to choose

from a wide range of jobs. However, men and women still

often choose different jobs and are influenced by different

factors despite growing gender equality.

In a study done by Borg
3
, males were more likely to wish

to enter skilled and unskilled operations than girls,

suggesting that girls may have higher aspirations than boys.

However, boys are still more likely to have higher positions

in occupations than girls are. Girls are also more likely than

boys to choose personal service jobs. Both sexes equally

showed a preference for working in a bank.

As part of the study, students had to choose from three

different motives for choosing a certain occupation. The

three motives were enjoyment of chosen work, job security,

and good wages. Students could also give a different reason

in they wished to. For both sexes, the top factor in job

choice was interest in the future career and being good at it.

The next two most important factors for boys were good

wages and job security whereas for girls they were reasons

of their own such as being useful to society, over good

pay
3
. These leading factors are a change from older

generations where good pay and a job that could be held for

the entire career lifetime of a person were the most

important factors in picking a job. Younger generations

wish to have a job that they enjoy and that contributes to

society, rather than one that has a high paying salary.

Our Generation: Generation Y
Generation Y is a complex and exciting young generation

that offers unique challenges and advantages to marketers,

managers, and educators. The values and behavior of the

“Millennials” are understood to be generally optimistic to

the point of idealism, entitled to fulfillment outside of

simply profiting from their work, and they have a strong

need for encouragement and recognition. These traits

sometimes cause misunderstandings and can be the basis

for youth-targeted discrimination and ageism but when

there is mutual understanding, the younger generation and

the older generations can work together to create more

progress, synergy, and a stronger economy than the world

has ever seen.

To fully understand the Millennials, one must first look at

their environment. The wants and needs of the younger

generation come often from a parental and societal pressure

to “be anything”, “do anything”, and reach one’s full

potential in a broad sense of the word. Most children of the

past twenty years were raised lovingly by baby boomers

who told them they were special, exceptional with

unlimited potential. This leads to idealism and entitlement

but also great expectations of accomplishment and

fulfillment. While Generation Y might feel they deserve

everything they want, they are also a valuable asset in the

respect that they strive for perfection and excellence when

they care about the subject at hand. This element of

engagement is crucial to getting the most out of a

millennial worker because their needs of personal

investment in their work are often higher than their need for

monetary gain.

Employee retention presents a difficulty with millennial

workers, because they do not see themselves as the type to

work one job their entire lives as their Baby-Boomer

parents did. In contrast to older generations, most

Millennials see their work as a smaller part of their lives,

not as the central purpose or drive. This should not frighten

Advances In Management Vol. 9 (5) May (2016)

5

employers because it means that often Millennials will

work for less money at a job they love while on the other

hand it takes more money to retain unsatisfied or

uninterested millennial employees. This highlights the

importance of cultivating personal investment in the

millennial employees under your management. This can be

done with praise, respect, and by making the goals of the

individual align with the company’s goals. Many successful

managers choose to both mentor and learn from Millennials

to better gain their trust. While Millennials have a need to

understand the workings and goals of the company, the

older generations should understand that they have much to

learn from the technology, ideas, and attitudes of the

millennial employees.

Implications/Analysis of Career Choice

Perceptions
Generation gaps in different careers and the workforce as a

whole are the big problems being faced in the career world

today. Managers have to learn how to manage workers

from different generations including the Baby Boomers,

Generation X, and Generation Y. We see today a trend

change in the types of jobs that recent college graduates are

choosing. Different factors are being taken in consideration

by younger generations when they enter the work force.

All of these different factors and trends that have been

studied and theorized about can be seen in the real world

today. An Australian study by Ruth Sibson
14

shows that

students who are currently studying for a degree in event,

sport and recreation management value different things in a

job than were valued by people of older generations such as

Baby Boomers. The purpose of the case study was to

“examine the factors undergraduate university students

studying event, sport, and recreation management found

important when seeking a career.” This is a field of study

that is becoming increasingly popular as students seek to

study applied business practices.

In order to understand what students wanted in a career,

every first year student in the event, sport, and recreation

management field of study took a survey on what they were

looking for. The survey had three parts. The first part asked

for the student’s demographic information. The second part

was an open response section where the students were able

to list the top three things they looked for when searching

for a job. For the last part of the survey, students were

given a list of 21 different factors to consider when looking

for a job and they had to rank those factors from most

important to least important in terms of what they

considered while job hunting.

The results of this survey were interesting and indicate a

change from the trends in career choice factors that have

been observed in the past. The results of the survey

indicated that the top three factors for the students in

looking for a career were enjoyable work, interesting work,

and good career opportunities. The bottom three factors

were challenging work, professional prestige/high status of

future career and standard hours of work. The opportunity

for creativity and originality also ranked very highly, above

any factors that discussed wages in fact.

These results show a change in trends in career choice

factors. In the past, especially with the Baby Boomer

generation, men looked for a high paying job with standard

9-5 hours that could fully support their family. One of the

most important things to these men was the reputation that

their name held in the community and a high status job

improved this reputation. Today, the chance for

professional prestige ranks at the very bottom of the list, at

20 out of 21.

Based on the current research, it appears as though the

factors that influence job choice and the importance

students place on certain ones are changing. There is no

consensus that has definitively been reached yet, but all

research indicates a change away from jobs that were

considered most desirable by older generations. Generation

Y, the generation that is currently entering the job force, is

looking for interesting and creative work that they will

enjoy. They want a job that they enjoy doing, over a job

that pays the highest salary.

Generations together in Employment
When examining the case, “Generations Together in

Employment,” it is clear that there are many benefits that

can result from communication between the older and

younger generations. When the Worcestershire County

Council organized this case study, their primary focus was

the uniting of the generations so they could foster an

environment that helped them respect each other and share

their skills. Once they recruited individuals and paired them

together in a mentor/mentee relationship, they began to

analyze the changes that took place over time.

When this project was initially started, neither party

showed much interest in working together towards the

common goal of enriching each other’s lives. Both groups

held negative stereotypes geared towards each other, and

were reluctant to let these ideals go. However as time

progressed, these viewpoints changed. By spending a

couple hours together a week, both parties had the negative

stereotypes they held about each other challenged and

dispelled. This helped people feel comfortable interacting

with each other and it improved their individual feeling of

self-worth.

While these improvements were great on an individual

basis, they also had a wider impact on the community as a

whole. Through the interactions among the different age

groups, it increased the value of the input that was being

contributed to the community. After the conclusion of the
case study, people were working together and making

positive changes around the community
19

. This case study

shows that by building relationships and having open

Advances In Management Vol. 9 (5) May (2016)

6

communication it can change how people perceive each

other and improve the overall environment.

While this case study was not conducted in the workplace,

it can still be inferred that there would be a similar effect if

these bonds were formed there. The case illustrates that

people typically form assumptions about others based on

what they have observed a few people in a particular group

do. Based on these stereotypes, it can cause there to be

issues when it comes to forming relationships because of

what that person believes they already know. These things

can be dispelled through communication; however this is

not something that is always easy to do. One of the

struggles the County Council faced at the start of this case

was finding a way to get people to be interested in

participating because there was a general lack of

enthusiasm.

In the workplace, it is also not as likely that mentor/mentee

relationships will automatically develop and would be

faced with some type of resistance. There may also be

additional barriers present since someone is either on your

same level as your coworker or one of the individuals is the

boss. So, if a similar program were to be implemented, they

would also need to rely on upper management and media

incentives to get the program up and running.

Generational Differences in Work Values
An examination of work values and generational gaps in

the hospitality workforce is a case study that was done in

order to identify generational differences and similarities

among hospitality employees and managers in order to

develop leadership strategies and management styles that

can be utilized to increase employee morale. Data was

collected by a series of in-depth focus groups and

discussions. These focus groups are real life examples that

are used in order to examine real people in the workforce.

Perceptions of Millennial Generation employees include:

No sense of urgency, lack ownership, teach a lot more, lack

common sense, quick learners, they are in search of role

models, overconfident, want constant praise, and do not

understand that business is driven by customers and guests.

Baby Boomers are too financially driven, cut too many

corners, very loyal to the company, fear change, not part of

a team, and are not up to date with technology.

After observing these different values the two groups

possess it is evident that the older generation is extremely

bothered by the younger generation. In order to best

manage baby boomers, it is important to show a high

amount of recognition in order to praise them for their long

work history and encourage them to help train the younger

generations as they come into the work force. The findings

show that companies should offer mentor programs in order
to decrease workplace conflicts. Pairing a baby boomer

with a younger generation member might solve complaints

they have of one another. It will also give baby boomers a

chance to mentor younger generations by utilizing their life

experiences and sharing obstacles they have encountered as

well as providing an opportunity to get to know one

another.

Training sessions should be in place in order to focus on

how to show respect to the experiences of older employees.

To make older employees feel more important and

recognized for their long time of hard work, Gen X

managers and employees should acknowledge that they

have less experience than the baby boomers and are

willing/want to learn from them. This more times than not

creates a positive work environment.

Generation Y
The future will see more and more Millennials taking on

management roles themselves which will create new

difficulties and rewards. One major challenge faced by

young managers will be to understand the needs and

expectations of older generations. With many economic

and demographic changes affecting the makeup of the

global workplace, the average age of employed people is

getting older and older. Many retired people are returning

to work or taking on other jobs to help support themselves

and their families and as people live longer, their need for

support increases. This will create a need for sympathetic

and professional managers who can deal with the

differences of outlook and expectations. While Millennials

will continue to be idealistic and entitled for much of their

lives, they will often have more ambitious goals and needs

than their previous generations. They will need to balance

their personal needs for success and growth with the

realities of the working world- namely that they would not

all be changing the world. Many jobs are mundane by

nature and do not necessarily evoke a feeling of purpose

and dedication in their employees.

The types of jobs that attract the Millennials are jobs that

engage them on multiple levels- enjoyment, social

responsibility, and advancement towards a greater goal or

responsibility. Millennials are high involvement in many

products that they like so their dream jobs are at their

favorite companies, usually tech giants like Apple, Google,

and Facebook. The challenge of managers is to bring the

same level of desire and job satisfaction to employees of

their business that they might find elsewhere. The inclusion

of reward- based management, free and open vertical

communication, and clear direction all will help to further

this end. The increase in employee autonomy allows the

Millennials to work unbridled by the communication and

transportation problems of the past. Many Millennials

might feel more comfortable working from home, or using

their laptop as their office, allowing for many more flexible

working situations in the future.

Conclusion and Recommendations
With the above observations in mind, let us look at a few

work situations and how one might handle them.

Advances In Management Vol. 9 (5) May (2016)

7

• At annual appraisal time, a manager from the Veterans

generation gives out a nice bonus for a project well done.

The Generation X employee is ungrateful and says, “Why

didn’t I get this six months ago, when the project was

completed?” Gen X wants instant gratification, whereas a

person in the Veterans generation is happy to get money

anytime. The solution here may be for the company to

explore reward plans geared to the different generations, or

things like monetary rewards and recognition given at the

time when it is earned.

• A Generation X manager tells a Boomer he has been

working too hard and should take time off to take the

family on vacation. Instead of saying thanks, the Boomer

replies, “I work to get ahead, to get a promotion, not for a

vacation.” The next time that situation comes up, the

manager might elect to give this particular employee a

bonus, rather than suggest a vacation.

A Boomer is working for a Generation Y individual, and

there is nothing but animosity between the two. Why?

Generation Y individuals, born since 1980, have many of

the traits of the Veterans. They are not like their parents.

They are curious, goal-oriented and loyal. Solution,

consider having Boomers work for Veterans rather than

Gen Ys.. To work effectively and efficiently, to increase

productivity and quality, one needs to understand

generational characteristics and learn how to use them

effectively in dealing with each individual.

Some other suggestions to bridge the generation gap are to

introduce programs and policies that allow all generations

to feel comfortable and as if their needs are being met and

they are being respected as an individual
18

. By making the

workplace more flexible and fair to everyone, it allows

people to find their comfort zone and work in an

environment that suits them. Introducing specific programs

that allow workers to build upon teamwork and the sharing

of their knowledge can also close the generation gap by

providing the tools necessary to make sure everyone is on

the same level.

One recommendation being extremely relevant is a way for

baby boomers to manage younger employees. The younger

generation works to live and wants to balance a healthy

work and life lifestyle. If baby boomers expect the younger

generation to work long hours and make too many

sacrifices for the company, it will often send them job

hunting. Communication needs to be at its prime and

objectives need to be set in order to get work done.

Younger generations are good at multi-tasking, so keep

them motivated by giving them several things to do at once.

They like getting everything done and accomplished and

need praise for it. Boomers should spend time assessing

younger employees and give frequent criticism and praise.

To help minimize the number of problems that occur

between generations, employers and managers need to

educate their workers. Oftentimes, it is solid facts that get

the point across to people. If employers were to provide

their workers with the results from surveys that indicate

what the younger generations look for in a job, older

generations may better understand. This will not fix the

problem entirely, but it will certainly help the older

generations to understand why younger workers act the

way they do, hold certain values, and do not place their job

as the number one priority in their life.

Through the unification of the different generations in the

workplace, the generation gap would not exist. If everyone

were to feel included and appreciated in their work

environment, there would be fewer issues that can arise

from generation gaps. Being a part of such an open

environment would lead to the sharing of knowledge and

skills that could have otherwise been lost. By bridging the

generation gap, it can improve on the level of human

capital present in the workplace and the overall working

environment.

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(Received 05
th
February 2016, accepted 12

th
March 2016)

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without
permission.