Are Generational Categories Meaningful Distinctions for Workforce Management? (2020) / Chapter Skim
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3 Origin and Use of Generational Theories
3 Origin and Use of Generational Theories
Pages 39-50
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From page 39... ...
The next chapter reviews the existing scientific literature related to generational differences in the workforce. EARLY SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES OF GENERATIONS In the mid-1800s, Auguste Comte described social progress as the product of generational change (Cours de Philosophie Positive, 1830– 1840)
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He identified five processes through which generations facilitate social change: (1) new participants in the cultural process emerge, (2)
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In contrast to sociological traditions emphasizing the impact of events on social change, Elder focused on the mechanisms and consequences of social and historical context with respect to an individual's values and transition into adult roles, most notably those related to work. Elder argued that an individual's family resources, values, and strategies for adapting to the broader external context exert a stronger effect on that individual than the historical context per se.
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. One might also easily provide counter examples of people within a cohort who do not exhibit the prototypical traits associated with a generation or who exhibit traits belonging to a different generation (e.g., people who should be adaptive given their birth year but who exhibit the traits of an idealist)
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is a striking example of how generational labels are largely the product of popular culture. Photographer Robert Capa first used the title Generation X in the 1950s for a photo series of young people after World War II.
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The use of generational categories in discussions about workforce management has become particularly prominent in the past 20 years in the popular press and in businesses and human resources advice. This growth in the use of these categories with respect to workforce management suggests anecdotally that employers are taking a serious look at generational differences.
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at http://www.jeantwenge.com/faqs. Most articles in the popular press, as well as television news stories, that refer to generations report on the likes, dislikes, habits, and attributes of various generations.
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. The author's evidence for generational differences is based on survey responses from two cohorts of officers: baby boomer captains in 1988 and generation X captains in 1998.
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. The committee observed trends in the popular press of "myth busting" some generational claims, reporting discord among individuals who feel they do not belong to or identify with common stereotypes of a given generation, as well as growing instability in the concept of easily generalizable groups based on either birth year or shared historical events (e.g., Casey, 2016; Wall Street Journal, 2017)
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From page 48... ...
The Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan think tank, collects and analyzes data on such issues as work attitudes, use of technology, and economics; the Pew website lists hundreds of articles relating to age and generation, some of which look at data using age categories and some of which use generational categories.6 The American Psychological Association (2017) conducts an annual survey on Work and Well-Being, which compares generational groups on a number of work outcomes, including work stress, job satisfaction, and plans to change jobs.
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The idea of categorizing people by their generation became popular, and generational terminology has now taken hold in the common vernacular. Numerous articles and discussions and a growing industry of consultants and management resources focus on generational differences and the management of generations in the workplace, and employers and managers are being urged to make decisions and develop policies based on generational differences.
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