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Generational Cohort Theory

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Four generations, Traditionalist, Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials are in the workplace, each with their unique expectations, needs, and work style preferences (Lovely and Buffum, 2007). The idea of generational cohorts were theorized by Karl Mannheim (1923) defining them as a group of people who were born around a common time period, and experienced significant life events during the critical development years of their life. Neil Howe and William Strauss (1991) evolved the generational cohort theory and concluded members of generational cohort maintain similar attitudes, ambitions, and synergy. Understanding the implications of different cohorts in the workplace is one of the challenges human resource offices and leadership is faced …show more content…

Baby Boomers preferred leaders that were humane, established a vision of the future, and allowed the followers to take ownership and determine the next steps. Generation Xers preferred leaders that were credible, prescribe loosed working guidelines, and a framework that encouraged followers. They preferred relatively open and informal leaders. Millennials preferred leaders that were competent. They also preferred a large amount of individual freedom and independence, a flat reporting system, and challenging targets (Warner & Sandberg 2010). Matching members of different generations to their preferred leadership is one example of the current challenges faced by human resource officers in many …show more content…

In 2010, Ng, Schweitzer, and Lyons studied Millennials in a workforce the study concluded Millennials set realistic about starting their careers, they valued rapid advancement, individualistic aspects of jobs and a work life balance. In contrast, Kennedy, (2003) found that most Baby Boomers valued job security and would sacrifice family time for job security and long-term employment. Generation Xers were found to enjoy work that was challenging to them and provided them with the opportunity to acquire transferable skills for future

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In the essay “The New Greatest Generation” by Joel Stein, Stein discusses characteristics of the millennials that he admires. First, Stein thinks the millennials “could be a great force for a positive change (Stein 572).” Stein may think this is so because of the data he has received from Tom Brokaw. Brokaw says, the millennials are “inventing new apps and embraces the whole economy.” Also, Stein may think millennials will make a positive change because they are “more accepting of differences (Stein 572).”

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Julie Hanus wrote the “The Kid in the Corner Office” which made many assumptions about our generation in the workplace. She simply thinks that we are self-centered and generally only think about instant gratification and ourselves. Which she believes makes us near useless in the workplace, because we are afraid of taking risks. She also believes that our generation has become one that skips from job to job in search of more praise from management. Counter to this Hanus states that our generation is loyal to our employers.

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Age All HR manager and Guidance counsellors. Unit heads Reference List Katz, J., & Miller, B. (2002). Inclusion Breakthrough: Unleashing the Real Power of Diversity. San Francisco, U.S.A.: Berrett-Koehler Publishers,

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In the 2013 Time article "The New Greatest Generation," Joel Stein claims that "millennials' perceived entitlement isn't a result of overprotection but an adaptation to a world of abundance"(31). Stein's organizational style appeals to readers because he arranges the article in a way that lures the reader's attention in the beginning, so he can later propose a new outlook. Stein begins describing characteristics of millennials unfavorably in order to overcome those negative characteristics and offer a new, positive perspective. The author initially establishes a negative attitude towards millennials to appeal to the feelings of the older, adult generations. Stein’s structure successfully acknowledges the negative views, for the purpose of

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According to Professor Jeffrey Bosworth, in his editorial “Hunting for Hope in Modern America,” he discusses the “screwed” millennial generation and the potential they have to be successful, despite current existing United States problems. Bosworth explains this from three different perspectives: the current issues in America, the positive attributes of the millennial generation, and what the millennial generation should do to succeed. In Bosworth’s opening proposition he elucidates the “[millennial] generation is screwed”. He expounds the millennial generation is predicted to “do worse than the previous generation”.

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“ From Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” is by Jonathan Edwards. Jonathan Edwards was born in Windsor, Connecticut, where he grew up in a very religious environment. He was forced to preach sermons to his playmates as a child. He was also very versed in academics, and became very intelligent. He was destined to become a pastor, many of his family members before him were highly esteemed pastors.

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The Millennials As time passes each generation has its mark on the world, and things change. Every generation has its nickname, for those who are 46 to 64 are called Baby Boomers, 30 to 45 are Generation X, and finally 18 to about 29 are the Millennials. Each generation has left its mark on the world and since the Baby Boomers fashion, cars, and communication has all evolved and grown. The Millennials have impacted the world with their internet use and how they share everything.

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The study found Gen Y are tech savvy but not great team player, Gen X are entrepreneurial thinking but rank low on executive presence and boomers are team player and loyal but do not adapt so well (Giang, 2013). 78% of the responders agree member of Gen Y are believed to be the most tech savvy who know how to utilize social media to leverage opportunities. 68% of the responders agree that this young workers are most “enthusiastic” about their job. In contrast, Gen Y scored lowest on being team player, hardworking, and productive part of an organization. More Gen Y were interested in how to get a promotion compared to Gen X or Baby Boomers (Giang, 2013).

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She uses stereotypes as one way to prove how predecessor generations feel about millennials, stating that they are just narcissistic, self-absorbed, opinionated, whiny individuals who are uneducated, lack focus and are not responsible (Ellin 205). The main rivalry is between the baby boomers and the millennials because they have opposing perspectives and characteristics. “Millennials have self-confidence and assuredness, and these characteristics can be off-putting to people in older generations who feel that because of their age and experience young people should be more deferential towards them”, says Julie Coates, an adult-learning specialist in River Falls, Wisconsin (Ellin 208).

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“The Beat (Up) Generation: Millennials’ Attitudes about Work” is an article written by Abby Ellin and published in Psychology Today. It talks about the generation born between 1982 and 2004, how they react to working around the older generation and why they are hated by the older generation. The millennial generation was born during the rise of technology. They can do a lot of work remotely and not have to work as hard because of all the technology they have access to and the boomer generation doesn’t understand it they equate working hard with time and physical work. The boomers feel that millennials are just lazy and have no respect.

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On the other hand, Millennials may not have the same opportunities as the generations before them, and they may

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Companies will also need to anticipate and assess which new skills and training older employees will require, particularly in the realm of technology where they may feel less comfortable than many of their younger colleagues. The federal workforce is building toward a potential retirement wave in coming years, with more than a third of career federal employees projected to be eligible for collecting their end-of-career benefits by September 2017, compared to just 14 percent at the same time in 2012. The dynamic of this workforce is the wealth of knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience that will be walking out the door never to return. Millennials will make up 50 percent of the U.S. workforce by 2020 and 75 percent of the global workforce by 2030. At issue is how to attract and retain

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Implementing training programs where all generations can learn about each other’s differences can help employees understand how and why each generation works. Workshops in which multigenerational workforces can share work experience and mentor each other can assist in creating a sense of community and a supportive environment where employees can be open and share their ideas an collaborate with each other in order to better their organization. Millennials are perceived as being disloyal and quick to search for new employment when they unhappy in their work environments, but due to starting their careers during times of recession, Millennials try to maintain their roles in the workplace to remain financially stable. The main reason for turnover among Millennials is a result of exclusion, slow growth within the workplace, and limited development opportunities. Finding gratification and meaning to their work is important to Millennials so that they can excel and be productive in the workplace that is supportive of their work.

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Gen Y sees this type of communication as effective and efficient, while the older generation sees this as lazy and potentially harmful to business. B. How do we bridge the gap between the generations in the workplace? Each generation has a unique set of strengths and weaknesses and it is the managers’ jobs to identify those points and find ways to get the most out of their employees. First of all understanding the generational differences of all employees and making a list of which employee falls under which generation.

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605 Words | 3 Pages

Some people argue that Millennials are entitled, self-centred, and uninterested in anything other than their own Facebook and Twitter page. This generation has been known to have high self-esteem, assertiveness, self-importance, narcissism, and high expectations. Having a higher self-esteem comes with many positive outcomes and benefits. People high in self-esteem claim to be more likable, attractive and make better impressions on others in a working environment than other people with low self-esteem. Millennials with greater self-importance are the ones who help others and care about large social

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