Generational Gaps Within Organisations

Generation is defined as a group of people who are born and live around the same period of time, where they share similar habits, cultures and memories. Benson and Brown (2011) state that in a working environment, due to different historical context and early life experiences, the employees may have very different worldviews and values compared to those of a different generation. However, it is also important to identify the desires and expectation of each individual employee to ensure that personal needs are met (Bradley Jorgensen 2003). Therefore, to successfully lead and encourage employees, managers should comprehend the generational distinctions among their employees and simultaneously acknowledge individualisation that may cause variations in their work style, satisfaction and commitment. This paper explores the generational dissimilarities and the different life phases between Baby Boomers and GenXers, and the implications within a workplace environment.

The generational blending of Baby Boomers and GenXers has the potential to interrupt generic workplace managing strategies, consume additional resources and lead to the disruption of harmony between generations (Kogan 2001 sited in Jorgensen 2003). Therefore, effective management in the workplace requires the managers to understand the mind-set of the diverse generations that exist within the working environment. Additionally, the findings of Glass, A (2007)’s study suggest that each generation occupies unique characteristics that may affect their work values, response to change, and perspective of organisational hierarchy. Similarly, the study by Gursoy, Maier & Chi (2008) claims that Baby Boomers value work as a main part of their identity and they respect hierarchy and authority within the company while GenXers perceive work as a job, and value work-life balance. Due to these distinct variations, the knowledge of employees’ work ethics and perspectives are significant because the way in which they...