How Values Affect Individual and Organizational Behavior

Every generation is influenced by its period 's economic, political and social events. From the Great Depression to the civil rights and women 's movements to the advent of television and advanced computer technologies. Thus generational background/situation may also affect the way they work. The key is to be able to effectively address and take advantage of the differences in values and expectations of each generation in the workplace. The current work place consists of four different generations; The Baby Boomers (1946-1964) who are slowly retiring and existing the workforce, The Generation X (1965-1976), The Generation Y or millennia (1977-1997), and the Generation Z who are about to or are just entering the work force. Although these different generations tend to want similar things in a workplace their environment/background has shaped their character, values, and expectations (Hahn 2011).

Most baby boomers grew up watching their traditionalist parents work very hard to make ends meet and take care of the family unit. As a result of their upbringing many boomers have adopted their parent’s strong work ethics; working hard, long hours trying to climb the corporate ladder. Baby boomers still enjoy personal face to face interactions and building rapport with people

The Baby Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964, and they fall between the ages of 53-71. This generation was subject to the civil rights movements, the Vietnam War and the Cold War, and space travel. Their parents had the highest divorce rate and second marriages in history. “The American Dream” was promised to them as children and they spent their lives pursuing it. As a result some generations see them as being greedy, materialistic and ambitious. This generation believes in working long hours to establish self-worth and identity, they tend to be workaholics and are used to working up to 60 hour work weeks. Working this much caused an imbalance between most work/home life because the workers of this generation were afraid of losing their position at work if they took more time to spend with their families. The preferred work environment for a Baby Boomer is going to be democratic, believe in equal opportunity and be a warm friendly environment. Some pros of the Baby Boomer in the workplace include that they are anxious to please and tend to challenge the status quo. They are mission oriented individuals who will go the extra mile. Some cons of this generation are that they expect everyone to be workaholics like themselves and they don’t like change either after being raised by traditionalists. Some keys to working with these Baby Boomers is understanding how

Their values were shaped primarily by a rise in civil rights activism Vietnam and inflation. Baby Boomers were cherished by parents that had sacrificed and fought a war for the right to bear them raise them, indulge them. Baby boomers tend to be more optimistic and open to change and are also responsible for the “Me Generation” with its pursuit for personal gratification. Baby Boomers value face time in the office and my not welcome workplace flexibility or work/life balance trends. High levels of responsibility, perks, praise and challenges will motivate this Generation. Furthermore, when understanding Boomers, there’s the issue and added complexity of older Boomers and younger Boomers also known as the First half/Second Half. First halfers are those born in the 1940s. They are more idealistic, more likely to be workaholics and more likely to have put career first, family second. The first halfers’ world view was more affected by the 1950s. The late Bloomers or second halfers tend to feel different about work. They graduated from college and went to work during the Reagan era. They got the first taste of downsizing, large scale layoffs. This makes them more cynical and less gung ho about management than early Boomers. They feel that good work habits and positive mental attitude are not always rewarded and often are not enough to save a job regardless of how well it has been

Seniors born entre January 1, 1933 and December 31, 1945 are described as Post-War Cohort and have a current Population of 55 million, but their population is declining. According to extension.missouri.edu, they are retirees in majority and formed the largest voting population. Seniors or veterans also called Silent Generation inherited the consequences of the Great Depression of 1929 and World War II. They feel gratified by the effort or work, they are struggling to work and usually stay for long in the same company. They are obedient and respectful to authority, they are cautious and have a sense of duty but modern technologies such as information, communication and social networks are not obvious to them and may even be refractory. They earned less than today, but in their time, the quality of work was an art. Seniors born entre January 1, 1933 and December 31, 1945 value security, comfort, and familiar, known activities and environments. Like the baby boomers, the silent generation is committed in marriage even though some divorced. This cohort is a target composed mainly of women and men widowers who live alone for half of them, especially women. This cohort had significant opportunities in education as a post-war economic boom struck America.

The current generations in the workplace today are Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z. Each generation brings their own values and mindsets to the mix. Although genetics play a part in a person’s characteristics, the generation in which someone is born into also plays an integral part in shaping their mind, values, goals, and work ethics. People from the same generation share similar experiences, and this can influence how they think politically and socially.

Upon reflecting on the three main generations that comprise the workplace today, a few differences emerge. “Baby Boomers” grew up in a time when movements were prominent, the Vietnam War occurred, key figures were assassinated, the Watergate Scandal occurred, and television was introduced (Twenge et al., 2010; Schullery, 2013). Overall, “Baby Boomers” seem to exhibit a distrust of authority, value hard work, and want to enjoy their achievements (Robbins & Judge, 2015; Twenge et al., 2010). As such, they are results driven and give their utmost effort (Robbins & Judge, 2015). “Generation X” grew up in a time of computers, divorce, two career parents, MTV, and economic uncertainty (Twenge et al., 2010; Robbins & Judge, 2015). For the most part, they seem to exhibit the workplace behaviors of independence and a lack of commitment to employers (Twenge et al., 2010). They value a balance between work and life and place more focus on extrinsic rewards such as monetary compensation (Twenge et al., 2010). “Millennials” grew up in prosperous times with technology dominating the era and over-protective parents (Robbins & Judge, 2015; Schullery, 2013). Generally, they seem to place a greater value on employee benefits, leisure time, teamwork, and open communication (Society of Human Resource Management, 2004; Twenge, 2010; Myers & Sadaghiani, 2010). In addition, they have also been given the labels of “self-centered” and “entitled” (Myers & Sadaghiani, 2010).

As generation Y, the first group to come of age in the new millennium, grows and matures, they have entered the workforce at an increasingly high rate, making them the fastest growing segment of the United States workforce (Dorsey, 2010, pg. 15). These “youngsters” are typically in their early 20’s to early 30’s, still in the early and formative stages of their careers (Wain, 2013, pg. 308). Joining these Millennials in the workforce are those known as Generation X, consisting of the middle generation born from around 1965-1984 (Wain, 2013, pg. 308). At the far end of the age-workforce spectrum sit the Baby Boomers – those born between the years of 1946 and 1964 (Kaifi, Nafei, Khanfar & Kaifi, 2012, pg. 89). And finally, the oldest generation still trying to eke out their last paychecks before retirement is the Traditionalists, born between the years of 1937 and 1945 (American Medical Writers, 2012).

“If you don’t think generation makes a difference, think of this example. When asked to recall how and where Kennedy died, the Veterans and Baby Boomers would say gunshots in Dallas, Texas; Generation X remembers a plane crash near Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.; and Milinials might say, “Kennedy who?” (FDUMagazine Online, p. 2) Each individual generation brings different values and skills to the table, but the pronounced differences can cause conflict within the workplace. Bill Brennan’s “Generational Differences” discusses the generational differences between the four main groups, or generations, of the United States; Veterans (born before 1945), Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964), Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980) and Millennials, Gen Y, (born between 1980 and 1994). Through his depiction,

The Baby Boomers: In today’s fast growing workforce, this generation is known to be hard workers as well as excellent teams players. They are loyal workers, exercise self-control and are self-willed due to the fact that quite a few of the early Boomers had to compete for schooling and jobs when they were teenagers. Because of this, they feel a sense of obligation to fit in and dedicate themselves to their position; usually relishing in the accomplishments of their job. Because of this sacrifice, most Boomers view their jobs with a sense of fulfilment that gives them a feeling of self-worth in light of that achievement. This generation was once leaders; however, now they are being led by the younger generation of workers (Phillips, 2016). The computer made its debut during this era. It was mainly found in the business world and in academia. As a matter of fact, many Boomers seemed to be more suspicious of computers and were resistant to this form of technology. Many however were not subjected to operating computers; And, simply avoided them as much as possible.

While the Silent Generation and Boomers are characterized as being extremely loyal towards their employers, whereas Generation X & Y lack loyalty with their employer. For instance, Brenner depicts the Silent Generation (born before 1945) as long-term employees who value loyalty and do not question authority. Brenner states that “they tend to respect hierarchy” (p. 26). Next, Baby Boomers (born between 1946) tend to challenge authority, want open lines of communication, results driven and competitive. Brenner states Boomers “…would like to have been long term employees” (p. 27)

First, let us talk about Baby Boomers. It is not unusual for Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) like to be in control. Moreover, it is understandable why because they have years of experience. Baby Boomers attempt to develop a spirit of friendship with team members whose on-the-job experience is very small. Members of the Baby Boom Generation tend to have a strong work ethic, good communication skills, and emotional maturity. “The Baby Boomers are also one of the most educated generations.”(Colquitt, Lepine, &Wesson,2011,p.85) Boomers continue to hold most of the power and control. Trained as thinkers, they will continue to have surprising influence on the workplace for at least another two decades and this is why it is important to balance their input by clearly

Kyles (2005) defines them as competitive, political, hardworking, and nonconformists. “Known for their workaholic ethic, Boomers will do whatever it takes to get the job done and get ahead, and they expect to be rewarded. They outnumber all generations and hold a majority of management-level positions. They are also approaching retirement and are heavily concerned with financial and job security” (Kyles, 2005, p. 54). This group is very hard working and also offers a lot of wisdom that can be beneficial to those of the younger generations.

The world’s labor force primarily consists of three major generations: the “Baby Boomers,” “Generation X,” and “Generation Y.” The “Baby Boomers” were born during and after the 2nd World War (1940 to 1960). This generation has a legacy of expertise, “old-fashioned” autocratic management, and healthy productivity. “Boomers” are known to work hard, remain loyal to their employers, and receive promotions on the basis of hard work and high skill. Technology was rather limited (Hewitt and Ukpere, 2012).

The most connected, classy and educated generation ever is known as Gen Z. Gen Z is part of a generation that is global, social, visual and technological. They are the teens, the tweens, the youth and the young adults of our society. A Generation is generally described through the years of birth. For example Generation Z is 1995 to 2009 and therefore if you are born within these times, you are considered a part of the Generation. Generation Z is about 2 billion of the world’s population and they don’t just characterize the future, they are creating it. Unfortunately Gen Z individuals have been brought into the world during the times of crisis, terrorism and the global downturn and climate change. However fortunately study has shown that Generation Z is assisting human resource managers in many areas such as employment, and the evolution of the work industry. Like the unfortunate era they’re living in, there is a positive turnaround where the students of today, employees and consumers of tomorrow, are experiencing the workforce for the first time and through this experience they have found and displayed new ways that human resourcing can be publically viewed. It has often been argued that Generation Z kids are irresponsible and lack discipline, however when it comes to employment, many managers have agreed that this Generation is the best.