Managing Generational Diversity

2022 ◽  
pp. 1852-1865
Author(s):  
Martin Klaffke

Germany is undergoing a dramatic demographic change that requires its organizations to make workforce talent of all ages a strategic priority. Practitioners in Germany focus largely on Generation Y employees, because this young employee cohort expresses new and different work-related values. However, diverse attitudes and behaviors of employees in different age groups can potentially lead to conflict and have an overall negative impact on organizational performance. Given US labor legislation and media pressure, managing workforce diversity has been on the agenda of U.S. organizations for many years. Consequently, it can be assumed that there are areas in which German organizations can learn best practices from the U.S. experience. Although data collected from Silicon Valley organizations suggest that taking specific action for managing the multi-generational workforce is currently not a pressing issue in the tech industry, setting up innovative workplaces is an action field in which Germany can learn from its U.S. counterparts.

Author(s):  
Martin Klaffke

Germany is undergoing a dramatic demographic change that requires its organizations to make workforce talent of all ages a strategic priority. Practitioners in Germany focus largely on Generation Y employees, because this young employee cohort expresses new and different work-related values. However, diverse attitudes and behaviors of employees in different age groups can potentially lead to conflict and have an overall negative impact on organizational performance. Given US labor legislation and media pressure, managing workforce diversity has been on the agenda of U.S. organizations for many years. Consequently, it can be assumed that there are areas in which German organizations can learn best practices from the U.S. experience. Although data collected from Silicon Valley organizations suggest that taking specific action for managing the multi-generational workforce is currently not a pressing issue in the tech industry, setting up innovative workplaces is an action field in which Germany can learn from its U.S. counterparts.


2012 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 341-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott W. Lester ◽  
Rhetta L. Standifer ◽  
Nicole J. Schultz ◽  
James M. Windsor

As the amount of generational diversity increases among today’s workforce, a common topic of conversation is how to handle differences between generational cohorts. But to what extent do generations believe they are different and to what extent are generations actually different? This study examines this question. Using generational cohort theory as a theoretical underpinning, this study considers 15 work-related concepts and the degree to which workers personally value them. Subjects also provide their perceptions of how much they believe Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y value these items. Results reveal the differences subjects perceive among the generations significantly outnumber the actual value differences individuals reported. The authors discuss both actual and perceptual differences in detail and theorize why the nature of these actual differences may lead to generational misconceptions. By doing so, this study provides a meaningful contribution to the discussion of generational diversity and its impact on the workplace.


Author(s):  
Prof. Kamarul Zaman Bin Ahmad ◽  
Raida Abu Bakar ◽  
Chua Weng Ing

This research aims to test the limits of the theory that have found certain relationships in the West relating to the antecedents of stress. This research aims to show that much of the theories and research in the West are culture-bound and do not necessarily apply to other countries such as Malaysia and especially among certain age groups such as those between 15 years and 34 years known as Generation Y. Results of regression show that role ambiguity, work intensification,  working conditions are significant predictors of work-related stress but role conflict, relationship with colleagues, and bullying or harassment are not significant predictors. Possible reasons for this phenomenon are offered.


Author(s):  
Yanki Hartijasti ◽  
Dodi Wirawan Irawanto ◽  
Asri Laksmi Riani

Managing four generations with different set of beliefs, values and attitudes is a critical challenge for an organization. Intergenerational conflict may emerge from diverse preferences and misinterpretation of words and actions. For instance, in the digital era tech-savvy millennials wanted to have flexible work schedules (Clendon & Walker, 2012) and less interaction with their managers (Schultz & Schwepker, 2012). Meanwhile, Baby Boomer managers preferred direct communication (Holian, 2015) because they wanted to have face-to-face discussion. Additionally, in many organizations Baby Boomer managers were still implementing command-and-control management (Faller & Gogek, 2019), while Gen Y and Gen Z workforce favored constructive feedbacks (Anderson & Buchko, 2016). For young workforce, specifically Gen Z, if their managers practice the traditional boss-subordinate relationship, they prefer to quit and move to another company. On the one hand generational diversity is an advantage, but on the other hand it can be disastrous if not handled well. Leaders are expected to minimize workplace miscommunication and conflict arising from multigenerational differences between staff and managers to attain organizational performance. To date, many leadership styles have been researched, however Leadership Behavior Description Questionnaire XII has been the most widely used to measure how a leader should behave to reduce conflict in the multigenerational work environment, criticize poor work of older-generation followers, and emphasize on high levels of performance (Littrell et al., 2018). The objectives of this study are to investigate the perceived leadership behaviors and the differences in perceived leadership behavior among multigenerational managers. Keywords: Gen Y, Indonesia, LBDQ-XII, Multigenerational Workforce, Perceived Leadership Behavior


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 215013272110047
Author(s):  
Michelle D. Balut ◽  
Claudia Der-Martirosian ◽  
Aram Dobalian

Objective: An infectious disease outbreak can place a significant burden on healthcare systems, however, our understanding of the broader healthcare workforce’s preparedness during a pandemic is limited. This study examines factors that influence perceived workforce preparedness at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) during a pandemic. Methods: The VA Preparedness Survey was a random, anonymous, web-based survey fielded nationwide October to December 2018. Multivariate statistical analyses examined the effects of study relevant factors (sociodemographic, work-related, general health, and household-related characteristics of VA employees) on perceptions of workforce preparedness, including institutional readiness and understanding of individual roles during a pandemic. Results: Four thousand and twenty-six VA employees responded. Overall, 55% were confident in their VA medical facility’s ability to respond; 49% understood their role; and 68% reported their role to be important during a pandemic. After controlling for study-relevant factors, household preparedness, having plans that address the health care needs of family members, and higher self-reported health status were associated with all 3 workforce preparedness variables. Clinical staff (compared to non-clinical staff) were less likely (OR:0.80, 95% CI:0.68-0.94, P < .01) to have confidence in their medical facility’s ability to respond but more likely (OR:1.77, 95% CI:1.49-2.10, P < .001) to believe their role was important. Employees who have been at the VA longer (OR:1.07, 95% CI:1.01-1.14, P < .05) or have experienced a disaster while working at the VA (OR:1.29, 95% CI:1.04-1.59, P < .05) were more likely to understand their role during a pandemic. Conclusion: The findings from this study suggest the need for identifying ways to increase VA employees’ confidence in their medical facility’s ability to respond to a pandemic; develop trainings to improve understanding of their different yet critical roles, for both clinical and non-clinical staff, during a pandemic; create different workforce trainings for newly hired employees; and identify ways to improve household preparedness for a pandemic outbreak.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 930-930
Author(s):  
Tara Rose ◽  
Elyse Manzo ◽  
Katherine Erickson ◽  
Joshua Valenzuela

Abstract Music interventions and music therapy have become more common globally as nonpharmacological treatment options for memory loss, pain management, reduction of behavioral and psychological symptoms, and increased quality of life. Knowledge of multiethnic interventions is important when creating evidence-based programs within culturally diverse countries, such as the U.S. The purpose of this systematic review is to analyze music interventions for older adults across the globe to better understand emerging best practices. A review of all trials registered at clinicaltrials.gov and registries in the WHO Registry Network containing the key words “music therapy” were included, regardless of intervention type. Of the 627 studies generated, 449 met the eligibility criteria, with 11% enrolling only older adults and 89% enrolling older adults along with other age groups. Studies were conducted in 6 continents, 48 countries (23% in the U.S.), and in 23 languages. Music interventions for specific medical conditions (64%) or medical procedures (24%) were the primary foci in studies. While studies crossed multiple continents, less than 2% referenced ethnicity or culture in the study details. Detailed data on intervention types, demographics, measures, settings, and methodology will be presented. Results suggest that best practices in music therapy are being developed world-wide for the multitude of health challenges faced by older adults and demonstrate the diversity of music interventions in both medical and community settings. Information from this review can be used to improve the implementation of music intervention programs and may be particularly beneficial in countries with diverse multicultural populations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Ahmed ◽  
Mark Granberg ◽  
Victor Troster ◽  
Gazi Salah Uddin

AbstractThis paper examines how different uncertainty measures affect the unemployment level, inflow, and outflow in the U.S. across all states of the business cycle. We employ linear and nonlinear causality-in-quantile tests to capture a complete picture of the effect of uncertainty on U.S. unemployment. To verify whether there are any common effects across different uncertainty measures, we use monthly data on four uncertainty measures and on U.S. unemployment from January 1997 to August 2018. Our results corroborate the general predictions from a search and matching framework of how uncertainty affects unemployment and its flows. Fluctuations in uncertainty generate increases (upper-quantile changes) in the unemployment level and in the inflow. Conversely, shocks to uncertainty have a negative impact on U.S. unemployment outflow. Therefore, the effect of uncertainty is asymmetric depending on the states (quantiles) of U.S. unemployment and on the adopted unemployment measure. Our findings suggest state-contingent policies to stabilize the unemployment level when large uncertainty shocks occur.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Salfi ◽  
Marco Lauriola ◽  
Aurora D’Atri ◽  
Giulia Amicucci ◽  
Lorenzo Viselli ◽  
...  

AbstractThe first COVID-19 contagion wave caused unprecedented restraining measures worldwide. In Italy, a period of generalized lockdown involving home confinement of the entire population was imposed for almost two months (9 March–3 May 2020). The present is the most extensive investigation aimed to unravel the demographic, psychological, chronobiological, and work-related predictors of sleep disturbances throughout the pandemic emergency. A total of 13,989 Italians completed a web-based survey during the confinement period (25 March–3 May). We collected demographic and lockdown-related work changes information, and we evaluated sleep quality, insomnia and depression symptoms, chronotype, perceived stress, and anxiety using validated questionnaires. The majority of the respondents reported a negative impact of confinement on their sleep and a delayed sleep phase. We highlighted an alarming prevalence of sleep disturbances during the lockdown. Main predictors of sleep disturbances identified by regression models were: female gender, advanced age, being a healthcare worker, living in southern Italy, confinement duration, and a higher level of depression, stress, and anxiety. The evening chronotype emerged as a vulnerability factor, while morning-type individuals showed a lower predisposition to sleep and psychological problems. Finally, working from home was associated with less severe sleep disturbances. Besides confirming the role of specific demographic and psychological factors in developing sleep disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic, we propose that circadian typologies could react differently to a particular period of reduced social jetlag. Moreover, our results suggest that working from home could play a protective role against the development of sleep disturbances during the current pandemic emergency.


2021 ◽  
pp. 002085232110089
Author(s):  
Jae Young Lim ◽  
Kuk-Kyoung Moon ◽  
Robert K. Christensen

Although the relationships between public service motivation and work-related outcomes are contingent on an employee’s psychological state, little empirical evidence exists on whether psychological empowerment conditions the relationship between public service motivation and perceived organizational performance in public organizations. This study addresses this gap by examining data from the 2010 US Merit Principles Survey on psychological empowerment’s moderating role between public service motivation and the perceived achievement of organizational goals, as well as the perceived quality of work-unit products and services in the US federal government. First, the findings indicate that public service motivation and psychological empowerment improve both of these perceived organizational performance measures. Second, the findings indicate that the link between public service motivation and perceived organizational performance is slightly enhanced when public employees feel more psychologically empowered. Points for practitioners This article offers practical lessons for practitioners who are concerned about improving organizational performance. Emphasizing the importance of psychological empowerment in strengthening the link between public service motivation and perceived organizational performance, the article suggests a critical need to cultivate psychological empowerment in the public sector, which has been under heavy pressure to do more with less in a rapidly changing environment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 160 (27) ◽  
pp. 1070-1077 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dávid Sipos ◽  
Veronika Varga ◽  
Attila András Pandur ◽  
András Kedves ◽  
Melinda Petőné Csima ◽  
...  

Abstract: Introduction: Burnout can have a wide negative impact on the quality and the effectiveness of the health care system. The aim of our research was to assess the burnout level of the radiology department workers in Hungary. Method: Our quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive data collection lasted from June to September 2018 using an online questionnaire. Simple, non-random sampling was carried out among radiology department workers in Hungary. In addition to our self-made questionnaire which included socio-demographic and work-related questions, an internationally validated Maslach Burnout Inventory questionnaire was sent out. Results: After data cleaning, a total number of 404 (n = 404) respondents were included in the statistical analysis. The majority of the respondents works in county hospital, the average year spent in the healthcare system was 18.3 (SD 13,7). The sample’s values at the depersonalization and emotional exhaustion dimension were slightly elevated in contrast to the average values. Educational level, age and years spent in the healthcare system had a significant influence on all the three dimensions of burnout (p≤0.05). The group of workers being 31–35 years old and the group of those who spent 16–20 years in the healthcare system are considered to be the most compromised groups in all the three dimensions of burnout. Respondents with master degree had significantly lower emotional exhaustion values than their colleagues. Conclusion: The increased value of the depersonalization and the emotional exhaustion can be an indicator for employers. Our results are similar like described in the international literature. Orv Hetil. 2019; 160(27): 1070–1077.


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