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Some researchers (Zemke et al., 2000) suggest that understanding generational differences is critical to creating harmony, mutual respect, and joint effort in the work place. Otherwise there will be suspicion, mistrust and isolation that will work against the organization and not for it. A workplace must consist of the tools used to get the job done and of the people who complete those jobs. Our upbringings and histories influence the way we work and relate to others.
Howe and Strauss (2000) suggested investigating three common generational attributes “(1) perceived membership in a common generation; (2) common beliefs and behaviors; and (3) a common location in history” (p. 41). They claimed that there was not a solid line that divided one generation from the next, and even within generations there were distinct cohorts that further divided the generation into smaller, more distinct groups. “There are no hard stops or road signs indicating when one generation ends and the next begins…. but the specific affections of a generation’s formative years do bind them together in exclusive ways” (Zemke et al., 2000, p. 3).
Values development, so important to one’s work ethic, is significant when categorizing people by generations. Each decade is unique and those who grow up in a particular decade develop values that are different from those who grow up during other decades (Hicks & Hicks, 1999; Yeung & Fung, 2012). Children in their values development stages are influenced more by events and view events differently from adults who had the ability to filter the event through their established value system (Hicks & Hicks). The experiences and value development of younger generations are fundamentally different from those of older generations (Massey et al, 2008; Wallace, 2001). Hicks and Hicks divided people by generation by exploring the historical context of each decade and categorized by comparing the values similarities within decades.