Bridging the Generational Gap in the Workplace

Bridging the Generational Gap in the Workplace

The proposed study will be guided by the following research questions:

What are the current main intergenerational obstacles in the workplace?

What are the preferred leadership styles of different generations?

What are other workplace preferences among the different generations?

How can organizations overcome current intergenerational obstacles in the workplace?

Conceptual Framework

The conceptual framework to be used in the proposed study concerns the breakdown of the generations that are currently employed in the United States as set forth in Table 1 and as conceptualized in the workplace in Table 2 below.

Current Estimates of Generations in the U.S. Workforce

Generation

Birth Years

Estimated Number

Matures

1900-1945

million

Baby Boomers

1946-1964

million

Generation Xers

1965-1980

million

Millennials

1981-?

million

Source: Based on textual data in Fabre, 2007

Table 2

Conceptualization of Continuum of Workplace Roles Occupied by the Four Generations

Healthcare Role

Generation

Birth Years

Generation(s)

Executive leadership team

Matures

1900-1945

Younger Matures (typically Generation Xers but some older Baby Boomers)

Generation Xers

1965-1980

Baby Boomers

1946-1964

Middle management and supervisory positions

Baby Boomers

1946-1964

Mostly Generation Xers, younger Baby Boomers and older Millennials

Entry-level positions

Millennials

1981-

Younger Millennials

The research to date suggests that each of these four generations has a preferred leadership style and other preferences in the workplace (Bernstein, Alexander & Alexander, 2008).

Data Source(s)

The sources for the secondary data to be used in the proposed study will be drawn from peer-reviewed and scholarly sources found at university and public libraries, as well as from online reliable research resources such as EBSCO and Questia. The primary data will consist of a survey of representatives from the four generations and collected as described further below.

Data Collection

The secondary data will be collected using a literature review approach. The primary data needed for the study will be collected using a custom survey instrument containing a series of Likert-scaled questions that are geared towards the study's guiding research questions.

Data Management

The responses to the Likert-scaled survey questions will be coded using a five-range breakdown, with 1 for strongly agree and ranging to 5 for strongly disagree.

Data Analysis