Generations at Work: Don't Throw the Baby Out With the Bathwater

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dc.citation.firstpage387
dc.citation.issueNumber3
dc.citation.journalTitleIndustrial and Organizational Psychology
dc.citation.lastpage390
dc.citation.volumeNumber8
dc.contributor.authorBeier, Margaret E.
dc.contributor.authorKanfer, Ruth
dc.date.accessioned2016-01-14T20:01:03Z
dc.date.available2016-01-14T20:01:03Z
dc.date.issued2015
dc.description.abstractCostanza and Finkelstein (2015) are correct to highlight the dangers of using generationally based stereotypes in organizations. Although popular, these stereotypes are related to a stigmatization based on group membership that can be pernicious and discriminatory. Costanza and Finkelstein are also correct in their assessment of the state of the literature on generational effects: theory and research is woefully lacking. Indeed, a recent review of research on generations at work characterized this research as descriptive and neither theoretical nor empirical (Lyons & Kuron, 2014). Yet, as pointed out by Costanza and Finkelstein, the idea of a generational identity is salient and even appealing to many people. Why would this be if it were completely devoid of psychological import? People seem to resonate with the idea that, to some extent at least, they are a product of their generation. In this article we argue that the concept of generation provides a means to understanding how people process experiences within a cultural context. As such, consideration of generation is important to the development of self-concept, which in turn affects the development of attitudes, knowledge, and values. Although we agree that research on generations is problematic in its current state, we assert that it is too soon to jettison the psychological importance of generations in industrialﾖorganizational (I-O) research without risking throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
dc.identifier.citationBeier, Margaret E. and Kanfer, Ruth. "Generations at Work: Don't Throw the Baby Out With the Bathwater." <i>Industrial and Organizational Psychology,</i> 8, no. 3 (2015) Cambridge University Press: 387-390. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/iop.2015.55.
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.1017/iop.2015.55
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/87813
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherCambridge University Press
dc.rightsThis is an author's peer-reviewed final manuscript, as accepted by the publisher. The published article is copyrighted by the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology
dc.titleGenerations at Work: Don't Throw the Baby Out With the Bathwater
dc.typeJournal article
dc.type.dcmiText
dc.type.publicationpost-print
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