Baby Boomers: Shaping Generations In The Workplace

With each new generation, influences come from broad forces such as parents, media, social events, popular culture, natural disasters, world events, and peers (Schullery, 2013). These groups may have participated in “equivalent historical experiences” or were subjected to similar social forces and as a result have “consonant world views” (Alderfer, 1987, p. 238). These shape generations and create common value systems that distinguish them from people who were raised in different times (Twenge et al., 2010). These value systems can then transfer with each generation into the workplace (Twenge et al, 2010). As Twenge et al. (2010) has found, “…work values remain relatively stable from early adolescence to young adulthood” (p. 1120). The first of these generations …show more content…
These behaviors can be linked to the events of the Vietnam War, when it continued to escalate United States deaths even though the government claimed progress towards winning (Schullery, 2013). Their distrust of authority can also be linked to the Watergate Scandal, in which President Richard Nixon’s administration broke into the Democratic National Committee headquarters and subsequently tried to cover-up their involvement (Ritchie, 1998). “Baby Boomers” are also believed to value hard work, see work as an obligation, and want to enjoy their achievements (Robbins & Judge, 2015). A recent survey conducted by human resource professionals indicated that “Baby Boomers” were “…results driven, plan to stay for long term, and give maximum effort” (Twenge et al., 2010, p. 1120). This can trace back to the work they put into or witnessed with Americans fighting for civil rights and women’s movements (Twenge, 2010). Taken together, the values and behaviors “Baby Boomers” exhibit in the workplace seem to have been shaped by the movements of the time, the Vietnam War, and government