2.1.1.1 Mannheim’s theory of generations. Mannheims’s 1923 (republished in 1952) essay ‘The Problem of Generations’ has often described as the seminal theoretical treatment of generations and is widely regarded as the most systematic and fully developed treatment of generation from a sociological perspective. Mannheim was mainly concerned with examining social location in terms of class factors, as for him, generation is treated as being similar to the class position of an individual in society in that a generation is not a concrete group but is a ‘social location’. In his theory of generation, Mannheim identifies generational location as key aspect of the existential determination of knowledge. Generational location points to ‘certain modes
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Perhaps the most practical and widely used reference for generational studies, Strauss an d Howe’s (1991) generational taxonomy are being used to group generations according to cohort-group (based on year of birth). A cohort-group is a group whose length approximates the span of a phase of life and whose boundaries are fixed by peer personality (Strauss & Howe, 1991). Strauss and Howe proposed viewing American history through the framework of repeating cycle of attitudes and approaches to life. Strauss and Howe define a social generation as the aggregate of all people born over a span of roughly twenty years or about the length of one phase of life; childhood, young adulthood, midlife and old age. Generations are identified (from birth year to last) by looking for cohort groups of this length that share three criteria. First, members of a generation share ‘age location in history’; they encounter key historical events and social trends while occupying the same phase of life. In this view, members of a generation are shaped in lasting ways by the eras they encounter as children and young adults and they share certain common beliefs and behaviors. Aware of the experiences and traits that they share with their peers, members of a generation would also share a sense of common perceived membership in that generation. The theory was said based on several authors and social thinkers, including Mannheim. The theory faced criticism as …show more content…
The majority of researches concerning generational differences in workplace were done with the assumption that the differences among generations in social context will be apparent in the work domain too. Joshi and colleagues (Dencker, Joshi, & Martocchio, 2008; Joshi, Dencker, Franz, & Martocchio, 2010; Joshi, Dencker, & Franz, 2011) had pioneered initiative to offer a cohesive theoretical explanation for generations as organizational phenomenon. The concept was constructed by integration of multidisciplinary conceptualizations of generations with identity and social identity theory. The theory proposed help to understand how individuals define and locate themselves in the organizational context. Joshi et al. (2010) introduced the terms “generational identity” as a multifaceted construct that is broadly defined as an individual’s knowledge that he or she belongs to a generational group/role, together with some emotional and value significance to him/her of this group/role membership. The facets of generational identity as proposed are cohort-based identity, age-based identity and incumbency-based identity. Dencker et al. (2008) theorized generations as collective memories that emerge in the workplace based on shared events that take place within each generation’s late formative years. The strengths of one’s generational identity may vary by age, gender, race and education, and is not tied strictly to birth cohort membership.
Perhaps the most practical and widely used reference for generational studies, Strauss an d Howe’s (1991) generational taxonomy are being used to group generations according to cohort-group (based on year of birth). A cohort-group is a group whose length approximates the span of a phase of life and whose boundaries are fixed by peer personality (Strauss & Howe, 1991). Strauss and Howe proposed viewing American history through the framework of repeating cycle of attitudes and approaches to life. Strauss and Howe define a social generation as the aggregate of all people born over a span of roughly twenty years or about the length of one phase of life; childhood, young adulthood, midlife and old age. Generations are identified (from birth year to last) by looking for cohort groups of this length that share three criteria. First, members of a generation share ‘age location in history’; they encounter key historical events and social trends while occupying the same phase of life. In this view, members of a generation are shaped in lasting ways by the eras they encounter as children and young adults and they share certain common beliefs and behaviors. Aware of the experiences and traits that they share with their peers, members of a generation would also share a sense of common perceived membership in that generation. The theory was said based on several authors and social thinkers, including Mannheim. The theory faced criticism as …show more content…
The majority of researches concerning generational differences in workplace were done with the assumption that the differences among generations in social context will be apparent in the work domain too. Joshi and colleagues (Dencker, Joshi, & Martocchio, 2008; Joshi, Dencker, Franz, & Martocchio, 2010; Joshi, Dencker, & Franz, 2011) had pioneered initiative to offer a cohesive theoretical explanation for generations as organizational phenomenon. The concept was constructed by integration of multidisciplinary conceptualizations of generations with identity and social identity theory. The theory proposed help to understand how individuals define and locate themselves in the organizational context. Joshi et al. (2010) introduced the terms “generational identity” as a multifaceted construct that is broadly defined as an individual’s knowledge that he or she belongs to a generational group/role, together with some emotional and value significance to him/her of this group/role membership. The facets of generational identity as proposed are cohort-based identity, age-based identity and incumbency-based identity. Dencker et al. (2008) theorized generations as collective memories that emerge in the workplace based on shared events that take place within each generation’s late formative years. The strengths of one’s generational identity may vary by age, gender, race and education, and is not tied strictly to birth cohort membership.