Multigenerational Work Force Research Paper

THE MULTIGENERATIONAL WORKFORCE:
STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING
FOUR GENERATIONS

HONORS THESIS

Presented to the Honors Committee of
Texas State University-San Marcos in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for Graduation in the University Honors Program

by

Holly Louise Watson

San Marcos, Texas
December 2010

THE MUTIGENERATIONAL WORKFORCE:
STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING
FOUR GENERATIONS

Thesis Supervisor:

________________________________
Kay Nicols, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Management

Approved:

____________________________________
Heather C. Galloway, Ph.D.
Director of the University Honors Program

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First I would like to thank Dr. Kay
The article focused on demographic change as a major global force shaping the world economy. In a similar article published by SHRM in 2008,
Workplace Forecast, the predictions hold true with key demographic trends such as: 1) the aging population, 2) retirement of large numbers of Baby Boomers, 3) generational issues, and 4) a greater demand for work/life balance (Society for Human Resource
Management, 2008). Moreover, issues of increased retirement of older workers causes concerns of lost talent, forgotten skills, and labor shortages. However, even though the
Baby Boomers are at the age of retirement, not as many are retiring as SHRM had predicted. This is due to the economic crisis, the housing crash in 2008, and the social security and health reforms made by the government. The extension of the Baby Boomers careers is a focal point for HR managers. They are looking for new retention strategies and methods to successfully manage the generational differences in terms of experience, values, motivation levels, and expectations. By looking at each generation carefully,

3
Just because a generation has general characteristics does not mean that all individuals within it have all of the characteristics.
Traditionalists December 7, 1941, also remembered as the day the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, is a distinctive event for the generation known as the
Traditionalists (Laurel, 2005). Traditionalists’ values are shaped from the hardships they faced during the Great Depression and World War II. They believe in hard work and dislike wasting time. A traditionalist holds high regards for their spoken word and believes in authority and the regular order of things (Mask, 2007). Traditionalists view work as a privilege and have a strong work ethic (Laurel, 2005). They grew up playing outside and listening to the radio for their entertainment. Today technology is changing rapidly, making it difficult for the Traditionalists to feel as if they even speak the same language as more computer savvy individuals. They have seen the world operate without technology, but unless they are willing to see technology as a necessity, not a luxury, the generational gap will take longer to bridge (Fiterman,