Theory of generational personality flawed

MOTIVATION

Theory of generational personality flawed

By now you will have become accustomed to hearing the claim that Generation X act one way, and Baby Boomers another. But Jim Pruitt, writing for the online HR magazine Workforce.com, says the theory of generational personality is unproven, and that the evidence is anecdotal and subjective.

A raft of books and articles has been published attempting to tell managers how to manage, reward and develop different generations. But is generational personality the same as race, gender, nationality, or sexual orientation in that it denotes immutable characteristics that we must recognise at work?

Jim Pruitt, who is director of labor relations for Kaiser Permanente in Portland, Oregon, reckons the concept is at best misguided.

Want to know more?

Title: Stop dividing the generations, by Jim Pruitt, Workforce.com.

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Take a look at the article online — see what you think . . .

www.workforce.com/feature/00/08/10/

Posted 1 November 2001