Elizabeth Glasgow
FS-01344993
Organizational Behavior
October 11, 2015
Stop Slacking Case Study
Executive Summary:
Is today’s younger generation lazy? Why is there such a difference of opinion in work
ethics and values? Today, as managers, we are faced with generational diversity in the workplace
that seems to be a very challenging management issue. With five different generational groups
now represented in the workforce, each with their own set of work ethics and values, managers
are faced with numerous challenges. Today’s wired society plays a big role in the way people
manage their workload, family obligations, organizational commitment levels and each other.
Advances in technology have fostered global expansion at such a rapid pace that organizations
are having a hard time keeping up. But is it acceptable for an employee to check in on social
media during company time? Or for someone to have their cellphone glued to them at all times?
Is being wired hurting productivity? That depends on who you ask. How to integrate today’s
technologically driven lifestyle into the organizational culture is an obstacle today’s managers
and executives are facing on a daily basis.
1
Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, Millennials, and now Gen 2020. With more
workers choosing to stay in the workforce longer, generational diversity today is wider than it
has ever been before. Managers are frequently faced with dealing with organizational conflicts
that stem from these generational differences. Traditionalists and Baby boomers view the
Millennials and Gen 2020ers as lazy and entitled, with poor work ethic and no sense of corporate
loyalty or respect for authority. On the other end of the coin, Traditionalists, Baby Boomers and
some Gen Xers are considered by the young generations to be archaic, difficult to teach new
technology and scared of change. Are these characteristics true of the respective generations, or
are they simply perceptions from outsiders looking in? One can argue that perception is one’s
reality, thus these stereotypes could be considered real.
Where and when did the traditional work ethic evolve? Traditionalists, having lived
through the Great Depression and World War II (and not knowing whether food or work would
be readily available), are known for their discipline, high work ethic and respect for authority.
They rarely question managers or executive staff, and they are known for their pride in company
loyalty, often times spending their entire careers with one maybe two companies. Baby Boomers
are characterized as workaholics, materialistic and seeking personal fulfillment, often working
60 to 80 hours a week, earning more money, spending more money. “Keeping up with the
Jones’s” was the tag line often used to refer to this generation’s need for bigger houses, fancier
cars and more frequent vacations. Gen Xers emerged in the late 80’s after the market crash in
1987. Being faced with tough economic times, this generation became known for self-reliance,
adaptability, and independence. Perhaps witnessing their parents’ loss of job during the ’87
market crash was the basis for the evolving mindset of work/life balance. 1995 gave Gen Xers
the internet, and an increased emphasis on technological savvy as a valuable workplace skill.
2
Millennials and Gen 2020 are often thought of as entitled, emerging in the 2000’s as cyber
literate, tech savvy, multitasking, and civic minded. With the advent of September 11, 2001,
American lives changed in a blink of an eye. Children are no longer leaving their parents’ homes
after finishing school, choosing to stay home to save money. This generation should also be
known as the social media generation. 2004 brought Facebook to the world and began the social
media boom.
Events in American history definitely have played a role in the evolving nature of the
views of the different generations. What you live through or experience definitely shapes how
you behave going forward. How these differences translate to the workforce, and the positive
and/or negative affect they have on workplace relationships and organizational culture, need to
be examined. Once these root causes are identified and understood, managers and organizations
need to find and execute solutions to either foster these behaviors or extinguish the fires of
