Are Generational Differences a Reason to Judge Similarities in the Workplace?

Edward S. Lyba, Ed.D. proclaimed, "Diversity in the workplace means creating an environment where people from dissimilar backgrounds can utilize their talents and work productively together,” (NEPA Diversity Guide, 2007). Organizations have been striving to understand and create an abundant amount of diversity amongst their employees. It has been instilled in the minds of today’s employees that everyone is different and unique and companies want originality. Since companies have been putting a strong focus on diversity, it has encouraged employees to develop excuses as to why they are different. Recently, organizations and employees the same, have turned to the excuse of a generation gap as justification to resist this change. Should leaders treat employees of different generations in the same job differently only because they were born in different times? As Edward S. Lyba said, diversity means bringing together employees of different backgrounds; different backgrounds being the key word. For years, leaders have tried to tell employees that each and every person is drastically different; no two people are the same. Are people really that different, or are these notions of difference derived from the varied backgrounds from which they come? The answer is simple. People are much more similar than they are different. First, people are not different; they just resist change, making excuses to challenge it. Second, organizations have been promoting diversity, employees need to as well. Lastly, people of all cultures and nationalities possess very similar sets of core values. This paper will discuss why different generations, baby boomers, generation x, and generation y, do not have significant differences that would cre...

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...to embrace it. To use a generational difference as an excuse to create inequality is naïve.

Works Cited

Citations

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Lyba, E. (2007, January 1). NEPA Diversity Guide: Local Thoughts. Retrieved June 29, 2010 from http://www.wilkes-barre.org/pages/livinghere/diversity/quotes.htm.

Mosley, C. (2008, May 14). 10 Differences Between Generations X, Y, and Baby Boomers. Retrieved June 22, 2010 from http://ezinearticles.com/?10-¬Differences- Between- Generations- X,- Y,- and- Baby- Boomers&id=1175975.

Scheef, D. & Thielfoldt, D. (2004, August 1). Generation X and The Millennials: What You Need to Know About Mentoring the New Generations. Retrieved June 22, 2010 from http://www.abanet.org/lpm/lpt/articles/mgt08044.html.