Motivational Techniques of Generation X and Y

Introduction

Workforce of today can be divided into three distinct groups of people. There are baby boomers, Generation X (X) and Generation Y (Generation DOT com). Baby boomers are those born between the years 1945-1964, a cohort that has been the source of many important cultural and economic changes. (Anderson :32) In general, it is accepted that the X are people born between 1965 and 1980. Some researchers refer to them as "baby busters, because of the return or" bust "of births after the baby boom generation after the Second World War. Generation Y or the" dot com "generation are people born after 1980 (Solomon, 1992). This group of workers is just entering the workplace and therefore their influence to this day is still emerging. The modern workplace are generally different with the three generations represented groups .

The characteristics of the work of these generational groups are an important issue for their leaders. It is known that employees with different characteristics will work more efficient and productive with different styles of leadership .The investigation of job characteristics and leadership style corollary is an important area 3 looking for leaders who must lead and motivate the generational groups and researchers who study the differences between the generational groups.

As workplaces are mainly composed of baby boomers and X, this paper will emphasize these two generational groups.

Differences between job characteristics X and baby boomers. The work characteristics of Baby Boomers and X are different in many respects, and this difference can be explained by several factors such as differences in the environments in which the values of these generations were formed. For purposes of this research, the job characteristics include variables that are often considered in the literature as important in the modern workplace. (Haggerty: 118) This includes work values, work attitudes and work expectations of employees.

An important difference between individuals aged between 20 and 40 individuals in their value system (Stauffer, 1997). The X tends to be more independent, motivated and independent. Boomers, on the other hand, tend to be more diligent at work and prefer a more stable work environment.

The most consistent finding in the literature for the comparison of job characteristics are made between X and Baby Boomers is that each group has a mix of different generations of life values and work ethic. Boomers tend to work hard and are generally loyal to their employer. The baby boomers are ready and waiting to be working with others. In terms of leadership style, baby boomers accept the chain of command. In addition, they expect their leaders to give orders and lead to organizational goals. The baby boomers are not yet in high technology, and they do not generally like change.

In contrast, work values for the Xers stress the personal satisfaction rather than working hard. As baby boomers should be encouraged to take advantage of training opportunities, the Xers tend to seek all opportunities to improve their work skills. They are loyal to their profession rather than ...