The members of Generation Y – the term given to distinguish people born between 1978 and 1994 – are often characterized as having an ease with technology, and an egocentric, cynical attitude in the workplace. But findings in a study conducted by Rouen Business School professor, Jean Pralong, show that there is no generational difference between the attitudes of people in the workplace, debunking the very concept of a Generation Y.
Professor Pralong carried out an inter-generational study on 400 participants with similar educational backgrounds, ranging from students to salaried workers in their 60s. The study showed that attitudes toward the workplace and ideas about careers between Generation X (those born between roughly 1959 and 1981) and the so-called Generation Y are the same.
―The concept of Generation Y was invented so that managers between 35 to 45 years old could blame the younger generation for their fear of changes in the workplace – especially technological changes. Members of Generation X are subjected to constant and growing pressure at work. They are worried and unmotivated, but given their stature, it’s not easy to admit. So they find a scapegoat,‖ said Pralong.
Pralong undertook the study because he realized that most perceptions of Generation Y were based on anecdotes told by managers or recommendations by consultants. The large majority of what has been written about Generation Y has not been based on official studies.
The research compared three groups: Masters Level students of Generation Y, salaried workers of Generation Y in their first jobs, and salaried workers from Generation X. Through interviews with these groups, primary attitudes emerged. More similarities were found in workplace attitudes and approaches between workers in Generation Y and Generation X than similarities between students in Generation Y and salaried workers in Generation Y, demonstrating that context creates a more significant link between these groups than generation.
Attitudes central to the thinking of students of Generation Y included colleagues being dishonest with each other, and the idea that everyone has a vocation but a career is constructed from opportunism. For salaried workers, avoiding employment, the role of a manager and the importance of opportunism emerged as central thinking.
―For economists, a generation is constituted of people who confront the same conditions at work. The study showed that no difference exists between 25-year-olds and 45-year-olds at work. This shows that on a scientific level, Generation Y doesn’t exist,‖ Pralong said.
The study was published in Revue Internationale de Psychoscoiologie in 2010.
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About Rouen Business School
“Exploring new worlds, going forward as responsible business leaders.” This phrase clearly states the vision driving the school to attain its objective: become one of the best European business schools by 2012. Ranked as one of the top 10 business schools in France, the school is accredited Equis (the European Quality Improvement System) and AMBA (The Association of MBAs). The AACSB accreditation plan was accepted and will be finalised in 2011. Rouen Business School offers a wide array of programmes: 3 Bachelor programmes: Bachelor in Retail (ECAL), Bachelor in Business Administration (ISPP), and Bachelor of Science in International Business (IFI); the Masters in Management Grande Ecole Programme; and a wide variety of postgraduate programmes, an International MBA, 6 specialized Masters programmes and 3 Masters of Science programmes. In line with its goals, Rouen Business School is developing research led by its teachers and researchers. The School’s research activities centre on four poles: ―Responsible finance‖, ―Career paths‖, ―Youth and responsible practices in communication‖, and ―Retail, customer and supply chain.‖ With a network of 170 international academic partners, Rouen Business School enrols approximately 3300 students, including 650 foreigners. The school has 14,000 alumni based in the world, federated by the Association of Alumni, the Rouen Business School Alumni Association.