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Generation gaps in engineering?

Authors: Kim, David J. (David Jinwoo);

Generation gaps in engineering?

Abstract

There is much enthusiastic debate on the topic of generation gaps in the workplace today; what the generational differences are, how to address the apparent challenges, and if the generations themselves are even real. Despite the frenzy, however, there has been relatively limited empirical research performed on this issue; in particular, no empirical research in the context of an engineering organization seems to have been performed. With that in mind, the main intent of the thesis is to determine the existence of generational differences among engineers in a large, technical organization, and discuss the potential implications of the findings. Extensive literature research and analysis identified communication techniques, leadership preferences, learning styles, and work motivation to be the key hypothesized differences most pertinent to an engineering organization. A questionnaire was put together based on these differences and distributed to a sample that consisted of approximately eighty members from each of the four generations: Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation Xers, Millennials. In general, data analysis revealed that engineers do not exhibit generation gaps to the same extent as described in the literature. In fact, much of the data suggested contrary views, most notable of which was the importance of face-to-face communication, especially amongst the younger engineers. Knowledge transfer across generations remains a challenge, however, and possible approaches to addressing this issue are through physical accommodations, extensive mentorship programs, and salient investments in Information Technology (IT).

Country
United States
Related Organizations
Keywords

System Design and Management Program, System Design and Management Program.

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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
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