Generationally Based Differences in the Workplace: Is There a There There?
David Costanza and Lisa Finkelstein write a focal article on generationally based differences in the workplace. They note that stereotypes about workplace generations are widespread and that many organisational interventions target them, and report little solid empirical evidence supporting generationally based differences, and little theory explaining why such differences would exist. The article explores generational myths, reviews the risks of using generations in organisational decisions, and offers recommendations for practitioners and researchers. This page cites the study for the finding that the evidence and the theory are both thin.
David Costanza and Lisa Finkelstein write a focal article on generationally based differences in the workplace. They note that stereotypes about workplace generations are widespread and that many organisational interventions target them, and report little solid empirical evidence supporting generationally based differences, and little theory explaining why such differences would exist. The article explores generational myths, reviews the risks of using generations in organisational decisions, and offers recommendations for practitioners and researchers. This page cites the study for the finding that the evidence and the theory are both thin.
Written from the abstract on Cambridge Core, read 2026-10-24.
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Costanza, D. P., & Finkelstein, L. M. (2015). Generationally based differences in the workplace: Is there a there there? Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 8(3), 308-323. doi:10.1017/iop.2015.15