Date of Award
2020
Document Type
Dissertation - Open Access
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
Advisor(s)
Mark Johnston
Second Advisor
Koray Simsek
Third Advisor
Robert Ford
Keywords
generations, person-organization fit, organizational commitment, tenure, values congruence
Abstract
The Baby Boomer, Generation X, and Millennial generations comprise the majority of the current United States workforce. Because of the predominance of these three cohorts, there is a substantial body of research that addresses their generational differences. Recent studies advocate a need to reconsider generational [age-based] cohort a priori assumptions and build a stronger theoretical foundation to support the generational differences phenomenon. This study examines generational differences through the lens of a conceptual framework that consists of Generation, Person-Organization fit, and Organizational Commitment theoretical constructs. A cross-sectional, stratified sample of United States employees (N = 360) was collected in order to examine generational differences. Employee tenure served as a moderating variable. The findings indicate a significant, positive relationship between Person-Organization fit and Organizational Commitment within each of the three generational cohorts. The findings also show that higher tenure increased the strength of the Person-Organization fit – Organizational Commitment relationship for the Generation X and Millennial cohorts. However, Baby Boomer higher tenure did not increase the strength of that relationship. Finally, this study found values congruence perception homogeneity among the three generational cohorts. The findings support a growing trend in the literature to revisit assumed age-based generational cohort differences in the workforce. The findings also indicate that future generations research can benefit from balancing age-based cohort inferences with increased consideration for additional variables (e.g. gender, career stage, life stage, job status). Finally, the findings provide additional support of scholars who have called for a greater reliance on the theoretical underpinnings that support the generational differences phenomenon.
Recommended Citation
Ennis, Charles Jr., "Values Congruence and Organizational Commitment Among The Multiple Generations In The Workforce: Toward A Better Understanding Of Generational Differences" (2020). Dissertations from the Executive Doctorate in Business Administration Program. 27.
https://scholarship.rollins.edu/dba_dissertations/27