PERCEPTIONS ON CONFLICTS AMONG GENERATIONS IN WORKPLACE: A BRIEF ANALYSIS OF BABY BOOMERS AND SUBSEQUENT GENERATIONS

A generation is the entire group of individuals born and living at about the same time. Their children characterize a new generation (justified biologically and socially for about a period of 25 years) and so forth. Members of the same generation - excluding differences in their social and economic status - would have similar habits, behaviors and aspirations. Generations would carry on themselves the traces of their time. However, because of the exponential advance in technology, especially communication, information and transportation, it is estimated that new generations are formed every ten years, which creates a considerable difference on the perception of role, attitude and commitment in work environment, amongst leaders and followers. This difference is a potential source of conflicts.This article aims to identify the different views of attributes, perceptions and values of each generation. It is an exploratory research and it uses questionnaires applied via social networking websites. The results show subtle differences amongst generations, which, not necessarily indicate conflicts. It is observed that the commitment and fidelity to work are unaltered as a value for the professionals.