Sources:
B. W. Roberts and D. Mroczek,
“Personality Trait Change in Adulthood,”
Current Directions in Psychological Science,
no. 1, Vol. 17 (2008), pp. 31–35; “Five Ways
to Change Your Personality,”
CBS News
(August 21, 2010),
.
An Ethical Choice Should You Try to Change Someone’s Personality?
EBay’s young employees rank
their employer as one of the best
places to work for millennials. The
company’s culture of fun, casual
dress, and flexible work schedules
that provide for a work/life balance
appeal to Generation Y employees
like those shown here at eBay’s
offices in San Jose, California.
Young employees say that eBay
managers give them job responsibil-
ity quickly, generous recognition
for their achievements, and learn-
ing opportunities to advance their
careers. They also admire eBay’s
“Social Venture” initiatives such
as
WorldofGood.com, eBay Giving
Works, and MicroPlace that make
a positive difference in the lives of
people throughout the world.
Source:
Jim Wilson/The New York Times/Redux Picturess.
148
CHAPTER 5
Personality and Values
with other generations over work attire and communication. They also like
feedback. An Ernst & Young survey found that 85 percent of Millennials
want “frequent and candid performance feedback,” compared to only half
of Boomers.
71
Though it is fascinating to think about generational values, remem-
ber these classifications lack solid research support. Recent reviews suggest
many of the generalizations are either overblown or incorrect.
72
Studies
that have found differences across generations do not support the popular
conceptions of how generations differ, and most are plagued with method-
ological problems that make it difficult to assess whether differences actually
exist. One study that used an appropriate longitudinal design did find the
value placed on leisure increased over generations from the Baby Boomers
to the Millennials and work centrality has declined, but it did not find that
Millennials had higher altruistic work values as expected.
73
Generational clas-
sifications may help us understand our own and other generations better, but
we must also appreciate their limits.
