A Study of Generational Conflicts in the Workplace

Abstract

This article reviews research around generational differences and examines the causality between these differences and conflicts usually happening at the workplace. The conflicts can be defined as value-based, behaviour-based, or identity-based. These generational differences also affect managers’ strategies when dealing with conflicts at work. Morton Deutsch’s theory of cooperation and competition is often used for organisations to understand the nature of conflicts, and the Conflict Process Model can be used to examine how conflicts can evolve. Studies show that once a generational conflict is identified and understood, organizations can mitigate and resolve the conflict by developing mentorship between the parties involved to embrace generational diversity. Various components of the HR activities should also be altered to adapt generational differences for an organization to attract and retain talents. As events and developments that caused generational differences are chronological, conflicts that could arise from the reactions by different generations to the future of work leaping through the recent Covid-19 pandemic should be prepared. However, some studies raised debate about the causality between generations and behavioural characteristics at work and argued the necessity of managing conflicts caused by generational differences, raising concerns that attributing conflicts to generational differences potentially oversimplifies the problems.