The goals of the session will be to review the science behind generations and generational differences, present why the science is flawed, discuss the implications for using generational thinking in the workplace, and provide attendees with conceptually and empirically supported alternatives to generational frameworks. The session will review the research and practice of generations to help attendees understand the theoretical, empirical, and application problems with generations and generational thinking. Next, we will explain why generations and generational thinking are problematic for businesses and practitioners, providing concrete examples and challenges. Finally, we will help attendees to explore and apply alternatives to generational thinking that can be used to improve work, workers, and the workplace as well as guide organizational leaders.
Presenters
Ryne A. Sherman, PhD, is the chief science officer at Hogan Assessment Systems. Prior to this, he was an associate professor of psychology at Florida Atlantic University and Texas Tech University for 7 years, teaching personality, social, and I-O psychology. He received his BA magna cum laude in Psychology and History from Monmouth College and his PhD in Personality/Social Psychology from the University of California, Riverside. Dr. Sherman is an expert on personality assessment, leadership, and organizational effectiveness. He is cohost of the Science of Personality Podcast, which exposes listeners to the latest research on these topics. His research on personality and its interaction with everyday situations was awarded federal support from the National Science Foundation. He has received numerous awards for his research including being named a “Rising Star” in 2016 by the Association for Psychological Science and a SAGE Young Scholars award in 2018.
Professor Costanza’s research focuses on generational differences, leadership, potential, organizational culture, statistics, and methods. He has published in numerous academic journals, authored for Slate, and been interviewed by The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The Financial Times. He received SIOP’s Distinguished Teaching Contributions Award, the Distinguished Alumni Award in I-O Psychology from George Mason University, and the Robert W. Kenny Prize for Innovation in Teaching of Introductory Courses from George Washington University.
Intended Audience
Intermediate. Solid understanding of the basic concepts covered in this learning program is assumed and may not be discussed or only discussed briefly in this learning program. Intended for someone with some experience in this content area. Building on graduate-level education in I-O psychology or HR management, participants should have a working knowledge of inferential statistics, personnel selection, and an awareness of generational thinking and biases, though they need not be experts.
Learning Objectives
- Identify and highlight at least two primary flaws and limitations inherent in the scientific and practitioner literature on generations and generational differences.
- Explain what age-period-cohort effects mean and how they can and cannot be assessed in repeated cross-sectional data to isolate age, time period, and generational effects.
- Illustrate the relative magnitude of age, time period, and generational effects on psychometric assessment results.
- Explain at least two reasons for why generations and generational thinking are problematic for businesses, managers, and human resources personnel and outline the negative impacts and outcomes of such thinking.
- Discuss and demonstrate at least one viable alternative to generations and generational thinking in terms of human resources, leadership, marketing, strategy, and other business functions.
Topic
2025 Annual Conference
Date
April 4, 2025
Time
2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Delivery Type
In-Person
Certification Type
Continuing Education (CE)
Workshop Coordinator
Brian J. Ruggeberg, Spencer Stuart
