Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation

 

Measurement and management implications of intergenerational differences in resistance to change Public Deposited

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https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/7d278x61x

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  • This study deals with intergenerational differences in the industrial environment. Rapid changes in our social and technological society suggest the characteristics of dogmatism and trust as possible indicators of differences between practicing professionals and upper division university students. Each subject's reaction to change was measured through administration of Rokeach's Dogmatism Scale. Attitudes regarding Theory X and Theory Y along the Trust Dimension were measured on Karmel's KYX Scale. Finally, a rule enforcement situation developed by Shull and Cummings was tested for its ability to accurately predict the attitudes investigated in this study. Study participants included 124 upper division university students and seventy-one adults in the fields of Engineering, Business and the U. S. Military. The study design provides for computation of data mean scores; correlation of individual scores with age; and correlation of disciplinary group mean scores within and between generational populations; and testing of the relationships among the survey devices. Mean scores for sub-groups of both populations indicate Humanitarian characteristics on the Rule Enforcement Situation, and High Trust orientation on the KYX Scale. Scores of female and male subjects were found to be similar on all three scales. Hypotheses of positive correlations among the scores from the survey devices were not supported. Hypotheses of age as a correlate of individual scoring on the survey devices were not supported for the populations surveyed. Hypotheses of similarity of trust attitudes between adults and students of the same discipline were generally supported. Differences along the dogmatism dimension were revealed. However, since both generations' mean scores were shown to be in the mid-range on the scale, the concept of intergenerational similarity cannot be totally rejected. Conclusions drawn from the data and relating to the surveyed population are that: 1) generally speaking, a 'gap' in the attitudes measured does not exist, 2) the attitudinal similarities are interpreted to suggest a potential for successful integration of generations in the work environment. The study results do not indicate that differences or potential for conflict do not exist. Finally, it was also apparent that the trend in dogmatism as a function of time among engineers should be of paramount concern in his professional development.
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