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Exploring Similarities and Differences in Perceptions of Organizational Culture by Generations Present in The Ohio State University Extension Organization

Bowen, Jessica A
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1440107349

Abstract Details

2015, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Agricultural and Extension Education.
The culture of an organization can affect its daily functions, overall performance and effectiveness (Cameron & Quinn, 2011; LaGuardia, 2008; Morrill, 2008; Schein, 2010). Assessing and working to understand an organization’s culture is widely accepted as a tremendous asset for an organization and can be used as a tool for organizational improvement. One aspect of an organization that can affect its culture is the generations present in the workplace. Knowledge of these different generations and their different perceptions of the values and beliefs of the organization can aid in building the ideal culture for that organization (Morrill, 2008). The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore the relationship between the generation one belongs to and perceptions of the organizational culture of Ohio State University Extension. Employees were the participants, who provided their perceptions of organizational culture using the Denison Organizational Culture Survey. The survey includes a total of 60 items that are grouped together in to 12 management practices and then four organizational traits. The 60 items use a 5 point Likert-type scale (1=Strongly Disagree, 2=Disagree, 3=Neutral, 4=Agree and 5=Strongly Agree). Data analysis for this study included percentile scores against Denison Consulting’s globally-normed database for each of the four organizational traits, 12 management practices and 60 individual items. ANOVA analysis with post hoc comparison was used to compare mean responses by the different generations to the 12 management practices and 4 organizational traits. The largest percentage (58%) of respondents were Baby Boomers followed by Generation X (27%), Millennials (14%), and a very small percentage of Traditionalists (.01%). To protect anonymity, traditionalist data was excluded from analysis. Responses revealed higher percentiles (against a globally-normed database) on the internally focused organizational traits and management practices for all generations. There were many similarities and a few areas of difference among the organizational traits and management practices across the three generations. This was true for the percentile reports from Denison Consulting as well as ANOVA analysis. One area of significant difference was the mean responses of the Baby Boomer generation (3.101) and the Millennial generation (3.383) for the Vision management practice. Another area of difference was the Core Values management practice where the percentile score for Generation X was almost 20 points higher than the percentile scores of the Baby Boomer generation and the Millennial generation. One similarity of importance was the weakness of the Creating Change management practice across all generations. The similarities shown as well as the few instances of variation can provide important knowledge for leaders of the organization. Awareness of the significant difference between the Millennial and Baby Boomer generations on the Vision management practice should be kept in consideration when strengthening culture around a vision for the organization. The weakness of the Creating Change practice across the generations is important to recognize in a rapidly changing external environment. Leaders should strive to create a culture that is adept and receptive to change. Practical recommendations from this study include using the knowledge of generational differences to inform personnel and raise generational awareness as well as further research to further explore the perceptions of organizational culture by personnel.
Graham Cochran, PhD (Advisor)
Jeff King, PhD (Committee Member)
106 p.
Agricultural Education; Organization Theory; Organizational Behavior; Social Research
Culture, Generations, Organizational Culture

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Bowen, J. A. (2015). Exploring Similarities and Differences in Perceptions of Organizational Culture by Generations Present in The Ohio State University Extension Organization [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1440107349

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Bowen, Jessica. Exploring Similarities and Differences in Perceptions of Organizational Culture by Generations Present in The Ohio State University Extension Organization. 2015. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1440107349.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Bowen, Jessica. "Exploring Similarities and Differences in Perceptions of Organizational Culture by Generations Present in The Ohio State University Extension Organization." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1440107349

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1440107349
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© 2015, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License Exploring Similarities and Differences in Perceptions of Organizational Culture by Generations Present in The Ohio State University Extension Organization by Jessica A Bowen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.