Avocado toast and pot roast: exploring perceptions of generational communication differences among health sciences librarians
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2020.851Keywords:
Intergenerational Communication, Age Diversity, Workplace ExperiencesAbstract
Objective: This research explored health sciences librarians’ perceptions of intergenerational communication in the workplace.
Methods: The authors developed and sent a survey to health sciences librarians through email discussion lists from August 2018 to September 2018. A chi-square test was performed to determine whether one’s length of employment as a librarian was associated with belief that age and/or generation impacts communication in the workplace.
Results: A total of 150 respondents from 5 countries completed the survey. There was no significant association between length of employment as a librarian and respondents’ belief that age and/or generation impacts communication in the workplace. However, regardless of length of employment, most respondents indicated that generational differences do have an impact on communication in the workplace. Also, most respondents expressed interest in institutional initiatives to foster intergenerational communication.
Conclusion: The authors found that health sciences librarians believe that differences among generations impact communication in the workplace. Librarians, managers, and library organizations should consider providing training and other opportunities for health sciences librarians to improve their intergenerational communication skills.References
Pantry S. Managing stress and conflict in libraries. London, UK: Facet Publishing; 2008.
Pikas C. Communication is the key skill for reference librarians. Evidence Based Libr Inf Pract. 2007;2(4), 88–91.
Lin M. Intergenerational communication. In Allen M, ed. The SAGE encyclopedia of communication research methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications; 2017. pp. 761–5
McElfresh J, Stark RK. Communicating across age lines: a perspective on the state of the scholarship of intergenerational communication in health sciences libraries. J Hosp Librariansh. 2019;19(1):1–11.
McElfresh J, Stark RK. Intergenerational communication among medical librarians. Presented at: MLA ’18, 118th Medical Library Association Annual Meeting; Atlanta, GA; May 2018.
Dimock M. Defining generations: where millennials end and generation Z begins [Internet]. PEW Research Center Fact Tank; 2019 [cited 24 Jul 2020]. <https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/01/17/where-millennials-end-and-generation-z-begins/>.
American Library Association Office of Research and Statistics. Member demographics study [Internet]. The Association; 2017 [cited 8 Aug 2019]. <http://www.ala.org/tools/research/initiatives/membershipsurveys>.
Pitt-Catsouphes M, Mirvis P, Berzin S. Leveraging age diversity for innovation. J Intergenerational Relatsh. 2013;11(3):238–54. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15350770.2013.810059.
Anderson LB, Morgan M. An examination of nurses’ intergenerational experiences in the workplace: do nurses eat their young? Comm Q. 2017;65(4):337–401. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01463373.2016.1259175.
McCann RM, Giles H. Communication with people of different ages in the workplace: Thai and American data. Human Comm Res. 2006 Jan;32(1):74–108. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2958.2006.00004.x.
Gursoy D, Maier TA, Chi CG. Generational differences: an examination of work values and generational gaps in the hospitality workforce. Int J Hospitality Manag. 2008 Sep;27(3):448–58. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2007.11.002.
Cogin J. Are generational differences in work values fact or fiction? multi-country evidence and implications. Int J Human Resour Manag. 2012;23(11):2268–94.
