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A differen
t sort of
generation gapis developing in the workplace. Someone - specifically the father-
daughter team of Larry and Meagan Johnson - has figured out that on some American job sites, five
generations are working side by side.
In their new book about generations in the workplace the pair argue that while such an age difference
adds a lot of texture and a variety of life experiences, it can also bring tensions and conflicts.
The Johnsons are human-resource trainers and pubic speakers. Dad Larry is a former health-care
executive; daughter Meagan is a onetime high-level sales manager.
Here are the oldest and youngest of the five generations they identify:
They call the oldest group Traditionals, born before 1945. They were heavily influenced by the
lessons of the Great Depression and World War. They respect authority, set a high standard of
workmanship, and communicate easily and confidently. But they’re also stubbornly independent. They
want their opinions heard.
At the other extreme are what the Johnsons call Linksters, born after 1995 into today's more
complicated, multimedia world. They live and breathe technology and are often social activists.
You won't find many l5-year olds in the offices of large companies, except as volunteers, of course,
but quite old and quite young workers do come together in sales environments like bike shops and ice
cream stores.
The Johnsons, Larry and Meagan, represent a generation gap themselves in their work with jobsite
issues. The Johnsons' point is that as the average lifespan continues to rise and retirement dates get
delayed because of the tight economy, people of different generations are working side by side, more
often bringing with them very different ideas about company loyalty and work values.
The five generations are heavily influenced by quite different events, social trends, and the cultural
phenomena of their times. Their experiences shape their behavior and make it difficult, sometimes, for
managers to achieve a strong and efficient workplace.
Larry and Meagan Johnson discuss all this in greater detail in a new book, "Generations, Inc. : From
Boomers to Linksters - Managing the Friction Between Generations at Work, "published by Amacom
Press, which is available in all good bookstores from this Friday.
1. The type of generation gap in Paragraph 1 refers to the difference in beliefs ____.
A. between managers and workers
B. among family members
C. among employees
D. between older and newer companies
2. Which of the following statements is NOT true about Traditionals?
A. They've learned much from war and economic disaster.
B. They're difficult to work with as they are stubborn.
C. They respect their boss and hope to be respected.
D. They're independent workers with great confidence.
3. According to the passage, the Linksters are usually ____.
A. found working in the offices of large companies
B. i
nfluenced by multimedia and technology
C. enthusiastic multimedia activists
D. ice cream sellers
4. According to the passage, modern workforces are more diverse because ____.
A. people want to increase their average lifespan
B. many young people are entering the workforce
C. employees with different values can benefit their companies
D. retirement dates are being delayed for economic reasons
5. What's the main purpose of the passage?
A. To promote a new book by Larry and Meagan Johnson.
B. To describe the five different workplace generations.
C. To introduce the Johnsons' research about diverse workforces.
D. To identify a major problem in modern workforces.