Master of Science in Organizational Dynamics Theses
Document Type
Thesis or dissertation
Date of this Version
11-16-2021
Abstract
The purpose of this capstone is to ask and explore if and how generational cohorts’ perceptions of each other are influenced by social media and how such interactions in the workplace are affected. By reviewing and synthesizing the current literature on the topic and surveying individuals from my organization who fall into several generational labels I hope to understand how these perceptions are evidenced and articulated. I want to measure what the cohorts think of each other, where they believe these biases originate concluding with possible suggestions on effectively breaking down generational bias barriers. A survey consisting of 15 questions in total with 7 short answer questions and 8 multiple choice was distributed. Short answer questions were designed to yield a simple yes/no response by asking “do you feel?” with a request to elaborate on the given response with no character limit imposed. Survey results revealed a clear link was between social media and intergenerational biases. Additionally, the data indicates that many respondents are aware of this link, feel it can affect their perceptions, and can possibly influence how they work together.
Keywords
generational biases, intergenerational biases, social media
Date Posted: 28 January 2022
Comments
Submitted to the Program of Organizational Dynamics, College of Liberal and Professional Studies in the School of Arts and Sciences in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Organizational Dynamics at the University of Pennsylvania
Advisor: Syd Havely, Ph.D.