Boomers move into head offices, the “play-by-the-rules,” “boss-knows-best” Elders are
being replaced by somewhat more egalitarian Boomers. They dislike the command-and-
control rules that were part of their parents’ lives, although the Boomers have also been
described as workaholics. Meanwhile, the Generation Xers in the workplace are com-
fortable in adapting, but also want more experiences. They are not in awe of authority.
Most important, they are not interested in copying the workaholic behaviour of their
parents. Managing the expectations of each of these very different groups is not an easy
task. It requires managers to be flexible, observant, and willing to adjust more to the
individual needs of these different employees. Members of the Net Generation will cer-
tainly change the face of the workplace in significant ways. They have mastered a com-
munication and information system that many of their parents have yet to understand.ATTITUDES
The management at Procter & Gamble (P&G) Canada consider diversity a competitive advan-
tage. They “believe that a diverse company will outperform a homogeneous company by inspir-
ing more creative and innovative solutions.”^55 To help employees foster a similar attitude
toward diversity, P&G conducts mandatory diversity training for all employees. Thus, P&G
recognizes the link between organizational values and employee attitudes. The training is
meant to help employees have greater awareness of cultural and style differences. Managers
are given additional training to help them improve their leadership in a diverse workplace. So
how do attitudes get formed, and can they really be changed?Attitudesare positive or negative feelings about objects, people, or events. When I say
“I like my job,” I am expressing my attitude to work. Attitudes are thus judgment
responses to situations.
Attitudes are not the same as values because values are convictions about what is
important, but the two are interrelated. In organizations, attitudes are important because
they affect job behaviour. Employees may believe, for example, that supervisors, audi-
tors, managers, and time-and-motion engineers are all conspiring to make employees
work harder for the same or less money. This may then lead to a negative attitude toward
management when an employee is asked to stay late and help on a special project. Case
Incident—Gourmet Foods Works on Employee Attitudeson page 96 highlights how changes
in attitudes can help a company’s bottom line.
Employees may be negatively affected by the attitudes of their co-workers or clients.
For instance, Debra Krakow, an architect with Kingston, Ontario-based Mill & Ross
Architects, notes that client attitudes toward the competency of female architects dis-
courage women from staying in that profession. “In my experience, if you’re male,
you’re presumed competent or you wouldn’t be there. If you’re female, you’re presumed
incompetent until proven otherwise,” she says.^56 In From Concepts to Skillson page 98,
we discuss whether it is possible to change someone’s attitude, and how that might
happen in the workplace. Focus on Diversitylooks at how attitudes toward who can
make proper sushi affect who gets hired to be a sushi maker.84 Part 1 Understanding the Workplace
FOCUS ON DIVERSITYNontraditional Sushi Makers
What determines a good sushi maker? For many sushi restaurants in Japan and in
North America, a sushi chef “should” be male.^57 It’s what’s expected, and it’s what’s
observed. Yoko Ogawa, 30, a female sushi chef at Yamaguchi in Midtown Manhattan,attitudes Positive or negative
feelings about objects, people, or
events.4 What are attitudes
and why are they
important?