Preliminary study of intergenerational Communication competence in Thai organizations
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Abstract
This paper is a part of a dissertation entitled"Intergenerational Communication Competence in Thai Organizations',its main purpose being to investigate the key characteristics of intergenerational communication competence in Thai organizations. At the pilot stage,this exploratory study is aimed preliminarily to examine 1) communication-related work values of the three different age groups(30 years and below,35 to 45 years,and 50 years and above),2)perceptions of the three generations toward one another,and 3) communication expectations of the three generations when having to communicate with one another in Thai organizations. Multi-method was employed. Data was collected by conducting: 1)self-administered questionnaires(n=36)from the three generations in three large organizations,from public,state enterprise and private sectors;and 2)in-depth interviews with executives and employees from the three generations (n=6) in the three organizations.
The results showed that: 1.Respondents from all age groups,especially the 30-and-below group, strongly agreed that'recognition, compliment and encouragement can provide great work motivation'. The work-related values most and least held by each age group were different;however,the 35-to-45 age group's values were more similar to the 50-and-above.Moreover,at 0.05 level of significance,the following work-related values held by the youngest generational cohort were statistically different from the two older age groups:'If another organization offers me a better deal,I am ready to move on to the new job.';'Ibelieve that competitions and challenges can provide greatmotivation.';and"Whenever I cannot access the internet system or use communication technologies,I am normally frustrated.
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