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Blog Glob: "Generational Differences in Work Values: Leisure and Extrinsic Values Increasing, Social and Intrinsic Values Decreasing"

Abstract:

Organizations are currently facing the retirement of many older workers and the challenge of recruiting and retaining young talent. However, few studies have empirically substantiated generational differences in work values. This study examines the work values of a nationally representative sample of U.S. high school seniors in 1976, 1991, and 2006 (N = 16,507) rep- resenting Baby Boomers, Generation X (GenX), and Generation Me (GenMe, also known as GenY, or Millennials). With data collected across time, these analyses isolate generational differences from age differences, unlike one-time studies, which cannot separate the two. Leisure values increased steadily over the generations (d comparing Boomers and GenMe = .57), and work centrality declined. Extrinsic values (e.g., status, money) peaked with GenX but were still higher among GenMe than among Boomers (d = .26). Contrary to popular press reports, GenMe does not favor altruistic work values (e.g., helping, societal worth) more than previous generations. Social values (e.g., making friends) and intrinsic values (e.g., an interesting, results-oriented job) were rated lower by GenMe than by Boomers. These findings have practical implications for the recruitment and management of the emerging workforce.

Click to read the rest of "Generational Differences in Work Values" (Journal of Management).

Mindfulness for kids: Here's a transcript of a workshop on that topic

Included in the Winter 2010 edition of [pdf] Insight Journal is the partial transcript of a workshop [pdf] given last year by Susan Kaiser Greenland on the topic of mindfulness for children. She has a similar workshop coming up in April, in Barre, Massachusetts. Click for more information on the upcoming program "Mindfulness & Children for the Classroom & in Health Care."

R.I.P. My wonderful uncle Jim Crow

I learned about two hours ago that my uncle Jim Crow died this afternoon. Flitting through my mind are so many memories. He, my aunt, and my cousins lived on a ranch in Crows Landing, a town in the Central Valley of California named after his family. When I was growing up, I spent much time at their home. I had parties at the ranch. I kept my horse Tony at the ranch. We typically had Thanksgiving or Christmas each year at the ranch.

Uncle Jim was a quiet man—until he turned about 50 (or was it 40?). Then he began to talk more; no one ever figured out why, but it was good to hear his wise-farmer thoughts.

He was an avid skier, and he and my aunt Beverly Elaine West Crow (I called her Bobby) ran the volunteer ski patrol at Dodge Ridge for many, many years. They had a cabin at nearby Strawberry; there are many Strawberry adventures in those memories I am having this evening.

He skied as part of the 10th Mountain Division in the war. As a result, Jim was a great yodeler. At least once, he built a snow cave outside the cabin and slept in it! War service taught him how to build one that kept him warm.

Two of the memories strongest right now are, first, the times Jim took the kids (my cousins and me, not sure if my sister went along) in a Jeep to places where cars could not go, to ponds where wild trout lived. We would catch a few then come home to cook them for a delicious meal. As a kid used to getting her food from stores and restaurants, eating a fish that I had just caught was an event that has stayed with me for decades.

And I remember that Jim patiently taught me to ski. I tried to find a photo of him and me taken during a lesson. It is somewhere in all my mess of photos, but all I could find tonight was this. (For some reason, there is a bunch of white space below the scanned photo. Sorry. Just scroll on down.)

 What an outfit!

The last time I saw my uncle was at my mom's memorial, about a year ago. He was spry, and had added mischievousness to his personality. During that time with him, I often laughed.

So many good memories.

Good-bye, Jim.

Note added later: A close friend, when told about Jim's death, e-mailed, " I remember him as quiet and kind."

‘Pay It Forward’ Pays Off

The press release from University of California at San Diego:

‘Pay It Forward’ Pays Off: UC San Diego and Harvard Deliver First Experimental Findings on Spread of Cooperation in a Social Network

March 05, 2010

By Inga Kiderra

For all those dismayed by scenes of looting in disaster-struck zones, whether Haiti or Chile or elsewhere, take heart:  Good acts – acts of kindness, generosity and cooperation – spread just as easily as bad. And it takes only a handful of individuals to really make a difference.

In a study published in the March 8 early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from the University of California, San Diego and Harvard provide the first laboratory evidence that cooperative behavior is contagious and that it spreads from person to person to person. When people benefit from kindness they “pay it forward” by helping others who were not originally involved, and this creates a cascade of cooperation that influences dozens more in a social network.

The research was conducted by James Fowler, associate professor at UC San Diego in the Department of Political Science and Calit2’s Center for Wireless and Population Health Systems, and Nicholas Christakis of Harvard, who is professor of sociology in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and professor of medicine and medical sociology at Harvard Medical School. Fowler and Christakis are coauthors of the recently published book “Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives.”

In the current study, Fowler and Christakis show that when one person gives money to help others in a “public-goods game,” where people have the opportunity to cooperate with each other, the recipients are more likely to give their own money away to other people in future games. This creates a domino effect in which one person’s generosity

He Said, She Said: A blog by married Colorado bankruptcy lawyers

I discovered a blog today called He Said, She Said: Married Colorado Lawyers Talk Bankruptcy. Here's the announcement from Law Week Colorado:

Married Colorado bankruptcy attorneys Gailyn and Michael Wink , co-founders of Wink & Wink, P.C., announce that they recently began blogging about consumer rights, Colorado bankruptcy law news and commentary, and the joys of working with your spouse on “He Said, She Said”.

Blog Glob: "Exposure to Letters A or F Can Affect Test Performance"

Excerpt:

Seeing the letter A before an exam can improve a student's exam result while exposure to the letter F may make a student more likely to fail.

...

"We believe the primary implication from this research is that students are vulnerable to evaluative letters presented before a task. Teachers should be careful not to use identification systems that map onto assessment systems. For example, in a course with letter grading, teachers should avoid identifying different test forms using letters from the grading scale. Doing so may inadvertently prime students to do better or worse than their ability and preparation would predict. Conversely, this effect may be desired by savvy teachers. Adorning classrooms with symbols of achievement, such as A+ and other success-oriented words and phrases may activate effort, pride, and the intention to perform well in standardized testing situation. It is important to note that the external validity of our research remains to be demonstrated."

Click to read the rest of "Exposure to Letters A or F Can Affect Test Performance" (Science Daily).

Study looked at optimistic expectancies and immunity of first-year law students

Abstract:

Optimistic expectancies affect many psychosocial outcomes and may also predict immune system changes and health, but the nature and mechanisms of any such physiological effects have not been identified. The present study related law-school expectancies to cell-mediated immunity (CMI), examining the within- and between-person components of this relationship and affective mediators. First-year law students (N = 124) completed questionnaire measures of expectancies and affect and received delayed-type hypersensitivity skin tests at five time points. A positive relationship between optimistic expectancies and CMI occurred: Changes in optimism correlated with changes in CMI. Likewise, changes in optimism predicted changes in positive and, to a lesser degree, negative affect, but the relationship between optimism and immunity was partially accounted for only by positive affect. This dynamic relationship between expectancies and immunity has positive implications for psychological interventions to improve health, particularly those that increase positive affect.

Click to read "Optimistic Expectancies and Cell-Mediated Immunity: The Role of Positive Affect" (Psychological Science).

Want to improve your storytelling skills?

Being a good storyteller is a real advantage if you want to communicate well. Attending these seminars next month in DC will boost your ability to tell stories, whether you are a novice or a pro.

On April 15, the Smithsonian is sponsoring "The Basics of Organizational Storytelling". Click for the details.

The Smithsonian is also sponsoring the event on April 16, titled "Organizational Storytelling—A Tool for Transforming the Workplace." Click for more information.

The Golden Fleece 9th Annual International Story Conference "You, Me & We: Connecting Through Story" will be held on April 17. Click to learn more.

Until yesterday, I was an Amazon affiliate

As you may know if you read my blog, I was an Amazon affiliate (and disclosed that fact prominently). I did not make a lot of money; typically, on a good month, my affiliate revenue just covered my blog platform fee (under $10.00 monthly). But I was upset yesterday when Amazon terminated the accounts of all Colorado affiliates, because, as a result of these terminations, many Colorado small businesses will be seriously hurt financially, and jobs may be lost.

Was I upset with Amazon? Not at all. I was once again annoyed at the give-me, give-me, give-me government mindset, a piggish mentality that resulted in Amazon's move. I have little doubt that the bloated bureaucracies created or maintained by the Colorado legislators contributed mightily to the current shortfall that is causing these lawmakers to expand the size of their tax-hog snouts.

Here's the e-mail I received from Amazon:

Dear Colorado-based Amazon Associate:

We are writing from the Amazon Associates Program to inform you that the Colorado government recently enacted a law to impose sales tax regulations on online retailers. The regulations are burdensome and no other state has similar rules. The new regulations do not require online retailers to collect sales tax. Instead, they are clearly intended to increase the compliance burden to a point where online retailers will be induced to "voluntarily" collect Colorado sales tax -- a course we won't take.

We and many others strongly opposed this legislation, known as HB 10-1193, but it was enacted anyway. Regrettably, as a result of the new law, we have decided to stop advertising through Associates based in Colorado. We plan to continue to sell to Colorado residents, however, and will advertise through other channels, including through Associates based in other states.

There is a right way for Colorado to pursue its revenue goals, but this new law is a wrong way. As we repeatedly communicated to Colorado legislators, including those who sponsored and supported the new law, we are not opposed to collecting sales tax within a constitutionally-permissible system applied even-handedly. The US Supreme Court has defined what would be constitutional, and if Colorado would repeal the current law or follow the constitutional approach to collection, we would welcome the opportunity to reinstate Colorado-based Associates.

You may express your views of Colorado's new law to members of the General Assembly and to Governor Ritter, who signed the bill.

Your Associates account has been closed as of March 8, 2010, and we will no longer pay

A talk by Professor Mnookin about his book BARGAINING WITH THE DEVIL

Click to watch Robert Mnookin's talk at the Commonwealth Club.

Past posts about Mnookin and his new book Bargaining with the Devil: When to Negotiate, When to Fight:

• Bob Mnookin deals with the devil: In latest book, professor negotiates the pitfalls of bargaining with the forces of evil
• Interviews of Bob Mnookin re his new book on bargaining with devils

Are Gen Y kids harder to teach? Are Gen Y employees harder to manage?

One leader in British education thinks the Millennials are not as easy to teach as children of even 10 years ago. From "Generation Y children are 'harder to teach'" (The Independent - UK):

A culture of "instant gratification" is making today's schoolchildren harder to teach, a headteachers' leader said yesterday.

Youngsters live in a world dominated by reality television and celebrities "where success appears to come instantly and without any real effort", John Dunford, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, which represents secondary school heads, told his annual conference in London. "It is difficult for teachers to compete," he added. "Success in learning just doesn't come fast enough."

Click to read the rest. Another article on the same topic: "Internet generation 'expects instant results'" (Daily Mail); both articles are based on the same talk given by Dr. John Dunford from which the above quote came.

In addition to the school challenges they present, the complaints about how this group perform as employees are numerous and loud. But, even though they are likely the most high-maintenance generation in the workplace, they can be managed once you understand how they differ from what came before them. For example, the successful employer knows that the Gen-Y-specific orientation is critical to their performing well on the job. Yes, managing them requires effort, but that management is not as difficult as some would have you believe.

Note: I am often asked when the Millennials were born. The dates vary depending upon which analyst or expert to whom you listen. Having listened to many, I say the cohort are those born from roughly 1980 through 2001.

"Making Peace and Making Money: Economic Analysis of the Market for Mediators in Private Practice"

Abstract:

Mediation has grown tremendously in the last three decades, yet only a small number of mediators have been able to benefit financially from its growth. The supply of willing mediators by far exceeds the demand for their services. Mediator trainee overoptimism and the lack of formal barriers to entry result in excess entry in the market for mediators. However, the lack of a formal barrier, but the existence of de facto barriers to entry, such as mediator selection practices and specialization, combined with excessive individual optimism, creates inefficiently high levels of entry. This is socially suboptimal: many aspirant mediators spend money pursuing what is likely an illusory career and forego other career options, even though they were never going to be able to make money as mediators.

The article presents data that income distribution in the market for private mediation in uneven, and suggests that the market is a winner-take-all market, where a few mediators at the top of the pyramid are busy and well-paid, while the vast majority of aspiring mediators is constantly looking for work, yet makes little or no money. The article proposes economic reasons that contribute to this phenomenon: non-homogeneity of the product (i.e., mediation services), de facto barriers to entry, including mediator selection preferences and specialization, organizational structures, and inelastic demand for mediator services. Since mediation consumers often compare the cost of mediation to the cost of

Blog Glob: "Age-old problem: In bad economy, more older workers file bias claims"

Excerpt:

Age discrimination complaints in Massachusetts have hit a four-year high, highlighting the vulnerability of older workers in a tough economy.

In Massachusetts, approximately 593 age-discrimination claims were filed in 2009 (marking the third year in a row such complaints numbered at least 585), up from the 307 age-discrimination claims filed in 2006, according to the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination.

Rampant layoffs, an aging work force, and the fact that older workers often pull in higher salaries and thus are more appealing targets for layoffs, have fueled the surge in age discrimination claims during the past several years, according to labor attorneys and employment experts.

And while age discrimination claims are normally tricky to prove, occasionally, an employee successfully proves age bias.

Click to read the rest of "Age-old problem: In bad economy, more older workers file bias claims" (Boston Business Journal - subscription required).

Blog Glob: "Social anxiety: Online networking sites are making it easier to vet employees — and are leading to potential legal pitfalls for employers to avoid"

Excerpt:

By now, we’ve all heard the cautionary tales about posting unsavory photos or explosive rants online because they could come back to hurt you — professionally as well as personally.

And with good reason: Companies are increasingly using the Internet to vet potential employees and check up on existing ones. Fifty-five percent of respondents to a 2009 CareerBuilders survey said they used social media in the recruiting process, up from 22 percent in 2008. And Time magazine recently reported that 70 percent of U.S. human resources officers said they rejected job applicants for inappropriate material in online social networking profiles.

But companies need to use some degree of caution. The Internet gives employers a much better view into the private lives of workers but that doesn’t mean they can use all of what they find without impunity.

Click to read the rest of "Social anxiety: Online networking sites are making it easier to vet employees — and are leading to potential legal pitfalls for employers to avoid" (Boston Business Journal).