APS Members Join NAS Committee to Study Generational Issues in the Workforce

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are initiating a consensus study on generational issues in the workforce. Titled Consideration of Generational Issues in Workforce Management and Employment Practices, the endeavor will evaluate the behavioral science and business management and literature on generational attitudes and behaviors. APS Members will play a central role in the leadership of the study.

The study will be overseen by a committee which contains experts in behavioral science, public policy, sociology, and management. APS Fellow Nancy T. Tippins will chair the committee, which includes APS Fellows Margaret E. Beier, Ruth Kanfer, and Mo Wang, as well as psychological scientist Michael S. North.

The committee will assess the rigor of the theoretical approaches, empirical research, and statistical methods used to study generational differences. They will determine whether generational terms—such as “boomers” and “millennials”—featured in popular literature are meaningful for workforce recruitment, selection, training, performance management, and retention. The study aims to produce conclusions and recommendations for a future scientific agenda and changes to improve recruitment and retention of the best employees.

The committee will initiate two public workshops in 2019 and present a consensus report in 2020. APS will report on developments related to the work of the committee as they occur.

To read more about the Consideration of Generational Issues in Workforce Management and Employment Practices study, click here.

The study is sponsored by the US Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences.