Organizational commitment at Kirtland Community College: An analysis of generational differences in the workforce

The purpose of this study was to measure the organizational commitment values of the four generations working in the early twenty first century (2005) workforce. The four generations studied were matures born 1925 to 1942, boomers born 1943 to 1960, thirteenth born 1961 to 1981, and millennial born 1982 to the present (Strauss and Howe, 1991). The population of this study included all four generations in the American workplace early in the twenty first century (2005). The sample for this study was 213 employees at Kirtland Community College located in Roscommon, Michigan with a statistically similar generational distribution to that of the United States labor force. Data collected from the organizational commitment survey completed by 79 participants was analyzed using the statistical technique of t-Test with a 95% confidentiality rating. The t-Test was used to answer two proposed questions. (1) Can the four generations of 2005 be differentiated by the organizational commitment they hold? (2) If the four generations of 2005 can be differentiated, which organizational commitments are the most useful in discriminating among the four generations? Answering the first research question was accomplished by using the t-Test to test for a statistical significance of the mean values of the four generations: There is a statistical significant difference among the four generations toward organizational commitment. As such, the four generations in a multi-generational workforce could be differentiated by the organizational commitment values they hold.