A Cross-generational Study On Work Values—Based On The Measurement Of Career Anchors

The shift in work values concerning university students in the1980s and at present has caught the attention of many scholars and Human Resources specialists. Compared with individuals who were born in the1960s and graduated in the1980s, the youth grew up in a different social context, and thus there is a likelihood of differences in the career anchors and work values across the two generations of university students. The current thesis is designed to explore the similarities and dissimilarities in the cross-generational work values and analyze the relevant reasons. This research is innovative with a combination of the Schwartz value model in cross-cultural communication and career anchor theory in occupational psychology, in order to fill in the gap in domestic researches on this research topic hitherto.Quantitative analysis is employed in the current study with variables controlled, by means of distributing questionnaires to two groups of respondents who are\have been in universities in Guangdong Province. Through convenience sampling, questionnaires have been administered to200young respondents and150elder ones. Furthermore, through data screening,149and53valid questionnaires were collected respectively, which were processed with PASW Statistics18.0with the methods of t-test and frequency distribution.The findings reveal that the youth exhibit different core work values with the elder respondents’. The four dimensions of work values under the Schwartz model are ranked as conservation, openness to change, self-transcendence and self-enhancement in sequence with regard to the young generational cohort, whereas in the case of the elder generation, self-transcendence, openness to change, conservation and self-enhancement are ranked in order. In addition, the young group has exhibited several unique features in each category of work values. The one and only reinforcing tendency is observed in the youth’s attitude towards conservation, which contradicts the stereotype of the youth and which is largely attributed to the young cohort’s pursuit after high-quality lifestyle. As for the other three work values, the young subjects exhibit declining trend contrasted the elder ones.Obtaining an understanding of the work values and career anchors of individuals born in the1990s is conducive to providing a guide for training programs about career planning on campus and effective human resources management in organizations.