The generation gap and cultural influence: a Taiwan empirical investigation

Huichun Yu
Peter Miller, Southern Cross University

Abstract

It is well researched and reported that the culture of a nation has a major impact on employees’ work related values, attitudes and expectations. The objective of this study was to investigate if western research on the generation gap applies equally to generational groups in Taiwan’s workplaces, specifically in the higher education sector and manufacturing industry. The research found that groups in the manufacturing industry share generational differences with their western counterparts. However, the research has demonstrated that western research results in respect to generational differences do not apply to the generational workers in the Taiwan education sector. In addition to these findings, the research has uncovered some anomalies with specific research findings in the western literature.