The impact of generation diversity on trust within companies

Abstract This paper investigates the causes of generational differences at work and their impact on the propensity to trust. We treated propensity to trust as a proxy for social capital, enhancing cooperation and efficiency. We assessed trust variations in a sample of five companies using combined qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate possible differences in the levels of trust among generational cohorts. We conducted 36 in depth-interviews and 24 focus groups and collected 894 valid questionnaires. The qualitative analysis suggests that differences among generations are related to the experience of time and time-flow and uncertainty and vulnerability throughout one’s lifetime. The results confirm that perceived vulnerability negatively affects the predisposition to trust.

摘要 本研究聚焦职场代际差异的成因及其对信任倾向的影响。我们将信任倾向作为社会资本的代理变量，以助力提升合作水平与运行效率。本研究采用定性与定量相结合的研究方法，针对五家企业的样本评估信任差异，以探究不同代际群体间信任水平的潜在差异。本次研究共开展36次深度访谈、24组焦点小组讨论，并回收894份有效问卷。定性分析结果显示，代际差异与个体一生中的时间体验、时间流动感知以及人生历程中的不确定性与脆弱感密切相关。研究结果证实，感知到的脆弱感会对信任倾向产生负面影响。