Leadership in nursing: an intergenerational perspective

Leaders have distinct characteristics in the same way that we have unique personalities, likes and dislikes. However, we can also look at each generation as having a predominant set of characteristics shaped by their early years’ history, culture, and technological influences. These characteristics can define some innate behaviours in leaders, such as specific values, leadership styles, and expectations. Tang et al (2017) talk of generational differences by defining a generational cohort as ‘a group of people born at approximately the same time who have experienced similar distinctive social or historical life events during critical developmental periods’. Gilleard (2004) thinks that generations have two distinct features: a common location in historical time and a particular consciousness of that historical position. Benkendorff and Moscardo (2013), in a tourism context, suggest that generations’ share collective personalities and similar life paths, and that they also share a broad set of values and traits. Inglehart