Conceptualization of Career Success: Generational Differences across cultures

There is a growing concern with how a workforce of increasing age-related diversity should be effectively managed and how careers develop (see, e.g., Lyons & Kuron, 2014; Ng, Lyons & Schweitzer, 2012; Parry, 2014; Unite, Parry, Briscoe & Chudzikowski, 2012). Specifically, questions about the extent to which differences exist between generations regarding work and career-related preferences appears to be one of both theoretical and practical relevance (Lyons & Kuron, 2014). In recent years, academic interest in the changing nature of the career phenomena has increased. Partly this changing nature is associated with what is addressed as ‘new economy’ (Lippmann, 2008) emphasising emerging flexible employment patterns and contingent workforces (Matusik & Hill, 1998) in a globalised economy. Whereas some claim that the nature of careers in certain settings have changed over time (e.g., Ashford, George & Blatt, 2007; Biemann, Fasang & Grunow, 2011; Chudzikowski, 2012; Dries, Pepermans & De Kerpel, 2008; Lyons, Schweitzer & Ng, 2015; Mayrhofer et al., 2011) there are also indications that attitudes towards careers shift over the life course of careers (Elder Jr,, Johnson, & Crosnoe, 2003Elder, 2003) and across different age groups or generations.