Date of Award
2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Department
Education
First Advisor
Laurie Stevahn
Second Advisor
Ted Kalmus
Third Advisor
Osure Brown
Abstract
Contemporary organizations are increasingly multigenerational, yet much of the existing literature frames generational difference through simplified cohort categories that obscure the relational, structural, and interpretive conditions shaping organizational life. This dissertation examines how individuals across generational experiences make sense of their interactions with one another in organizations, particularly focused on tensions between generational identity and organizational norms. Generational Theory, Organizational Sensemaking, and Narrative Identity informed this study, highlighting the socially constructed, contextually mediated, and narratively interpreted nature of generational experiences rather than fixed or universal. A constructivist qualitative design rooted in narrative inquiry drew upon semi-structured narrative interviews with nine participants representing Baby Boomer, Generation X, Millennial, and Generation Z cohorts across three organizational contexts: corporate business, higher education, and K–12 education. Interview responses were analyzed through a layered process that moved from narrative blocks within interviews to within-case subthemes to cross-case major themes with attention to interpretation that maintained lived experiences and voice. The six major themes that emerged included (a) belonging and relational collaboration; (b) voice, communication, and generational positioning; (c) culture, power, and institutional structure; (d) ethics, values conflict, and moral dilemmas; (e) external events, crisis sensemaking, and care; and (f) identity, coping, and development over time. This suggests that generational dynamics are best understood not as stable differences between age-based cohorts, but as relational and interpretive processes shaped by organizational norms, power, role expectations, and broader sociopolitical conditions. These findings indicate that generational experience becomes meaningful in organizational life through ongoing negotiation around belonging, legitimacy, authority, and change.
Recommended Citation
Madden, Nicole E.; Merino-Cruz, Jimmy A.; Miller, Laura G.; and Smiley, Alice R., "Narrating the Gap: Generational Experience, Organizational Norms, and the Pursuit of Cohesion" (2026). Educational and Organizational Learning and Leadership Dissertations. 12.
https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/etds-eoll-dissertations/12