Just a short post today to point you to some fascinating research on generations, geography, and how these forces shape the way we view work and the workplace.

In Generations and Geography, Tammy Erickson and Tim Bevins look at the impact of historic events on different generations. What makes their research so interesting is that it is global–looking not only at the U.S. but also at those factors that impact the views and attitudes of people in Germany, India, China, Brazil, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom.

If I have one quibble with the authors, it’s that they don’t acknowledge the two “tweener” generations (those born in the early 1930s who came of age with traditionalists but were shaped by the events of the 1960s; and those born in the early 1960s–like Barack Obama–who are neither Baby Boomers nor Gen Xers).

My own generational biases aside, it’s a short paper packed with great food for thought.

Photo by Steve Snodgrass (Flickr).