Date
5-25-2023
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)
Chair
Rebecca T. Lindsey
Keywords
gratitude, generational cohorts, organizational citizenship behavior, employee well-being, generation x, millennials, generation z
Disciplines
Psychology
Recommended Citation
Wolfenbarger, Christie LeAnn, "Gratitude Impact on Organizational Citizenship Behavior, Employee Well-Being, and Three Generational Cohorts: Generation X, Millennials, Generation Z" (2023). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 4512.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/4512
Abstract
Gratitude has been associated with religious traditions and studied among several scholars over time. It has gained recognition among organizations due to its associations with positive work outcomes. The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to see if gratitude had a positive relationship with employee well-being and organization citizenship behavior (OCB) and to look for differences in the constructs among three generational cohorts: Generation Z, millennials, and Generation X. Data collected through an online survey using self-reported measures (n=731) were analyzed using the Pearson’s correlation and Kruskal-Wallis Tests. Completed surveys by cohort were Generation X (239), millennials (298), and Generation Z (194). The Pearson’s correlation test did show a positive relationship between gratitude and OCB and gratitude and employee well-being. The Kruskal-Wallis Test showed differences among the generational cohorts for gratitude and OCB but did not show differences among the generational cohorts and employee well-being. Organizations can benefit from practical implications of this study such as awareness of gratitude intervention programs that may positively impact gratitude among employees.
