The Convergence of Work Ethic in the United States: A Transculturation Perspective.

The demographic makeup of the United States workforce is changing. Consequently, we examine work ethic across ethnic groups in the United States and investigate if perceptions of work ethic are changing. We assert that a process of cultural assimilation -- termed "transculturation" - has resulted in a convergence of work ethic perceptions. An empirical analysis supports our hypothesis that a convergence of work ethic across ethnic groups has occurred. The variation of work ethic perceptions within the Millennial generation is significantly less than the variation among older generations. Furthermore, we find no significant difference in general work ethic perceptions among Millennial ethnic groups suggesting that, unlike previous generations, the ethnicity of members of the Millennial generation has little impact upon work ethic perceptions. The results provide a new perspective for researchers interested in the changing demographics of the workforce and offer managers new insights for managing the modern labor force. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]