| Summary: | For the first time ever, there are four (soon to be five) generations of nurses working
side‐by‐side in the workplace. Within the generational cohorts there are differences in
age as well as dissimilarity in education, ethnicity, and work values. We examined the
complex linkages between diversity among nursing workgroups, professional burnout
and the mediating effects of conflict (relationship and task). Diversity was defined as the
degree of relative difference or dissimilarity between an individual and other workgroup
members on demographic attributes (age, education and ethnicity) and work values.
Data were collected from a population‐based sample of 600 nurses (80% response rate)
employed by two hospitals in British Columbia. Using latent variable modelling, the
findings from this study show the importance of differences in work values in creating
conflict, which in turn leads to burnout. To a lesser extent, differences in education also
predicted nurses’ displaying a negative and distant attitude as well as having a reduced
sense of personal accomplishment. Addressing work stressors associated with diversity
is an important step in the management of the healthcare workplace, the development
of a healthy workforce, and the retention of nurses (organizational and professional).
Interventions are needed to effectively manage diverse workplaces and to nurture
teamwork; these strategies are crucial to improving the workplace environment, the
quality of nurses’ worklife, and possibly patient care.
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