1. Generations in the Workplace: Building Bridges
Good morning -- thanks -- etc.
I’d like to begin with a story that is told in the book “When Generations Collide” to which some of you may easily be able to relate! The 3 authors of the book are from 3 generations…Lynne is a Boomer and David is a Gen. Xer. David had just been reprimanded by one of their largest client, and Lynne was amazed because even though the client company’s leadership team was composed of high-level Baby Boomers and Traditionalists and David was one of the youngest consultants they’d ever hired, they had excellent rapport with him and liked his work.
David explained that in order to kick off a new project, he had typed a memo outlining the process, and sent it out to everyone. A few days later, he received a very curt voice mail from a vice-president. “David, I received your memo and you neglected to ALPHABETIZE the list of recipients at the top of the page. You’re going to have to pay attention to details! I’m sure this won’t happen again.” click.
David was confused -- spelling and grammar in a formal memo he could understand, but alphabetizing? He didn’t get it. When Lynne heard this, the first words out of her mouth were “David! I can’t BELIEVE you didn’t alphabetize the list of recipients at the top of the page!” After she calmed down, she explained that this group of leaders was a competitive group of high achieving Boomers and Traditionalists who had had to fight and claw their way to the top, and to them it was extremely significant where the names appeared at the top of the memo.
Lynne felt really good at being able to explain this to David… until...A few days later, Lynne received a voice mail from their Gen. X video producer that went like this: “Uh, dude, I’m a little concerned about the middle montage, it’s looking radically raw…Not to worry, we’re doin’ it digital, we can slice and dice and mix and match, it’s gonna look stellar, but hook me with the 411 if you have any questions or I’ll just assume you’ll call me at three bells.” click. David relished the opportunity to translate this message to Lynne, while all Lynne could say was “how much are we paying this loser?”
Now David’s the one feeling good, until a few weeks later he was driving the fifteen year old babysitter home. She asked him where David and his wife and had gone to dinner. He told her he had gone to Café Brenda, one of those healthy, hip, and trendy restaurants in the warehouse district of Minneapolis where every other dish is served with pine nuts and arugula. The babysitter then said “Oh, I love that place, it’s so fat!!” To which David replied, “That surprises me, because they pride themselves on low-fat cooking!!! She then explained to David that “fat” was actually spelled “Phat” and meant cool, at which point David realized he was no longer cool…..What happened here????

2. Generation Gaps: Why We Struggle
Social experiences
News headlines
Political Experiences
Economic Conditions
Size of the Cohort
Shared Life Experiences
Pop Culture

3. _Million _ Million _ Million _ Million Builders/ Veterans Born 1925-
1945
Baby
Boomers
Born 1946-
1964
_Million
_ Million
Generation
“X”
Born 1965-
1977
Millennials/
Gen “Y”
Born 1978-
1996
What are the four generations and when were they born?
Click slides to reveal generation titles and years born.
Then click one more time to reveal total number of people in each generation (all four numbers appear at one time).
Ask “Since Size of the Cohort Matters, what do you notice about the sizes of the cohorts right off the bat?”
VERY few Gen Xers compared to Baby Boomers and Millennials. They came into the workforce at a time when the economy was generally booming, and they were offered signing bonuses, and all kinds of perks to work for companies because workers in short supply and there was a high demand.
You start to see how size of cohort and economic conditions impact work values and expectations right off the bat!
_ Million
_ Million

4. Builders/Veterans/Traditionalists
Some Defining Events:

5. Builder/ Veteran Values
Duty before pleasure
Loyal
Dependable
Honor heroes and leaders
Belief in institutions like the church, government, companies
Discipline
Hard work and sacrifice should be rewarded

6. In the Workplace One Career, in one company
Lines of authority are clear and respected: chain of command
Respectful of and obedient to leaders
Autocratic leadership and management
Prefer consistency and conformity to procedure/policy
Feedback only when something is wrong
Delayed reward and gratification

7. Baby Boomers
Some Defining Events:

8. Baby Boomer Values LIVE to work Identity is tied to professional life
Hard work = success
Love/hate relationship with authority
Belief and trust in institutions
Competitive: get ahead
Service-oriented; optimistic
Relationship/team-builders
Health and wellness
Forever young

9. In the Workplace Upward mobility in 2 – 3 companies
Love/hate relationship with leaders: change of command
Participative leadership and management
Hard work and sacrifice = promotion!
Annual performance reviews
Proud of their experience
Willing to go the extra mile – good team players
Use technology to work MORE!

10. Generation X
Defining events:

11. Generation X Values Skepticism Distrust of institutions
Hard work does not guarantee success
Work-life balance: work to LIVE
Identity is connected to fun, family
Self-reliant, autonomous
Practical/pragmatic
Work should be fun
Competitive; upward mobility
Adapt to change well
Techno-literate
Instant gratification
Multi-taskers

12. In the Workplace 2 – 3 careers, several companies
Not intimidated by authority; titles don’t matter to them
Respect ability and knowledge, not the title
Thrive on change; tendency to reject rules in favor of what is practical to them
Want frequent feedback on how they can improve and be promotable
Value on the job training
Use technology to help them balance home and work life

13. Millennials
Defining Events

14. Millennial Values FAST multi-taskers Work to LIVE
Socially responsible: Volunteerism
Interested in spirituality
Expect and celebrate diversity
Confident; believe they are ready now for more responsibility
Like to work in teams
Technology is an integral part of who they are
Delayed adulthood
Want and expect PRAISE
Morality; abstinence up, substance abuse is down

15. In the Workplace Anticipate having 5 – 7 different careers
Respect authority figures and believe they are useful as mentors, cheerleaders, and career counselors
First generation who doesn’t need an authority figure to access information
Want and need mentors, but do not know how to reach out to them
Need interpersonal communication skills
Want constant feedback….and LOTS of PRAISE!
Want work to be meaningful, challenging, and on their own terms
Expect diversity
Expect rewards

16. Shared Values of All Generations
______________
_____________
________________________________
-- Ben Rosen, Ph.D., UNC-CH Kenan-Flagler Business School

17. All generations agreed that the ideal leader…
Leads by Example
Is Accessible
Helps others see how their roles contribute to the organization
Acts as a coach and mentor
Challenges others and holds others accountable
-- Ben Rosen, Ph.D., UNC-CH Kenan-Flagler Business School

18. Tips for working with Millennials
Acknowledge their expertise and perspective and that you can learn from them
Be open to new ways of working
Embrace technology
Create opportunities to involve them in important projects
Offer to be a mentor
Find a communications balance
Foster fun work environment
Give frequent feedback and praise
Avoid age-related name-calling “the children”

19. Tips for working with Generation X
Acknowledge their experience, expertise, and that you can learn from them
Be clear and direct; avoid jargon, buzzwords
Find a communications balance
Allow flexibility in work style processes
Honor the need for work-life balance
Encourage a friendly, casual work environment
Avoid age-related name-calling “slacker, no loyalty, poor work ethic”

20. Tips for working with Baby Boomers
Acknowledge their experience, expertise, and hard work
Find a communications balance between text/ /voic and face-to-face communication
Seek their help with workplace politics
Use them as a sounding board
Avoid age-related comments like “They’ll do anything to get ahead, they’re workaholics”

21. Tips for working with Builders/Veterans
Acknowledge their experience and dedication
Pay attention to the chain of command
Speak positively about history of organization
Express interest in the work – processes, projects, etc.
Seek their insights
Use them as a resource
Acknowledge their respect for rules and hierarchy
Avoid age-related offensive comments “Aren’t you ready to retire?”

22. “People resemble their times more than they resemble their parents.”
What will you commit to do differently to improve teamwork with coworkers of different generations?
Have you learned anything today?
You HAVE heard some new information today, and reheard some old information. Learning does not occur until you do something differently; What will you commit to do differently to improve teamwork with coworkers of different generations than yours?
“People resemble their times
more than they resemble their parents.”

23. References
Zemke, Ron; Raines, Claire; and Filipczak, Bob. Generations at Work., 2nd Edition. AMACOM, 2013.
White, Marion. “Rethinking Generation Gaps in the Workplace: Focus on Shared Values.” Whitepaper published by UNC Executive Development, 2011.
Espinoza, Chip; Ukleja, Mick; and Rusch, Craig. Managing the Millennials. John Wiley & Sons, 2010.
Lancaster, Lynne C. and Stillman, David. When Generations Collide. Harper Business, 2002.