Creating a Cohesive Environment for the Multigenerational Workforce

1. Introduction

For the first time in human history, as many as five generations are represented in the workplace today. Moreover, there are going to be some other significant changes in the demographic composition of the nations workforce in the years to come, so it is vitally important for human resource practitioners to pursue optimal staffing solutions (Stevens, 2018).. The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the relevant literature to define the current generational cohorts in the American workplace, followed by an analysis concerning how intergenerational differences affect workplace relationships and leadership style preferences. Finally, the paper presents a summary of the research and salient findings about creating a cohesive environment for a multigenerational workforce in the conclusion.

2. Define the generations

The designation of the discrete generations that follow below as well as their respective assignment of age ranges is credited to William Strauss and Neil Howe where they first used the breakdown in their 1991 book, Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584 to 2069 (Miller & Caspra, 2017). For the purposes of this study, though, the so-called Traditionalist or Silent generation (i.e., people born before 1946) are not included in this multigenerational breakdown since they comprise an increasingly miniscule percentage of the American workforce today (Stevens, 2018).

a. Baby Boomer Generation (19461964). Although the most recent estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that this generational cohort comprises nearly 30% of the American labor market (Stevens, 2018), this figure may have changed substantially due to the economic downturn and corresponding job losses that are attributable to the ongoing Covid-19 global pandemic. At present, the number of Baby Boomers, currently around 74 million, is projected to decline precipitously to about 27 million by mid-21st century (Bialik & Fry, 2019). In addition, the growing legions of Baby Boomers that have already retired (many of them earlier than they planned due to the Covid-19 pandemic) or plan on retiring in the next few years will place enormous pressure on the countrys Social Security network of support. In this regard, Rodriguez and Green (2009) emphasize that, As boomers begin to collect Social Security, pensions, and other benefits, changes to both public and private retirement systems may occur, such as raising the ages of eligibility, creating flexible pension plans and altering employment practices (p. 68).

b. Generation X (19651980): The current estimates of the Generation X cohort indicate that there are about 72 million people in the United States who were born during this period, but this figure will decline to approximately 50 million workers by 2050 (Bialik & Fry, 2019). In many ways, members of Generation X have been caught in the middle between two more influential...

For instance, according to Cohen (2017), Caught between vast, self-regarding waves of boomers and millennials, Generation X is steeped in irony, detachment, and a sense of dread. One of their rank argues that this attitude makes it the best suited to preserve American tradition in these dark new days (para. 2).

c. Generation Y/Millennials (19812000): Estimated at around 73 million people, this generational cohort overtook Baby Boomers to become the largest living adult generation in the United States in 2019 (Bialik & Fry, 2019). This trend is expected to continue to accelerate these differences as immigrants continue to increase the numbers of this generational cohort, while also driving greater gender, ethnic and racial diversity in the...

…acquired through the school of hard knocks and others from prestigious graduate schools. As a result, unlike coaching, members of each generational cohort can serve as mentors in some capacity for members of other generations. Regardless of its source, though, the importance of knowledge for organizations of all sizes and types is well documented, and there is a growing consensus among organizational behaviorists that one of the only certain ways of achieving and sustaining a competitive advantage is through knowledge acquisition and administration. In this regard, Stevens (2018) points out that, Learning and transferring knowledge within an organization is essential to the future success of the organization. As such it has become imperative for managers to enhance organizational competence in the development of knowledge capture and transfer (p. 220). This guidance means that it is also vitally important to memorialize tacit knowledge while it is still available and to ensure that it is disseminated to appropriate employees that can benefit from the lessons learned in the past.

6. Conclusion

The research was consistent in showing that the demographic makeup on the American workforce has changed in fundamental ways in recent years, and even more pronounced changes are anticipated at least until mid-21st century. Some of the more timely and relevant findings that emerged from the research included the fact that the combination of declining birthrates and a rapidly retired Baby Boomer generation is creating a gap in the current workforce which is projected to become even more pronounced by 2050. Although it would be disingenuous to conclude that each of the generational cohorts that were originally identified by Strauss and Howe in 1991 represents a discrete group with universal attributes, the findings did underscore the need to take the respective general preferences for each generational cohort with respect to leadership tyle into account…