Managing Intergenerational Diversity in the Workplace

Introduction: The Multigenerational Workforce

One major human resources issue at hand is the generational gap between workers, particularly with respect to generational frictions. Today's workforce is demographically diverse. Because of an aging population, many Baby Boomers are staying in the workforce longer than before, Generation X and Generation Y workers follow behind them, and now the Millennial generation is entering the workforce. There are substantial differences between these generations, and those differences create certain frictions. Generation X workers are the most experienced and the oldest, yet they are also the least likely to have mastered modern technology; Millennials are the opposite. Raised with technology — the youngest among them have never experienced a world without the Internet — they are adept with modern tools but lack meaningful real-world experience.

The value systems of these respective generations are also quite different. The younger the worker, the less likely they are to have much affinity or respect for anything other than meritocracy. It is evident that this multigenerational workforce can be powerful because of the different types of knowledge each generation possesses, but there will also be considerable frictions to be worked out, many of which touch directly on the human resources domain. In the 1990s, professionals were writing about how to manage conflict between Gen Xers and their Boomer managers, and now there is an entirely new generation inserted into this dynamic (Stroul, 1998).

Leveraging Intergenerational Diversity

The best perspective for a human resources professional is to start with the positive aspects of intergenerational diversity, because there is real opportunity for a company to reap significant benefits from such diversity in the workforce. Jackson (2012) recommends that the human resources department create programs for educating all members of the workforce. The fact that everyone is an adult is not sufficient to create understanding of the differences that arise between generations. Jackson (2012) argues that the generations have more commonalities than differences, which means that it should be relatively easy for managers to learn about and address those distinctions. Identifying potential problems before they arise is one of the things that can help reduce conflict where matters like direct communication are concerned. Having people from different generations communicate with each other can also help resolve conflict — there is evidence that sharing success stories about intergenerational cooperation in the workplace can have a positive influence on employee perceptions about working in a multigenerational environment (Sudheimer, 2009).

Another tactic, besides education, is to build the interests of each generation into human resources policies. Each generation has different preferences regarding recognition and reward for good performance. The company should be aware of this and able to accommodate accordingly. Millennials, for example, can be informed that Boomers' lack of technological savvy is not a deficiency because they have so much else to offer — but this framing will only resonate if Millennials are given genuine opportunities to add to their own skill sets by acquiring that knowledge and experience for themselves. Different rewards appeal to different generations, and the company should be able to accommodate these preferences to a reasonable extent.

Another strategy that has been used is to keep the generations somewhat separate within the workforce. This is more feasible when each generation has a specialty in a particular area — in other words, when there is a degree of task segregation. There is risk in keeping generations apart, in that they may never fully appreciate the contributions of the others; however, there is also limited opportunity for direct conflict, since people work with others who share similar outlooks and value systems.

Training Management

As noted, training management is a key means by which conflict can both be avoided and overcome. While it is important to focus on the comparative advantages each generation offers, the reality is that conflict will occur. Managers who are older may have difficulty understanding the motivations of younger workers, particularly when younger workers tend to question established ways of doing things. There can be particular challenges around either direct management or with the transfer of organizational power between generations. Management therefore needs to be familiar with conflict resolution strategies, which will most likely focus on finding commonalities between people of different generations. These commonalities do exist, even if much of the literature emphasizes the differences (Jackson, 2012).

Managers should also recognize that corporate culture is a powerful tool through which workers with very different interests can be oriented toward a common goal. Furthermore, there need to be ways for managers to demonstrate that each set of generational preferences has validity, that every role needs to be performed, and that it is performed well by those who do it. Many people struggle to see how different pieces of a puzzle fit together, but this is precisely what managers should be able to do — and should be able to communicate as part of a conflict-reduction strategy.

References

Dols, J., Landum, P., & Wieck, L. (2010). Leading and managing an intergenerational workforce. Creative Nursing, 16(2), 68–74.

Jackson, S. (2012). Leveraging intergenerational diversity to meet business goals. In C. Scott & M. Byrd (Eds.), Handbook of research on workforce diversity in a global society (pp. 385–402). Business Science Reference.

Legas, M., & Sims, C. (2011). Leveraging generational diversity in today's workplace. Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development, 5(3), 1–9.

McGuire, D., By, R., & Hutchings, K. (2007). Towards a model of human resource solutions for achieving intergenerational interaction in organisations. Journal of European Industrial Training, 31(8), 592–606.

Stroul, N. (1998). Managing the conflict: Gen-Xers and their boomer managers. Human Resources Professional, May/June 1998, 28–32.

Sudheimer, E. (2009). Stories appreciating both sides of the generation gap: Baby boomer and Generation X nurses working together. Nursing Forum, 44(1), 57–63.