Talent: Generational Differences That Do Make a Difference

Yesterday's Talent: Does Generational Difference Really Matter? drew a series of insightful comments. Most zeroed in on the fact that, regardless of the scenario, we humans want others to be more like us--and respond the way we want them to respond--regardless of what the perceived difference might be.

So, What Is Different Across Certain Generations?

1. Longevity. When it comes to a view of long-term employment, about 70 percent of the boomers born in the late 40s/early 50s say they see themselves sticking with an employer for more than three years. That figure drops to a little less than 40% when GenXer's are asked the same question.

I'm assuming that, for the boomers, retirement is in the back of their minds (or maybe the front), and a 3-year horizon would enable many to fulfill the related financial goals by not changing employers.

However: There's a clear business implication. Companies intent on retention and knowledge transfer are faced with a double-whammy. If one group is churning and the other simply won't be around for a long time, the problem becomes obvious. It's not new, it's discussed a lot, and it's real.

Which leads to:

2. How knowledge gets transferred.

Karl Kapp made a presentation to Lockheed-Martin Corporation titled Bridging the Boomer/Gamer Knowledge Gap. He underscored the fact that learning preferences do come into play:

• Boomer knowledge is formal, structured, hierarchical, and based on a distinction between the interface and information.

• Gamer (Net Generation) knowledge is informal, unstructured, non-hierarchical, and based on the assumption that the information is the interface (my italics).

Regarding the knowledge transfer that must occur as the baby boomers retire and the Gamers enter the workforce, Kapp recommends that organizations break out of the “class mentality” and think in terms of learning events.

Here's what that means: As soon as someone recognizes a need to know something, a person, group, or online resource is put together almost immediately to handle the need. It can happen from beginning to end in 10-15 minutes.

That also means knowing "who knows what" and having a process--and a culture--that enables learning to happen.

If you think that getting together in a classroom for a day is the way to go, ask yourself this: "How many minutes of learning really took place during the years I spent inside the classroom?"

3. Expectations of Work.

The silent generation--those born before 1943 and now in the retirement bracket--express a need for work that's interesting, fair pay, and recognition for a job well done.

Gen X folks say they want work schedule flexibility, bonus pay for outstanding accomplishment (vs. pay for seniority), and a path forward in the organization.

What to think?

When we compare similarities vs. differences, it's clear that all age groups have common needs that they want to have satisfied. The differences are pretty well known to most organizations and consultants; #2 is probably the one with the largest potential impact right now and, from my daily consulting work, the one that has real urgency.

What I hope will be a relief to readers of all organizational ilks is this: the fundamental desires of people remain consistent through the ages (and age groups). We want to be respected and acknowledged in some way for who we are and what we bring to a task; we want a good quality of life for ourselves at work and for our families at home; and we want our employers to treat us in those terms and not as a commodity that can be replaced without consequence.

Regardless of how many generations are seated at the conference table, each is looking for leadership that acknowledges the above. It's not complicated.

It does require a unifying heart, an understanding mind, and the willingness and ability to connect the two.

________________________________________________________________________________________

For more on generations:

Lisa Orrell focuses on just this topic at her Generation Relations site.

Jennifer Fisher is working on a research project and would appreciate your input at Generation Soup.

For something from the marketing side: James Chartrand's post at Copyblogger .

Photo acknowledgments:
www.celebheights.com/starimages/snoop-dogg.jpg
abcnews.go.com
alifecycle.blogspot.com
commons.wikimedia.org

Comments

[Wally Bock]

Congratulations! This post was selected as one of the five best business blog posts of the week in my Three Star Leadership Midweek Review of the Business Blogs.

http://blog.threestarleadership.com/2008/05/07/5708-a-midweek-look-at-the-business-blogs.aspx

Wally Bock

[Cheri]

Excellent post on a topic that often gets superficial coverage - thanks!

[Jim Stroup]

Steve,

This is an excellent summary of this important and often disorienting issue; concise and incisive. Whenever I read about these disparities in percentages, I automatically recoil at the negative things they suggest about both generations (while acknowledging that they have positive things to say, as well); for example, the implication that Baby Boomers are complacent and can be taken for granted, or that the "gamer" generation (love the tag) is flighty and self-centered.

So that's why my vote for best line goes to this: ". . . the fundamental desires of people remain consistent through the ages (and age groups)."

The thing is that while generations as groups do have characteristics that can be validly generalized on to the group, sizable segments of them have different, even contrary, characteristics - even those that are more typically found in another generation.

Managers at all times should be alert to these differences - they'll be found even in the unlikely event that a manager has representatives of only one generation in employ. Projecting generational generalizations on to particular individuals or staffs has never been a truly effective basis for organizational design or management.

So, your emphasis on the core enduring fact - that it is the obligation of the organization to engage the employee (especially the knowledge worker) - is right on the money. And, when organizations learn to do that effectively, the percentages might change, too.

Thanks for a real thinker, here, Steve!

[Steve Roesler]

Jim,

As we talk about this, we return to a theme that's been central to many of our conversations: a manager's job is to know the people--individually--and have the kind of relationship that is deeper than guessing "motivation" based on stereotype, whether generational or otherwise.

I wonder what gets in the way of managers doing on-the-job what they probably do well when coaching soccer in the evening?

Just a thought.