Managing Multiple Generations in Business
Introduction
The degree of change that the world has seasoned over the past 50 years is a staggeringly high amount, and the pace at which a lot of these changes have come about is no less impressive. These shifts have touched nearly every aspect of our lives beyond our fundamental physical needs and have had a profound impact on how we live our day to day lives.
One area of life that has not escaped these vast changes is the business domain. Modern companies may operate within the same fundamental principles of profitability that have governed business since it started, but many of the characteristics of a successful company trading in the contemporary arena would seem foreign to businesses of the past.
An interesting issue that modern companies face is how to manage the different generations of individuals who make up their staff.
This is partly due to the increasing life expectancy of people, particularly in first world countries, which consequently prompts an ever increasing retirement age. Since people work to a later point in their lives, they may remain with the same organisation into their late 60’s or early 70’s, and often as hands- on workers rather than simply sitting on the board.
There is also a need for a more diverse set of skills in the modern business surroundings, triggered largely due to the swift development and wide reach of computer technology. Business processes, both internal and external, have been subject to significant changes which require a new way of thinking. These new ways of thinking are most commonly found within the younger working generation.
Problems
One of the most typical problems that face a modern business that is operating with a number of distinct generations in its workforce is related to technology. Computers are commonplace in each of our lives nowadays and they form a pivotal piece of the corporate puzzle.
There are also generational problems when it comes to external business factors such as the law. New laws and business best practices are emerging all of the time and key business decision makers must be aware of any that apply to their business.
Outside of this, there can be communication problems between different generations of employee, psychological limitations of the older personnel in an organisation and the need to satisfy a range of different needs and aspirations to keep an entire workforce happy.
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The Generations
The requirement to handle generations in the workplace may seem like an unneeded task, but the distinctions between the generations of worker that are commonly found in business are worth taking note of.
Traditionals
Senior, or “traditional”, workers are the oldest that would be found in a modern business environment. They’re the people who were born before the Second World War, and will be in their late 60’s or early 70’s.
Their approach to industry and life in general is one of organisation and obedience. They were expected to make individual sacrifices for the greater good, and while this belief was nurtured under the shadow of an international conflict, lots of the older generation still harbour this opinion nowadays.
Since many of the senior generation will hold senior positions within a company their views and opinions will generally carry more weight than those of younger generations. Their judgements will often be fundamental to the business and sculpt the future success or failure of the business.
Baby Boomers
The Baby Boomer generation includes those born between the end of the war and the mid- 60’s, while there was a general down turn in the birth rate around the globe. Baby Boomers will be aged between 45 and 65 roughly speaking and are likely to form the vast majority of management jobs within a contemporary business.
This generation grew up without a lot of the oppression and discipline that was commonplace amongst earlier generations. They are an aspirational collection of people that are highly family- oriented. They would be the parents of the traditional “nuclear family”.
When it comes to the workplace, this group of workers will frequently be able to grasp the bigger picture whilst still maintaining a grasp on modern developments in terms of technologies and business processes. Their family- oriented character tends to see them working well in teams, although it is often observed that they are not comfortable when taking criticism(no matter how constructive) , and they are not good at providing feedback to other employees.
Generation X
Members of Generation X were born between the mid- 60’s and the late- 70’s. They will be currently aged between 30 and 45 and will be distributed amongst the various tiers of management within a modern company.
Socially they grew up in extremely demanding times. Careers were an ever more important and defining part of people’s lives and this was made clear to Generation X from a very young age. Many will have progressed through lower and higher education before working their way up within one or maybe two companies. They are expected to work long and challenging hours and frequently both parties in a marriage or relationship will have careers.
Therefore, they are often very good at problem solving and achieving short- term objectives but can struggle to grasp how their contribution influences the big picture. They will be motivated by financial benefits rather than a sense of duty because they feel they have paid their dues through a life of learning and work. Generation X need close supervision to ensure their effective contribution to the organisation.
Generation NeXt
This generation were born after 1980 and are the youngest group of people currently at work. They have borne witness to a changing social climate where being an extravert is seldom frowned upon. They are most open to radical ideas and processes and find hyper- consumerism and aggressive promotion to be second nature.
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The Working Environment
Technology
Everyone is familiar with the gap between the elderly generations and contemporary technological equipment. Whether it is a parent only just coping to operate a new mobile phone, or a grandparent being truly confused about what the Internet is, the void between the old and the new becomes very apparent when it comes to technology.
In regards to the modern organisation, issues involving technology can have very far reaching implications. Computers are vital to many aspects of business, from controlling payroll, to perform core tasks and even providing a channel for marketing. As such, an employee who is not familiar with the systems being used by an organisation is likely to find difficulties in many parts of the business. This introduces the challenge of managing generations within the workplace.
A similar principle may also be applied in the opposite direction. The younger generations might be very comfortable with new technologies and routines, but may lack knowledge of the older systems that still perform many of the critical functions of the organisation.
Physical limitations
There are obvious physical factors that may influence how a successful company manages its workers in regard to age. Elderly generations will by and large by physically inferior to their younger counterparts, and consequently they will be less suited to roles that require physical exertions.
Fortunately, most of the older generations of employee will have advanced to senior levels of management within the business they work for, and these jobs reward based upon understanding and experience rather than physical capability.
Modern ailments
Modern companies are faced with physical problems that businesses of the past would not have had to face. Complaints such as RSI, or repetitive strain injury, have become much more common since the widespread launch and use of personal computer keyboards.
The desk setting itself can create a number of problems if the ergonomics of any specific workstation are not great. Back problems and joint problems can develop after long periods of sitting incorrectly, and long durations of exposure to computer screens can contribute to long- term eye impairment. Studies are on- going to investigate the full scale of the impact of the modern workplace on the body.
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Solutions
The management of generations in the workplace has obtained greater exposure over recent years and many additional companies have been made aware of the benefit of good generational management. This has spawned a number of new ideas and routines that are in one way or another aimed at developing the working rapport between the business and its workforce, no matter how old they may be.
If there are specific jobs within your business that are most appropriate for a particular generation then it is often beneficial to only get members of that generation to carry out the task. This kind of specialisation demands good organisational management. It will also be necessary to pass the knowledge on from generation to generation when your workforce grows old.
There are a number of ways in which your company can learn about managing different generations of staff. Seminars dedicated to the subject have become a more common event in recent times, and the amount of helpful information that can be obtained from these events can be of great benefit to your organisation.
There are also many resources available on the Internet that discuss the problem in more detail, and draw together a range of different ideas for tackling various scenarios.
If setting your own managers the task of learning about generations within the workplace does not seem appropriate there are many business consultants that now incorporate the idea of generational management into their practice. Utilising their services could be the most recommended way to address your business situation.
Conclusion
Different generations of employee can find it difficult to work together. They have grown up in different times and learnt about a world that has been continually changing. There are not simply concerns when it comes to the language used for communication, but issues of manners as well as etiquette.
Each generation is also stimulated by different things, and have come from different social upbringings. It will rarely be true that one solution can be applied across a multitude of generations but it is also crucial that you make sure that your company does not micro- manage the different age groups working for it.
Contemporary businesses have a varied range of skills requirements and these requirements simply cannot be satisfied by just one of the generations discussed in this article. As is so often the case, the path to success depends upon finding a balance between the generations- employing the advantages, mitigating the weaknesses and encouraging accordingly – through educated and empathetic management.
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