Sustaining Business Newsletter

How to Make the Generation Gaps Work for You
By Jennifer S. Hendrickson

So much is being said lately about the baby boomers and their impending retirement.  This coming January 1 will begin the baby boomers’ eligibility for Social Security benefits.  This will undoubtedly begin the largest transfer of wealth (and management control) that we’ve ever experienced.  Many call it the “Silver Tsunami”.  But to understand the issue of current generational differences we need to examine them as four different groups:

The Veterans (1922-1943): 
Veterans are a product of the Great Depression and World War II.  They represent a great deal of lore and wisdom and sometimes reminisce about “the good old days”.  Whether they are your target market, your employee or a board member; this generation will likely value security and stability.

The Baby Boomers (1942-1960): 
Baby boomers are postwar babies who grew up during violent social protests, lifestyle experimentation and anti-establishment demonstrations.  Although they may be wearing suits and ties now, they still have a passion for collaboration, heart and humanity in the workplace.  They typically like meetings (which usually drive the Gen Xers crazy) and are still influenced by their Veteran parents.

The Gen Xers (1960-1980):
Reared during the era of the Watergate scandal, the energy crisis, higher divorce rates, MTV and corporate downsizing; many were latchkey kids.  They are technologically adept, independent and wary of structured organizations (many of which laid off their parents who had invested their entire lives in one big corporation).  Gen Xers are entrepreneurial and embrace change.  They believe that having marketable skills can take them anywhere; therefore they are more committed to their chosen vocation than to any one organization.  They dislike “micromanaging” and desperately want to achieve a work/life balance.  They work to live—not live to work.

The Nexters a.k.a. Gen Y (1980+):
These are the children of soccer moms and little league dads. They are not just technologically adept, they are truly savvy.  They are prone to many of the same struggles as the GenXers, but they grew up in a world where communication takes place via e-mail, text messages, and in chat rooms; therefore their verbal and formal writing skills may be somewhat lacking.

So, rather than shaking your head at a Veteran who is always telling the same stories about the past, a Boomer who wants to schedule a meeting to talk about an upcoming meeting, a Xer who will likely work for 8-10 different companies in his/her lifetime or a Nexter who doesn’t know the difference between the words “their” and “there”…stop and think about the vast generational chasms that define their world.  As Xers and Nexters begin to take over the corporate roles in America, it will seem like a different place.  Businesses will be bought and sold for huge profits; if employees are unhappy they’ll simply start their own business and more conversations will happen by cell phone than in a conference room.  It will be a very different business environment, indeed.

Realizing that any number of these groups may be in your organization, knowing their generational tendencies—or at the very least respecting their differences— may help improve communication in your business. 

To learn more about these generational gaps and how they are working in your specific organization, simply contact us.

Reference:  “Leadership”, fifth edition by Hughes, Ginnett and Curphy © 2006