Generation Translation: Tools for Bridging the Gap

Thankfully, the theory of generations in the workplace is being taken more seriously. I’m also uniquely aware that colorful charts and infographics, while appealing to our senses and, the desire of some for order and ranking, seldom label generations accurately — turning many people off, minimizing the importance of the theory, and failing to provide scholarly references (which do exist) or a logical framework for learning about our vital generational differences and effective ways to overcome those difference in the workplace.

Given that the oldest Millennial is ~36 (2016) and the youngest is about to graduate from high school, most organizations employ a significant number of this generational cohort. So what’s the high cost of delay in taking generational differences seriously?

My Gen X author/partner, Hile Rutledge, Principal of http://oka-online.com/, and I have used powerful OD tools to address personality differences, workplace conflict, leadership development and teambuilding. What we’ve learned is, GENERATIONAL TURF REALLY DOES EXIST and when you’re on it, most OD tools are not relevant when addressing:

1. An organizational system that is negotiating around the role that the handheld device will play at work. “I really need my IPhone and you really need for me not to have it.” Also, technology planning and work flow efficiencies — What technology does your organization see as essential, and what is a fad? That negotiation is powerful.
2. Someone’s access to authority, to leadership. “I think I should have access to you and your resources as a leader whenever I want and need them.” Earlier generations thought differently.
3. Time to promotion. “I’ve been here three months now. When do I receive my promotion?  Generations at odds with one another regarding movement and promotion within the organization.

Different generations have predictably different answers, approaches and not surprisingly, different comfort levels with these types of workplace issues.

We believe that “Generational Theory” provides a powerful demographic framework for creating an environment in which multiple generations interact effectively. The attraction to the theory for organizations is that just by knowing someone’s approximate age and therefore, “the times in which they were born,” you have a greater chance of understanding and even predicting some important workplace and interaction behaviors and attitudes, better connecting with them, and, at times, even positively influencing them.

As we identify in Generational Translation: Tools for Bridging the Gap … Your Generation:

• Consists of a group of people born at the same general time.
• Identifies the importance of shared events, values, cultural shifts and other factors. For example, events that ended the Baby Boom era and gave birth to the Generation X era included double-digit inflation creating dual income households, birth control, women entering the workforce, 24/7 television and the introduction of personal computers, to name a few shared events.
• Remains constant through your life. A 20-year-old Gen Xer will be a 40-year-old Gen Xer and will turn into a 70-year-old Gen Xer and so on.
• Drives certain behaviors as they are engaged to meet core values and needs.
• Governs many of your employment expectations, creating generational employment needs.
• Provides unique insights, perspectives and views on how to deal with recruitment and retention challenges.

We’ve identified multiple other business insights and issues, providing rationale and actionable tools to address generational workplace issues in our 2016 resources: http://www.performanceok.com/store/, gleaned from Pew Research http://www.pewresearch.org/ and the Bureau of Labor Statistics http://www.bls.gov/, as well as our independent studies collecting generational participant data for over 15 years.

These resources are designed to help you with ideas, solutions and tools for bridging the generation gaps in your career, business and life.

Enjoy the adventure of communicating and interacting more effectively across generations!