Leading Diverse Workplace Generations Effectively

1. Leading Diverse Workplace Generations Effectively Ontario Council for University Lifelong Learning October 17, 2008 Stephen H. Smith

2. Goals of the Workshop • Provide an updated view of workplace generations (Knowledge); • Highlight some implications for leaders (Appreciation and Understanding); • Opportunity to transfer the understanding into practical action planning (Application).

3. Agenda • Concept of Generational Differences; • Basic Premises of the Presentation/Workshop; • Some Cautions on Studying Generations; • Descriptions of Generational Differences; • Overview of Generational Commonalities; • Considerations for Managing Generational Diversity; • Scenario Action Planning.

4. What’s the Big Deal? “If the workplace feels like a battle zone and colleagues sometimes act like adversaries you are not alone. Today’s four generations glare at one another across the conference table and potential for conflict and confusion has never been greater.” (Lancaster & Stillman)

5. What’s the Big Deal? “There is a growing realization that the gulf of misunderstanding and resentment between older, not so old and younger employees in the workplace is growing and problematic.” Gensler Group – Kirkpatrick/Martin/Warneke

6. So What’s New? “Young people today are tyrants. They contradict their parents, they eat like slobs and tyrannize their teachers” Socrates (470-399 BC)

7. So What’s New? “They’re rude. They’re slackers. They dress unprofessionally. They love loud music. They don’t respect people who are older. They’re… Generation Y?” Wrong – they are you!

8. So What’s New? The term generation gap came into vogue in the 1960’s as way of describing the apparent wide gulf in values, beliefs and lifestyles between baby boomers and their parents.

9. So What’s New? “The reason people blame things on previous generations is that there is no other choice” Doug Larson

10. Differences Really? “ Their leadership behaviors, and what they want from work, from today’s generation compare with other generations and find that age doesn’t really make all that much difference.” Barry Posner

11. Differences Really? “There’s this “mythology” built up about relationships between the oldest and youngest generations, and for the most part it’s just not true.” Terry West

12. So Why Does this Really Matter? • There really is a labour shortage; • There really is a “War for Talent”; • You really need to retain all the employees you can; • Many baby boomers are not retiring; • Workplace Diversity is really here to stay.

13. And Furthermore… “Regardless of the emphasis the fact of the matter is that we have 3-4 different groups of different ages, at different stages in their careers, functioning in a very fast paced changing and increasing diverse world”.

14. So Why Am I Here?

15. So Why Am I Here? • Major Careers Job & the Need to Survive – have been part of teams with diversity of generations; • College Teaching – primarily Generation X and Y’s (Kate)

16. Some Basic Premises • Generations have differences; • These differences often result in conflicts; • Most intergenerational conflicts have a common cause or issue; • It is the issue of power – who has it and wants it.

17. Some Basic Premises-2 • All generations share several commonalities: • E.g. They all want the same basic things – but how they get them is different; • E.g. They have the same basic core values - they just express the differently;

18. Some Good News “We as leaders can work with or manage people from all generations effectively without becoming magicians, selling our souls or more importantly losing our sanity” Jennifer Deal

19. Some Cautions Lots of sources & information about descriptions of the differences of generations is available, but there is a limited number of research studies or documented sources (Discernment).

20. Some Cautions-2 • We need to guard against lumping individuals into a whole group – risk of stereotyping or psycho-analyzing whole generation of individuals. • Some of the differences – well who really cares?

21. Some Cautions-3 • All characteristics do not apply to all individuals within the group; • Personalities, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and environment are also the causes of differences not just age; • Exceptions to the rule do not invalidate the general rule description on generations;

22. Some Cautions-4 • Do not key only on differences – also focus on commonalities.

23. Story to Illustrate Difference • Key recruitment situation; • Diverse cast of characters; • Three sets of different needs & interests; • One big potential problem; • Sources of creativity and productivity.

24. What Happened? • HR Recruitment Coordinator successfully persuaded the manager to flex and support the hire/leave; • Six months later the manager was singing the praises of the HR Coordinator and how she save his “hide” • HR was successful in its only mission – facilitating the line department to achieve their business goals.

25. So what should we do? Lots of situations are not generational in nature – but again lots are, so it is valuable to have “generational lenses” handy. Claire Raines

26. Overview of Descriptions of Generation Differences • Review Chart Comparison of Characteristics of Main Generations in the Workplace

27. Key Differences in Workplace • Differences that can cause conflict:

28. Key Differences in the Workplace-2 • Differences that can cause conflict:

29. Key Differences in the Workplace-3 • Differences that can cause conflict;

30. Boomer Workplace

31. Generation X Workplace

32. Perceptions are Important • How each generation sees the other is important to managing the diversity:

33. Differences on Technology: Generation Y

34. Generations Have Things in Common • There are differences how they view their worlds because their worlds are different; • How the generations articulate their values are different; • But it appears that each generation’s core values are not much different.

35. Research by Center of Creative Leadership & Posner/Kouzes • Center of Creative Leadership: • (5,800 people participated in survey research) • Posner/Kouzes- The Leadership Challenge • (over 10,000 respondents)

36. Top Five Values, by Generation • Source: Jennifer Deal – Center for Creative Leadership

37. All Generations Want Respect • Source: Center of Creative Leadership • What people mean by respect is: • Listen to me, pay attention to what I say; • Give my opinions some weight in your decisions; • Do what I tell you to do;

38. All Generations Want Respect-2 • People in authority want their decisions to be respected; • Boomers want their experiences and wisdom to be respected and deferred to: • Generation X & Y would like their fresh ideas and suggestions to be respected; • Questions or questioning does not necessarily demonstrate disrespect.

39. All Generations Want Leaders who Are Trustworthy & Credible • People from every generation and at every level that employees, managers and leaders don’t trust each other as much any more; • And most people are tired of covering their butts and want co-workers and leaders they can trust;

40. All Generations Want Leaders Who Are Trustworthy & Credible • People of all generations and at all levels are more likely to trust people they work with directly (bosses, peers, and direct reports); • People trust their organizations less than they do people they work with directly; • People trust upper management less they trust their organization;

41. All Generations Want Leaders who Are Trustworthy & Credible • What generation you are from or how old you are does not affect how much you trust other people or your organization; • The less people trust, the more likely they are to leave, especially Xers and Yers.

42. Top Five Leadership Attributes, by Generation Source: Center of Creative Leadership, Posner/Kouzes

43. Top Five Leadership Attributes, by Organizational Level • Source : Center for Creative Leadership, Posner/Kouzes

44. All Generations Want Leaders who Are Trustworthy & Credible • People of all generations and at all levels want their leaders to be credible, trustworthy, dependable, farsighted, encouraging and good listeners; • People would rather leaders say that they cannot talk about something than for them to mislead intentionally.

45. All Generations Can Be Loyal: But It Depends on Context • Different generations have about the same levels of loyalty; • The objects of their loyalty is different: • Boomer – Loyal to the organization • Gen X – Loyal to the team • Gen Y – Loyal to themselves, then team

46. All Generations Can Be Loyal: But It Depends on Context • Younger generations are not more likely to job-hop than older generations were at the same age; • People who are closer to retirement are more likely to want to stay with the same organization for the rest of their working life; • People higher in an organization work more hours than do people lower in the organization; working more hours isn’t a matter of what generation an employee is from.

47. All Generations Can be Recruited & Retained If You Do It Differently • First, more and more - if you cannot articulate vision, and values to a Gen X or Y you won’t get them in your door, the good ones anyway; • Employees of all generations are more likely to remain with an organization if they receive: • Good compensation • Learning & development • Opportunities for advancement • Respect & recognition • Good quality of life outside work

48. All Generations Can be Recruited & Retained If You Do It Differently • However, employers must realize that each individual wants a different combination; • Just about everyone feels underpaid, overworked and under appreciated – including you and me.

49. All Generations Want to Learn the Same Things • Employees in all generations identified the same things they want to learn in their workplaces; • Employees in different levels in the organization wanted to learn the same things; • What employees want to learn is related to what they need for their job, not their generation;

50. Top Five Developmental Areas, by Generation Source: Center for Creative Leadership