National Conference of
Bar Foundations
February 6, 2015
Managing Generational
Differences
Goal
To Uncover the:
◦ Events
◦ Conditions
◦ Values
◦ Behaviors
That make each generation Unique!
Framing The Generations
Clashpoints
Jot Down Your Thoughts-•
•
•
•
How does your organization break
down by generation?
A generation gap you experienced at
work
Where your team experiences gaps
Advantages of your generation mix
For the first time in US History there are
Four Generations in the Workplace
TRADITIONALISTS
1900 -1945
Influences






The Great
Depression
The New Deal
World War II
The G.I. Bill
The Cold War
The Atom Bomb
People in the News







Frank Sinatra
Ella Fitzgerald
FDR
Jackie Robinson
Henry Ford
John Wayne
Joe DiMaggio
TRADITIONALISTS
1900 -1945
Traits
Growing Up


Loyal/Civic Minded
 Patriotic
 Hard working
 Fiscally conservative
 Faith in Institutions
 Work for same
employer
 Make do or do without
 Practical
 Respect Authority
Disciplined
 Conformers
 Personal sacrifice
 Children should be
seen and not heard
babyboomers
1946 - 1964
Influences
People in the News









Booming birthrate
Economic prosperity
Vietnam
Watergate
Assassinations
Civil rights
movement
Women’s movement
Sex, drugs, rock &
roll






John F. Kennedy
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Rosa Parks
The Jackson Five
Elvis
The Beatles
Neil Armstrong
babyboomers
1946 - 1964
Traits
Growing Up







Confident
Independent
Self-reliant
Competitive
Questioners of
authority
Idealistic
Stay-at-home moms
 Suburbs
 TV
 Play well with others
babyboomers
1946 - 1964
Traits






Optimistic
Desire to stand out
from the crowd
Cool
Work-centric
Relish long work
hours
Defined by
Professional
Accomplishments
GENERATION X
1965 - 1981
Influences








Divorce
Lay-offs
AIDS
Personal computer
MTV & Cable TV
The Challenger
Missing children on
milk cartons
24 hour media
People in the
News




Bill Clinton
Bill Gates
Michael Jordan
Nelson Mandela
GENERATION X
1965 - 1981
Traits
Growing Up








Independent
Resourceful
Entrepreneurial
Adaptive to
change
Skeptical
Work/life balance
Self-reliance





Working Moms
Latchkey kids
Divorce
Microwave
Videogames
MADD
Influences
People in the News


Fall of the Berlin Wall
 Events of September
11th
 Connected 24/7
 iPod, iPad, Smart
Phones
 Violence Close to home
 Drugs and gangs
 Hurricane Katrina
 Virginia Tech Shooting
President Barak
Obama
 Backstreet Boys
 Oprah Winfrey
 Britney Spears
 Mia Hamm
 Serena & Venus
Williams
 Mother Teresa
Traits
Growing Up










Globally concerned
Diverse/Inclusive
Cyber literate
Media savvy
Realistic
The group is the key
Confidence
Entitled
Most educated




“You are special”
Helicopter parents –
(Boomer parenting)
“Black Hawks!”
(Gen X parenting)
Involved dads
Packed schedules
The M-Factor




Parenting
Entitlement
Meaning
Great
Expectations



The Need for Speed
Social Networking
Collaboration
Works Cited
Lynne C. Lancaster, D. S. (2010). The M-factor: how the millennial
generation is rocking the workplace. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
TRADITIONALISTS/
babyboomers
1940 – 1945
Cuspers play important
roles …

babyboomers/Gen X
1960 – 1965
Gen
X/
1975 - 1980




Mediating
Translating
Explaining
Coordinating
Resolving conflicts
GENERATIONAL UPDATE!
Breaking News: Five Generations in the
Workplace

Traditionalists
 babyboomers
 Generation X




Generation 9/11
 See the world through
September 11th
 Grown up with war &
uncertainty
 Less optimistic



1900 – 1945
1946 – 1964
1965 – 1976
1977 – 1989
1990 --
Their Impact
They will make up 50% of employees
& customers in a few years
 They will bring their gifts to the
workplace

◦ Youth
◦ Collaboration
◦ Energy
They are change agents!
What’s An Employer To Do?
Focus on:
If Not, Employers Face:


Attracting
 Mentoring
 Training
 Retaining
The Turnover Titanic
 Knowledge Drain to
Death
 Leadership Desert
They will either TRANSFORM an
organization or watch it CLOSE!
Generations in the Workplace
Traditionalists – 5% 75 million
95 million
25%
Gen Xers
46 million
Leadership
32%
Desert
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor
baby
boomers
80 million
38%
2015 Projected International Workforce
Traditionalists – 3% 75 million
95 million
38%
Gen Xers
46 million
31%
baby
boomers
80 million
28%
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
An issue around which the
An issue around
whichto/will
the
generations
are likely
generations are likely to/will
collide







Many issues can be
affected by
generational
diversity…





Turnover
Recruitment
Morale
Team building
Communication
Customer service
Culture change
Diversity
Rewards
Feedback
Employer of choice
Organizational
objectives




Communications
Feedback
Rewards
Balance
Communication
“Write me a
letter”
“Lets have a
meeting”
“Send me
an email”
“txtme”
Feedback
No News is
Good News
Once a year
review with
documentation
Instant,
immediate
feedback
Individualized
feedback at the
push of a
button!
Rewards
Satisfaction of a job
well done
Money, title,
recognition, the corner
office
Freedom is the
ultimate reward
Work that has
meaning for me!
Balance
Support me in shifting
the balance
Balance now,
not at 65!
Help me
balance
everyone else &
find meaning
myself
Flexibility
so I can
balance
all my
activities
TRADITIONALISTS
babyboomers
GENERATION X
COMMUNICATIONS
Face to
In Person Formal
Face Formal Memo
Memo
Email/ Cell
Phone
Text
Messaging
FEEDBACK
No News is
Good News
Once a year
Review with
documentation
Instant,
Immediate
feedback
Individualize
d
Feedback at
the push of a
button!
REWARDS
The
satisfaction
of a job well
done
Money, title, the
corner office
Freedom is Work that
the ultimate has meaning
response
for me!
BALANCE
Support me
in shifting
the balance
Help me balance
everyone else &
find meaning
myself
Balance
now, not at
60
Flexibility so
I can
balance all
my activities
Generational
Personalities are
shaped by Events &
Conditions
experienced through
our formative years-
Each generation brings its own set
of values, beliefs, life experiences,
attitudes and gifts to the workplace
Managing the Generations
It’s A Bottom-line Issue!
Thank you
Resources
www.inc.com/sam-bacharach/how-to-motivate-your-gen-y-employees.html
When Generations Collide: Who They Are. Why They Clash. How to Solve the
Generational Puzzle at Work. Lynne C, Lancaster and David Stillman
The M-Factor: How the Millennial Generation Is Rocking the Workplace
Lynne C. Lancaster and David Stillman
Stauffer, David. “Motivating Across Generations.” Harvard Management Update
March 2003
Hammill, Greg. “Mixing and Managing Four Generations of Employees.
“Winter/Spring 2005
http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/magazine/05ws/generations.htm
http://www.redtreeleadership.com/millennials/?gclid=CNOAhKjZ7rkCFctr7AodSzIAh
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