Generational Differences
&
Communication
At Work, Home & Play
Learning Objectives
 Identify four generations in the workplace, and
define them by experiences and events.
 Compare and contrast the values and the potential
outcomes of generational interaction.
 Consider and identify potential problems for an
organization when people from different
generations fail to communicate effectively.
 Compare and identify differing feedback styles
and their impact.
 Offer strategies for effective cross generational
communication.
Generations at Work
 The events and conditions each of us experience
during our formative years help define who we are
and how we view the world.
 The generation we grow up in is just one of the
influences on adult behavior.
Why Learn About The
Generations?
 Changing demographics
 Better understand it’s impact in the workplace
 Increase the personal competency in
communication and management
 Promote teamwork
Diversity….a Broad Scope
 Diversity is sometimes defined as differences
between individuals
 Part of our focus in a given situation or interaction
depends on who we are
 Generational differences are one aspect of
diversity
Generations
 Matures
Born Prior to 1946
 Baby Boomers
Born 1946-1964
 Generation X
Born 1965-1980
 Nexters
Born 1981-1995
Think…
Of the last time you heard comments like
these…..
 I remember when…….
 Just do your job!
 You are right, but I am the boss!
 NO!
 The kid wants a promotion after six months on the
job
Matures
Events & Experiences
Born Prior to 1946
 Great Depression
 New Deal
 WW II
 Korean War
 Atomic Bomb
Matures
Values
 Hard Work
 Frugal
 Dedication & Sacrifice
 Honor / Respect for Rules
 Sacrifice
Matures
Leadership Style
Direct, Command & Control
Communications
Formal/memo, One on One
Interaction
Individualist
Other
No news is good news
Experience is respected
Education for many was a dream
Rotary Phones
Money—save and pay with cash
Family is traditional
Other Matures
Conservative somewhat dressy clothing
Neatly trimmed hair
Owns American Golf Clubs
Memories of Marx Brothers, Sinatra, Big Bands, Big
Cars
TV included Ed Sullivan, Bonanza, Father Knows Best
Sex on the honeymoon
Heroes include FDR, Superman, Babe Ruth, Dimaggio,
Patton, MacArthur
Memorabilia include Juke Boxes, Blondie, Lone Ranger,
Charlie McCarthy
Baby Boomers
Events & Experiences
 Civil Rights
 Space Travel
 Cold War
 Sexual Revolution
 Assassinations
Baby Boomer
Values
 Optimism
 Team Orientation
 Personal Gratification
 Involvement
 Personal Growth
Baby Boomer
Leadership Style
Consensual, Collegial
Interaction
Team player, love to have meetings!
Communication
In person
Other
Love title recognition
Money
You are valued and needed
Education is a birthright
Family begins disintegrating
Buy now, pay later
Affluent
Other Baby Boomer
May wear designer glasses, whatever is trendy
Longer Hair
Designer Suites
Memories of Smothers Brothers, Beatles, Lassie,
Drive In, Mickey Mouse Club
TV includes Laugh In, Westerns, Lassie, Mod
Squad, Carson, MASH, Sunday Night Disney
Sex in the back seat
Heroes include John and Jackie Kennedy, MLK,
John Glenn, John Lennon, Gandi
Memorabilia includes fallout shelters, TV
dinners, Hula Hoops, Peace Sign, Poodle Skirts,
Generation X
Events & Experiences
 Fall of Berlin Wall
 Women’s Liberation
 Watergate
 Energy Crisis
 Cynical
Generation X
Values
 Diversity
 Techno Literacy
 Fun & Informality
 Self Reliance/Autonomy
 Pragmatism
Generation X
Leadership Style
Everyone is the same
Challenge others
Interaction
Entrepreneur
Communications
Direct
Immediate
Other
Freedom is the best reward
Latch Key Kids
Money cautious….save-save
Education is a way to get there
Sorry to interrupt,but how am I
doing?
Other Generational X’ers
May wear functional clothing, have tattoos, any
style hair, naval or nose rings
Memories of Tonya Harding, Snoop Doggy Dog,
Beavis & Butthead, Video Games
TV includes SNL, Friends, 90210, Cosby,
Sex “On the Internet”
Heroes include Michael Jordan, Ron Reagan,
Magic Johnson
Memorabilia include Brady Bunch, Pet Rocks,
Platform shoes, ET, The Simpsons, Sesame
Street, Cabbage Patch Dolls
Nexter
Values
 Optimistic
 Civic Duty
 Confident
 Achievement Oriented
 Respect for Diversity
 Social
Nexters
Events & Experiences
 Oklahoma City
 School Shootings
 Technology
 Clinton/Lewinsky
 Conservative Values
Nexter
Leadership Style
TBD
Interaction
Participative
Communications
E-mail
Voice mail
Cell phone
Other
Meaningful work
Whenever I want it I can push & click
Will work with other bright & creative people
Merged families
Earn money to spend it
Other Nexter
May wear Retro Clothing, Spiked , bleached or “in
style” hair, Body Piercing
Pagers
Memories of Goo-Goo Dolls, Trench coat Mafia, 9-11
TV includes Dawson Creek, The WB, Malcom in the
Middle, Who wants to be a Millionaire, That 70’s Show
Sex----Protected, Love waits
Heroes include NYPD/NYFD, Parents, Princess Diana,
Mother Theresa, Bill Gates, Mia Hamm, Tiger Woods
Memorabilia include, Barney, Teenage Mutant Turtles,
American Girl Dolls, Spice Girls, X-Games, Oprah, Rosie
Generation Interaction
Matures and Boomers may
have a tendency not to
question or challenge
authority or the status quo.
This may cause confusion
and resentment among the
Xers and Nexters who have
been taught to speak up.
Generational Interaction
Xers and Nexters who have
had different life
experiences and
communicate with people
differently, may fail to
actively listen to Boomers
and Matures, thereby
missing valuable
information and guidance.
Quiz
The events and conditions each of us experience during
our formative years help define who we are and how we
view the world.
True
False
Which of the following most accurately identifies the
four generations in the workplace.
Matures, Boomers, Xers, Generaltionalists
Boomers, Mature, Nexters and Socialists
Mature, Boomers, Xers, and Nexters
None of the above
Communication across the generations has no
impact on tangible cost, (i.e. recruitment, hiring or
retention).
True
False
Feedback styles are fairly consistent from one
generation to the next.
True
False
Which of the following would you consider an
accurate statement in managing intergenerational
staff?
The most successful leaders find ways
of letting different generations be
heard.
Actively listening to staff that
represent different generations causes
confusion and is unproductive.
Managing generational differences
means avoiding conflict by controlling
the way people speak out.
None of the above
Generational Feedback
Feedback style and form can
be impacted by generational
differences
Generational Feedback
 Matures-“No news is good news”
 Boomers-“Feedback once a year and lots of
documentation”
 Xers-“Sorry to interrupt, but how am I doing?”
 Nexters-“Feedback whenever I want at the push
of a button.”
Feedback Style and Impact
 Feedback styles that may appear informative and
helpful to one generation might seem formal and
“preachy” to another.
 Feedback an “Xer” thinks is immediate and honest
can seem hasty or even inappropriate to other
generations.
 Some older generations have been told that there
is a time and place for feedback. Younger
generations haven’t necessarily been taught this
“rule”.
Generational Meaning of Feedback
 Matures seek no applause, but appreciate a subtle
acknowledgement that they have made a
difference.
 Boomers are often giving feedback to others, but
seldom receiving, especially positive feedback.
 Xers need positive feedback to let them know they
are on the right track
 Nexters are use to praise and may mistake silence
for disapproval. They need to know what they are
doing right and what they are doing wrong.
Valuing Differences
Information flows in all directions in a learning
organization. The most successful leaders find a
way to let every generation be heard. They
recognize that no one has all the answers. This
appreciation of diversity allows each group to
contribute and be a part of the growth of an
organization.
Case Studies
You run a collectibles shop patronized primarily by
those over sixty. Heather, your delightful new "twentysomething" counter clerk, has just shown up this
morning with a shock of orange and purple hair on the
left side of her head. What do you do?
You’ve discovered, over time, that the teenagers
working for you can’t add, subtract or multiply to
save their lives. A spot check of a recent inventory
was so inaccurate that it will have to be re-done. The
problem is that they don’t seem to care. How do you
get them invested?
Your new assistant general manager is twentyseven with a degree in business management. This
summer, you’ve placed him in charge of the cadre of
senior citizen volunteers who staff many parts of
the theme park. A delegation of these volunteers
came to you this morning, warning of an insurrection
if he doesn’t treat them with more respect.
What do you do?
You’ve just discovered that the new "kid" you hired to
install a computer system in your three stores also
installed a whole selection of games for employees to
play when they’re bored. You brought the issue up in a
staff meeting and they argued that they should be
able to play the games as long as the work is done. At
59, you "know" that the work is never done. Now you’re
faced with the unpopular task of uninstalling the
games, but you don’t even know how.
Your best front desk staffer has just announced
that she has the lead in a college production. She
says she’s already worked the schedule out with the
rest of those on front desk so that she won’t have to
work weekends and evenings for the next six months.
While you support what she’s doing, it may also open
the way to a host of other exceptions. In addition, a
couple of staffers have already groused about it.
You’re beginning to wonder how she represented your
feelings about her rearranging the schedule.
You are a project manager with many years of
service. The "twenty-something" you hired seven
months ago, graduated from college with a 3.95 GPA,
but you just can’t get used to her blasé attitude
about work. You’ve tried to set a good example by
keeping her in the loop on every project and praising
what she does, but she just smiles and says, "I
know." It’s becoming increasingly apparent to you
that she’s building experience in your division for the
expressed purpose of taking it somewhere else as
soon as possible.
Over the past three years, you have discovered that
the quality of written communication leaving your
department has deteriorated considerably. Last week,
you caught another letter with poor grammar and
incomplete thoughts on it’s way out the door. Two
months ago, you received a letter one of your people
had sent, returned in the mail. The recipient had
edited it for spelling and grammar, in a red pen…………..
When you’ve mentioned this situation at a couple of staff
meetings, it has been apparent that the staff doesn’t
think there’s anything wrong. In one case, someone
retorted, "We’re engineers, not English majors."
Two of your people are at each other’s throats most
of the time. While they’re supposed to be collaborating
on a project, their section of the department has
developed into your own little soap opera. Roger, a 54year-old engineer, is everybody’s idea of meticulous.
While he is comfortable using computers, he has a
tendency to revert back to the good old calculator when
it comes time for the critical numbers…………
…..This makes his associate, Brad, nuts. Brad is a twentysix-year-old engineer who trusts computers implicitly.
Truth to tell, you’re not convinced that Brad
understands the derivations of the calculations and may
be hiding his ignorance by riding Roger about his
meticulousness. Besides, Brad showed up at work with a
small earring the other day and its obvious that he’s
enjoying the impact it’s having on Roger.
To you, punctuality has
always been a demonstration
of respect within the
workplace. But there doesn’t
seem to be a person under
thirty who shows up
consistently on time. If you
were to calculate all the
missed time, it would number
in the thousands of hours.
Everybody keeps tells you to
"lighten up", but with you, its
an integrity issue. At 59,
you’ve got three years to go,
but it is still a real sticking
point for you.
One of your co-workers is 20 years your junior. She is
a bright, well-trained professional who entered your
department six months ago from graduate school. While
she can be warm and friendly, she also possesses a
"take-no-prisoners" attitude when addressing certain
issues. This has produced considerable friction within
the department and headaches for you in dealing with
those outside. When you've approached her about being
more diplomatic in a particular situation, her response
has been, "These people are in the wrong. Why is there a
need for diplomacy?"
After a reorganization, you find yourself surrounded
by those 30-35 years younger than you. While they
work hard when on the job, what goes on in their leisure
time dominates most conversations in the office. Your
supervisor, someone 10 years your junior, does little to
keep meetings on task and most degenerate into
discussions of snowboarding, golf, cars, etc. Being a 35year veteran of the organization, you feel a much
stronger sense of duty and this lack of focus
frustrates you no end.
You have been assigned as team leader of a
department consisting of "twenty-somethings"
and "sixty-somethings." It is no secret that
those in their 60s are counting the days until
retirement and are loath to go out on a limb.
This "play it safe" attitude infuriates a couple
of the younger workers who have threatened
to leave if you don't do something to "address
the situation." Being a 48-year-old with 20
years on the job, your feelings tend to side
more with those close to retirement.
Your director is a by-the-book supervisor, 20 years
your senior. Punching the clock and following strict
doctrine appears to be consistently more important than
getting the "right" job done. While she occasionally
eases her grip on every action taken, she is sure to catch
herself within the next week and clamp down on any
decisions being made without first consulting the "book."
Being a veteran yourself, you can understand her
adherence to regulations. But her lack of flexibility has
proven counterproductive more than once.
The new receptionist has yet to arrive on time for work.
Her attire generally consists of cargo pants, a T-shirt and
Doc Martens. She is constantly checking her pager for
personal calls and gives you a "I'm doing my job so get out
of my face" look whenever you glance her way. No one
wants to deal with her and her attitude has become both a
source of amusement and disgust within the organization.
The person to confront her was quoted chapter and verse
regarding the right of a person to wear anything they want
to work. Now it's your turn as team leader.
Try as you might, you
can’t seem to keep the
twenty-somethings on
your staff from playing
computer games every
chance they get. When
the games were
removed from the
computers, they
brought in hand-held
devices and continued
to play. They said that
this was their way of
combating "Big
Brother.“……………
…………….It almost feels like they’re laughing at your
seemingly anachronistic ways. With a shortage of
engineers and technical people nationwide, you
hesitate to say too much for fear that you’ll have an
insurrection. When you’ve brought the situation to
their attention, the collective response has been,
"We’re getting the work done, aren’t we?"
You’re a 23-year-old engineer, fresh out of Cornell. Your
supervisor is 58. He begins every other sentence with
the words, "I remember." The problem is, you don’t care
about the past. Your focus is on the future, and he keeps
telling you to pay your dues. You took this job because it
allows for the time you want to spend in competitive
cycling. But the pace of this place is so slow, it’s going to
drive you nuts!
At age 28, you are a brand
new mother and have been
with the organization for the
past four years. You enjoy
your job immensely and your
supervisor has given you high
marks all along. But balancing
your work and the new baby
is becoming an increasing
struggle. Your husband
makes enough money for you
to go part-time or, perhaps,
telecommute with reduced
responsibilities and he has
encouraged you do so………..
……….The problem is the
organization does not have
policies on either of these
practices. When you've floated
the idea with colleagues and
your boss, they haven't been
encouraging. You have to give
up something soon, and it
obviously won't be the baby.
Gary, a 22 year-old
workstation technician whose
arms are covered with
tattoos, approaches his
manager, a conservative, 30year company veteran, with a
computer issue he can’t solve.
It is obvious to Gary that the
manager seems more focused
on judging Gary’s appearance
than on helping him solve the
problem…………
………..At the same time, the manager is thinking, "Who
hired this kid anyway? The tattoos, alone,
demonstrate that he doesn’t have a thoughtful bone in
his body. My kids would never think of doing something
like that. But we’ve got to get this server back on-line
and I’m stuck with him." What steps can this manager
take to do a more effective job of supervising and
motivating Gary?
"I have had it with the 27year-old twit I now work
for," Charlie said to his
wife. "I walked into her
office today to discuss the
system analysis she wanted
me to do, but she had that
tribal music going and I
couldn’t understand half of
what she was saying. When I
asked her to turn it off, she
did. But she looked at me
like I was senile………..
……..I was working for this
company when she was in
diapers. "Then there’s that
tongue stud in her mouth.
How can you talk when that
thing’s banging around on your
teeth? She may be a bright
kid, but she doesn’t have a
clue how to work with us."
What can Charlie do to foster
this relationship? What
parameters would you set
around his supervisor’s
management style?
"I want to support you. I
really do," said the senior
leader to his 28 year-old
high tech protégé. "You can
go a lot of places in this
organization, but not if you
show up to senior level
strategy sessions in jeans
and a polo shirt. We’re a
coat and tie crowd. That’s
our way of doing
things.“………….
……………"I don’t need a tie to think," retorted his younger
colleague. "Evaluate me on my work, not my appearance. I
put in long hours and produce killer code, but I don’t do
uniforms." How can this leader balance the attitudes and
desires of this "highly employable" engineer and the
protocol expected by his senior colleagues?
"Crystal, a new young hire in customer service,
parties with her friends every Friday nite til early
the next morning. She has been late, however, 3 of
the 5 Saturdays she been asked to work. This
morning, she showed up at 9:30 for a 8:00AM
shift……………
………..When you approached
her about the issue, she
said, "What’s the big deal?
If someone else was late,
I’d cover for them. We get
the work done and you’ve
told me you like what I do.
It’s not like I’m coming in
drunk or something." Outline
your approach for handling
this situation. What specific
words would you use to
clearly establish your
expectations, yet keep her
invested in the job?
Can you please give these people a break?," asked the
foreman. "This hazing is costing us good people."
"We’re not hazing anybody," replied Tom, the senior
lineman. "I’ve been here 17 years. These people have
to pay their dues, just like the rest of us."
"Maybe if you hire tougher people who can do the
work, they’d stay," suggested one of his crew."
"They may young, but they can do the job as well as
you, retorted the foreman." How can you best
respond to this manager’s attitude?
Thank You
You were Great!
David Adams
Dean of Enrollment Management
1200 E Broadway
Columbia, MO
573-876-7207
www.stephens.edu