GENERATIONS AT WORK:
Managing the Clash of Veterans,
Boomers, Xers, and Nexters in Your Workplace
Zemke, R., Raines, C., and
Filipczak, B. (2000), New York: American Management Association
INTRODUCTION
The legions of ancient
Rome were composed of ten cohorts each: cohesive units of 300-600 men. The cohorts' training and socialization
equipped them to behave as a single mind in battle. Social demographers use the term cohorts to refer to people born
in the same general time span who share key life experiences. The size of the cohort itself influences
it's characteristics, as well as political, social, and economic trends.
GENERATIONS
§
Veterans and those
born during the war years (the Civic Generation and the Silent Generation) faced rich opportunities until the 1980s
with the increasing competition from Japanese productivity.
§
The current
generation (Generation Xers) are the
most highly educated, technologically savvy cohort group to enter the workplace
in significant numbers. However, they
exist in a workforce of limited upward mobility that none of the preceding
generations can comprehend.
§
Baby Boomers had
many career choices, with an emphasis on life, work, and team as
interchangeable terms.
§
Generation Xers
feel the need to be flexible and spontaneous with opportunities, since the
economy and job market have experienced such rapid changes. This has presented
challenges with more limited career opportunities.
Generations are shaped
by common experiences, defining moments, history, demographics, economics, and
culture.
THE FOUR GENERATIONS
The Veterans (1922-1943):
They came of age before,
during, and right after WWII, and before the arrival of the Baby Boomers. They are characterized by All-American
values, civic pride, loyalty, respect for authority, being true
traditionalists, "keepers of the grail" of yesteryear, a pain at
times to the action-oriented Boomers and the technology-crazy Xers, good
"soldiers", solid performers, Gray Panthers (own billions of dollars
in real estate in the Sun Belt, are a
political force through the American Association of Retired Persons
(AARP), and are CEO's of many Fortune 500 companies).
The Veterans'
Generational Personality
§
Veterans like
consistency and uniformity
§
Veterans like
things on a grand scale
§
Veterans are
conformers
§
Veterans believe in
logic, not magic or art as leaders
§
Veterans are
disciplined
§
Veterans are past
oriented and history absorbed: they look to the past to find precedents and use
data to make choices
§
Veterans have
always believed in law and order
§
Veterans spending
style is conservative
The Veterans On the
Job
Assets
§
Stable
§
Detail oriented
§
Thorough
§
Loyal
§
Hard working
Liabilities
§
Inept with
ambiguity and change
§
Reluctant to buck
the system
§
Uncomfortable with
conflict
§
Reticent when they
disagree
The Veterans' Work
Ethic
§
Loyalty,
dependability, stick-to-it-ism
§
Work hard to get
things accomplished
§
A job is something
to have over the long haul
§
Value the team over
individualism on the job
§
Duty before
pleasure
§
You can't have it
all
The Veterans'
Leadership Style
§
Directive style
§
Standard operating
procedures
§
Command and control
leadership
§
Lombardi, Patton,
and MacArthur
§
Take charge,
delegate, and make the bulk of decisions themselves
§
They enjoy working
with large teams; they enjoy baseball and football
§
Use of the personal
touch; not as excited about e-mails, voice mail, or faxes
The Baby Boomers (1943-1960):
They came of age in the
1950s and 1960s with many options and choices, but with the Vietnam War as a
major factor. They are characterized by
a passion for participation and spirit in the workplace, bringing heart and
humanity to the office, about creating a fair and level playing field for
all. They are the civil rights,
empowerment, and diversity generation.
They have great energy and enthusiasm for causes. This is the cohort that invented: "We are grateful that it is Monday, so
we can begin the work week".
The Baby Boomers'
Generational Personality
§
They believe in
growth and expansion
§
They think of
themselves as the stars of the show
§
They tend to be
optimistic
§
In schools and at
home, the Boomers learned about teamwork
§
They have pursued
their own personal gratification, uncompromisingly, and often at a high price
to themselves and others.
§
They have searched
their souls-repeatedly, obsessively, and recreationally
§
The Boomers have
always been cool
First Half/Second
Half: The Boomer Dichotomy
The Older Boomers: came of age in the 1950s and early 1960s.
§
They tend to be
more idealistic
§
They are more
likely to be workaholics
§
They are more likely
to put their careers first and their family second
§
They were
influenced by the anti -Vietnam War movement, the Women's Movement, the Civil
Rights Movement, and other societal changes
§
They are driven to
achieve economic success (the "Yuppies")
The Late Boomers: came of age in the late 1960s and early 1970s
§
They feel less
driven for material success
§
They make decisions
based on the family, rather than the career
§
They see parenting
roles as emotional and involving
§
They had experience
with downsizing; causing them to feel less gung-ho about management and more
cynical
§
They feel that good
work habits and positive mental attitudes are not always rewarded
§
They sometimes
identify with Generation Xers who cite Dilbert as their cultural hero
Baby Boomers on the
Job
Assets
§
Service oriented
§
Driven
§
Willing to "go
the extra mile"
§
Good at
relationships
§
Want to please
§
Good team players
Liabilities
§
Not naturally
"budget minded"
§
Uncomfortable with
conflict
§
Reluctant to go
against peers
§
May put process
ahead of result
§
Overly sensitive to
feedback
§
Judgmental of those
who see things differently
§
Focused on self
Leadership styles
1. Collegial, consensual
2. Concerned about participation and spirit in the
workplace, heart and humanity in the office
3. Creating a level playing field, influenced by the
civil rights movement
4. Believe in the magic and art of leadership
The Xers (1961-1980):
They came of age in the
1970s and 1980s when the economy was going through difficult changes with the
move to a global economy, and the technological revolution. They are characterized by being the new
change masters; masters of technology and its applications; wanting to have
balance in their lives; a need for feedback and flexibility; and are generally
positive about their futures.
The Generation Xers
Generational Personality
§
They are
self-reliant
§
They are seeking a
sense of family; small group activities, concept of "Friends"; creating nuclear families out of a group of
strangers
§
They want balance:
reaction to the workaholic Boomers; their parents lived to work; Xers want to
work to live
§
They don't buy the
Supermom and Superdad theory that you can have it all
§
They have a
non-traditional orientation about time and space: they would like to do work at
home, during odd hours, use the cell phone, and telecommute.
§
They like
informality: casual days are taken very seriously
§
Their approach to
authority is casual: formal hierarchical relationships are lost on Gen Xers;
§
We all put on our
Dockers one leg at a time".
§
Are skeptical: they
watch to see if words meet actions; they are told "be careful out there,
it's a dangerous world".
§
They are attracted
to the edge: the "X" games were named in their honor (their sports
are related more to individual challenges).
§
They are
technologically savvy: played video games, operated the microwave, and
programmed the VCR when little.
Gen Xers's Core
Values
§
Diversity
§
Thinking globally
§
Balance
§
Technoliteracy
§
Fun
§
Informality
§
Self-reliance
§
Pragmatism
Gen Xers's On the Job
Assets
§
Adaptable
§
Technoliterate
§
Independent
§
Not intimidated by
authority
§
Creative
Liabilities
§
Impatient
§
Poor people skills
§
Inexperienced
§
Cynical
Gen Xers: First -Half
Generation "Please sir, can I have some
more?"
§
Came into the
marketplace during a severe downturn; downsizing, layoffs, parents having economic
difficulties, no stabiltiy
§
Everyone needs to
watch out for themselves
§
Whole generation of
corporate nomads
§
Only ticket is to
develop real skills on the job: recent jump in internships in college (10 years
ago 3% of college graduates had internships; now closer to 33% had internships)
§
Many college
graduates needed to take low paying jobs outside their field, particularly
Liberal Arts majors
Gen Xers: The
Gold-Collar Workers
§
With the labor
shortage reaching a peak in 1997 and the explosion in information technology, a
high premium is being placed on people knowledgeable about technology/computers
and/or willing to learn
§
The gold-collar
workers are college graduates trained in computers
§
They would like to
bring pets to work, work odd hours, work fewer hours, and have fun at work
§
They are in the
driver's seat with respect to the hiring process, since there are many unfilled
technology positions.
§
They know that work
is no guarantee of survival, that corporations can downsize at any time
Gen Xers Leadership
Style
§
Skilled at
supporting and developing a responsive, competent team of people, changing
direction or projects on a dime
§
Egalitarian, rather
than hierarchical
§
Interest in
promoting involvement and participation
§
Leadership is a
job, not magic
§
Competent, fair,
straightforward leaders
§
Create circles of
people into "campus cultures", with recreational opportunities
§
Communication
through listserv, email, chat rooms
§
Need to reinforce
that some administrative and/or repetitive aspects of jobs are necessary; detail needs to be paid attention to; and there
needs to be checking on the quality of things done
§
Need to provide as
much freedom as possible; help to develop a broad range of diverse skills
§
Keep training
materials brief
§
Provide
constructive feedback
§
Provide multiple
tasks
The Gen Xers:
Messages that Motivate
§
"Do it your
way"
§
"We've got the
newest hardware and software"
§
"There aren't
a lot of rules here"
§
"We're not
very hierarchical"
The Nexters (1980-2000):
They came of age in the
1990s when the technology revolution was expanding; the oldest are now
beginning to enter college. They are
characterized by: support and protection from parents; optimistic; civic
minded; barriers of time and space appear to be less absolute for them (ie. emailing internet pen pals
in Asia); "good scouts";
willing to work and learn; and are recycling back to the Veterans and the Civic
Generation.
Nexter's Generational
Personality
§
Technological
sophistication: can process large
amounts of visual information; advanced motor, spatial, and strategy skills via
game technology
§
Positive
expectations
§
Apparent bent for
collective action
§
Emphasis on civic
duty
§
Confidence
§
Achievement
oriented
§
Sociability
§
Morality
§
Street smarts:
knowledge about the dangers of gangs, guns, aids, anorexia, etc.
§
Diversity
§
"Soccer
moms" as involved parents
§
Feel more
comfortable with style of the Veterans, not the Gen Xers or the Boomers
§
Look like a modern,
new version of grandparents and great-grandparents: belief in collective
action; optimism about the future; trust in centralized authority; a will to
get things done; and a heroic spirit in the face of overwhelming odds
§
Have a stricter
moral code/center
§
Sacrifice personal
pleasure for the greater common good
Nexters on the Job
Assets
§
Collective action
§
Optimism
§
Tenacity
§
Heroic spirit
§
Multi-tasking
capabilities
§
Technological savvy
Liabilities
§
Need for
supervision and structure
§
Inexperience,
particularly with handling difficult people issues
§
Howe and Strauss
predict Nexters will demand pay equity
among all workers; will create fewer job definitions; reestablish the middle class; downgrade exorbitant CEO
and executive salaries; create trade barriers;
create more government regulations about labor standards; and will
revitilize labor unions.
The Nexters: Messages
that Motivate
§
"You'll be
working with other bright, creative people"
§
"You and your
co-workers can have a large impact on our work"
§
"You can be a
hero here"
Guidelines for working with multi-generational
workplaces: The ACORN Principles
§
Accommodate
employee differences: personal scheduling needs; work-life balance issues; and
non-traditional lifestyles.
§
Create workplace
choices: casual dress policies; foreshortened chain of command; change is an
assumed way of doing business.
§
Operate from a
sophisticated management style: ACORN leaders
§
Their supervisory
style is not fixed. Control and autonomy are a continuum, not solitary options
§
Their leadership
style is situationally varied. Some
decisions are consensual, some are less so.
§
They depend less on
positional and more on personal power
§
They know when and
how to make personal policy exceptions
§
They are thoughtful
when matching individuals to a team or a team or individual to an assignment
§
They balance
concern for tasks and concern for people
§
They understand the
elements of trust and work to gain it from their employees.
§
Respect competence
and initiative.
§
Nourish retention
Questions
§
What are the
implications for working with our student leaders?
§
What type of
leadership/supervision are they looking for?
§
What types of
things are they most likely to challenge? support?
§
How can you be most
successful as a leader/supervisor based on these generational characteristics?
§
How do you best
prepare for the transition between Gen Xers and the Nexters?