A research project concerning the generation gap present in today\’s workforce, and the challenges associated with it. Speculations are made and solutions are suggested.
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Resolutions for Today’s Workforce
1. BRIDGING THE GENERATION GAP:RESOLUTIONS FOR TODAY’S WORKFORCE by Joseph Ott ERAU COM221 Research Presentation Dr. Lynette Porter 11.23.09
2. = Working among each other today Generations Overview~ Current 4 generations mainly in existence: Matures/Greatest generation Veterans who fought in WWII. Born 1910 to mid-1920’s. Baby Boomers Born during WWII to the late 50s (increased birthrates worldwide) Generation X End of Baby Boom early 1960’s to the late 1970’s. Generation Y/Millennials /iPod Generation Late 1970’s to the early 1990’s
3. The Boomers ~ Baby Boomer Generation – Widely associated with privilege, many grew up in a time of prosperity (Post WWII)
4. Generation Y~ Generation Y – Have reputation for experiencing boredom/frustration with: slow-paced environments traditional work hierarchies slightly outdated technologies All of these are common in today’s workforce
5. The Problem ~ Our society is experiencing the Baby Boomer generation approach the age of retirement Once this occurs, approximate gap of 10-12 years where there will be decrease in # of workers With decrease of Baby Boomers in workplace, also means decrease of skilled and highly experienced workers
6. What Needs to be Done? ~ Create symbiotic relationship between the older, more experienced and traditional employees and the younger, short-cut and technologically capable generation. http://clickedthrough.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/symbiosis.jpg
7. Areas of Research ~ 1) Current generation demographics Stereotypes Differences among generations Commonalities http://blog.sironaconsulting.com/.a/6a00d8341c761a53ef01156ed3e423970c-320wi
8. Areas of Research (cont.) ~ 2) Behavioral Statistics Baby Boomers Prefer traditional “work hard and earn what you deserve” mentality POWER derived from SUCCESS Generation Y Automation Technology Aided Productivity SUCCESS derived from AUTONOMY http://media.photobucket.com/image/we%20can%20do%20it/marinidor/we_can_do_it1.jpg http://www.cnsx.ca/Storage.asp?StorageID=88814&SiteLanguageID=1
9. Generation Comparison Table 1. Comparison of Generations (Erb). Table 1. Comparison of Generations (Erb). Table 1. Comparison of Generations (Erb).
10. 3) Best approach for each generation that can be formulated Baby Boomers Unable to tolerate flexibility demands of changing workforce Gen Y Increased teamwork effectiveness More rapid task completion Areas of Research (cont.) ~ http://images.tribe.net/tribe/upload/photo/253/562/25356265-3c68-4d33-bf97-957e38b26aca http://i.ehow.com/images/GlobalPhoto/Articles/2138794/techno1-main_Full.jpg
11. Findings Psychological impacts of being raised in different environments Result in different ideals and ethics, particularly in the area of work completion Gen Y – dependent on technology, however: Work with higher levels of logic Display increased will to engage in teamwork Such benefits should be capitalized upon!
12. Conclusions ~ Majority of conflicts: Misunderstandings between generations Seek balances Ethical compromises Bettering the understanding of each other's generation Improve knowledge of other generation’s work ethics Reduce stereotyping Further develop respect for other generation's values Will lead to increased benefit of both generations if they combine their skill sets to effectively complete a task
13. Recommendations ~ Proper Management Motivating coach instead of dictatorship hierarchy Capitalize team members strengths Education through workshops Will increase knowledge of multigenerational coworkers Eliminate prejudices of work values Allow flexibility in work environment As long as they meet deadlines, allow Gen Y to chat, use iPods, etc… Allow Boomers to work in their traditional manor and do not attempt to vitally update or alter their work methods Allow flexibility in work schedule Electronic work scheduling to best accommodate everyone’s lifestyles Allows shuffling/trading/modifying of schedules (with limitations of course)
Notas do Editor
Generation Z also exists, those born between the mid-1990s and end of the 2000s…. But for the purpose for this report….not old enough to be considered working
-By the sheer force of its numbers, the boomers were a demographic bulge which remodeled society as they passed through it. They have common values of gender and racial equality, individualism, and free spirit.The healthiest and wealthiest generation of our timeAmongst the first to grow up genuinely expecting the world to improve with time-Boomers grew up at a time of dramatic social change. -In the Us, that social change marked the generation with a strong cultural influence
-We are approaching a time when there will be an immense shortage of skilled workers who have decades of experience will be present in the workplace.-Generation Y is going to bring powerful changes to the workforce since there will unavoidably be a gap present.
-Our society is experiencing the productive and hard working Baby Boomer generation approach the age of retirement. -After the Baby Boom Generation retires, an approximate gap of 10-12 years will be present where there will not be as many workers with years of experience under their belts. -Today, companies across the globe have realized this as a serious issue and are currently investing into bridging the gap between Generation Y and the Baby Boomers
-This research in overall conflicts occurring in the workplace will be of high value to any employed personnel, for the goal is to help promote an effectively industrious blend of workers from both Baby Boomers and Generation Y.
-With respect to the great deal of differences present among various generations, it can easily be understood why getting past these differences and focusing instead on the discovery of commonalities is analogous to bridging the gap among generations in the workforce. -Identifyingclassical stereotypes associated with each generation is an important step. -traditional-minded “strict and rigid work ethic” attitude prevalent among the aging Baby Boomer generation, -Commonly a clash occurs with the Gen Y group and their “short-cut and technology aided task completion” characteristicsFor ex. – A main similarity between the Baby Boomers and Gen Y is their creation of a similar product. In other words, they both strive for career advancement and good reputations among the workplace.According to a write-up in the Salt Lake Tribune by Anita Bruzzese, Generation Y differs from the Boomers most greatly in their time allocation, or how they spend their time. The older generation puts most of their time into hard work and accomplishing their task overall, where the younger generations seek automation and productivity-increasing short cuts in their task completion.
In order to correctly understand the dynamic of the generation gap beyond the constructs of stereotypes, thorough research of current behavioral statistics must be conducted.-Authoritative values of Baby Boomers mainly concern principles of power from success. -Generation Y on the other hand has been raised in a culture that favors embraces technology and automation, especially when it comes to the completion of work tasks. -Therefore, Gen Y favors autonomy for success, because such automation can make hard work obsolete.
This chart supports the idea that members of Generation Y are generally confident, hardworking, and particularly savvy with technology. However, Generation Y has an overall lack of resourcefulness when it comes down to business communication, as well as experience that the previous generations possess.Generation Y has a lot to live up to, and their communication skills normally suffer because of it
The main conflicts arise when the demands of one generation are imposed upon the other generation. If one generation does not understand the other generation’s reasoning, they often react with loathing in response to their fear. -With the onset of fast paced change and rapid technological expansion becoming increasingly prevalent in the business environment, the more experienced employees of the Baby Boom generation unable to tolerate the flexibility demands of the changing workforce will find themselves at conflict with their younger Generation Y counterparts.
These differencescan be directly related to the multiple types of psychological impacts of different environmental factors between Baby Boomers and Generation Y. Gen Y had the privileges of technology and for the most part grew up with remote control TVs, programmable microwaves, and portable telephones with touch tone keypads being the sociological norm. This norm for Gen Y increased their dependence on technology and is one of the reasons for their different style of work ethics -It has been found that members of Gen Y work with higher levels of logic, and display an increased will to engage in teamwork for the accomplishment of tasks more rapidly than any previous generation. Findingsshow that the younger generation can increase the overall velocity of growth in the business or workforce
-These efficiencies make Gen Y a valuable asset that should be capitalized on by combining this knowledge with the ethical values of the Baby Boom generation in order to increase competency and cohesion in the workplace. -Valuable assets such as this can be used for increasedtask completion benefit, as well as increasing the total amount of workload achieved as a company whole.
With reassessing the roles of managers, increased knowledge on generational differences, and the custom tailoring of schedules, any business can look forward to increased velocity of growth as a direct result from skill transfers from the older generations to the younger generations. With Gen Y being the quickest working generation to ever come into existence, once they become familiar with the skills of their predecessors they will undoubtedly provide an impressive competitive advantage against any other competition.
