As far as my own generation, I am a Baby Boomer but stay connected with the younger generations through my teaching and mentoring work with Capella University.
Dr. Beekman

Thank you for the Webinar and the interesting topic selected. “Working With Individuals Across Multiple Generations” offers multi-dimensional discussions on organizational shared-meaning. Generational inclusiveness implies a coherent and cohesive work environment necessitated by a strong desire to share knowledge and wisdom for greater productivity. The idea of generational cohort suggested by Janet might lead to human relations gaps as negative factors for cohesion and Human capital mix.

Job satisfaction, good pay and benefits, conducive work environment, understanding and managing diversity, culture and talent management are essential in reaching accross workplace generations.

Frank Forka.

Thank you so much for putting this together. I have enjoyed your presentation and learned so much from you at the last colloquium. You inspired me to attend the Academy of Management this August, and I found it quite interesting. Thank you for standing as a leader in this program and for your continuous support and work.

Cheryl Haws

One story that intrigues me involves the people missing from most workplace studies—the entrepreneurs, small business workers and freelancers whose workplace often fits into a laptop. How do characteristics of these workers vary by generational group—or do they? Has anyone studied them by cohort?

I do not doubt that world events, cultural trends and social change influence people’s attitudes. But I also wonder whether people who are sharing “key life experiences” NOW have more in common in terms of priorities and expectations of leaders and work life than cohort groups by birth year?

Do parents of young children—regardless of whether they are in their 20s, 30s or 40s have common desires in terms of comprehensive health benefits or flexible sick/personal time off? Does the new parent, like the worker ready to retire, want stability and clear expectations? And do middle aged empty nesters have more in common with the young Nexters in terms of valuing extra time off more than a raise? How can the workplace be better aligned with workers’ needs at different stages of life—given global competition and other pressures? What productivity is lost by ignoring workers’ needs?

As someone with long-term involvement in workplace diversity issues, I have another question: what policies, training and other measures will be needed to avoid/remedy divisive age bias and/or discrimination?

Last, after watching the presentation a couple of times I tried to answer the question about which generation I associate with the most. Apparently I am a one-woman multi-generational worker, since I resonate strongly with characteristics of Baby Boomer, Gen Xer as well as Nexter. Clearly someone trying to manage, develop or motivate me based on characteristics anticipated based on age cohort would have a challenging time!

Please share your thoughts: what issues do you see in the multi-generational workplace, what research is needed to better understand these issues? And where do you fit in—do you resonate with your birth cohort, another generation, or a mix?

Janet

I also recommend the work of Bruce Tulgan, a Gen Xer. His book Tulgan, B. (2002). Winning the talent wars: How to build a lean, flexible, high-performance workplace. New York: Norton. is very readible and informative. He too has a web site at http://www.rainmakerthinking.com/.

Also here are some very current articles on the topic of generational differences that you and your visitors might find interesting:

Bartley, S., Ladd, P., & Morris, M. (2007). Managing the Multigenerational Workplace: Answers for Managers and Trainers. CUPA-HR Journal, 58(1), 28-34. Retrieved April 21, 2008, from Business Source Complete database.

Giancola, F. (2006). The Generation Gap: More Myth than Reality. Human Resource Planning, Retrieved April 21, 2008, from Business Source Complete database.

Johnson, J., & Lopes, J. (2008). The Intergenerational Workforce, Revisited. Organization Development Journal, 26(1), 31-36. Retrieved April 21, 2008, from Business Source Complete database.

Tulgan, B. (2007). Finding roles for social-media tools in HR. Strategic HR Review, 6(2), 3-3. Retrieved April 21, 2008, from Business Source Complete database.

I hope you find these resouces helpful! Enjoy!
Dr. B

I see a lot of speculation and discussion in the popular press of mostly anecdotal evidence about generational issues in the workplace—what are researchers finding? To what extent do assumed correlations between age and workplace/leadership expectations hold true? Your presentation highlighted two books on the subject—could suggest any articles that discuss findings from recent studies?