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Book Review: When Generations Collide

Four generations of employees working together within the same organization is not uncommon, as the Traditionalist generation is delaying retirement and Millennials are moving into the workforce. Lynne C. Lancaster and David Stillman address the generational misunderstandings, or workplace “collisions” as they refer to them, that occur between Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Gen Xers and Millennials in their best-selling business book, "When Generations Collide. Who They Are. Why They Clash. How to Solve the Generational Puzzle at Work".

The book, published in 2002, may seem dated for today’s reader as economic, political and cultural shifts have occurred since its release. However, the book provides a solid foundation to understand the key generational differences and similarities. The authors refer to findings from their Bridgeworks Generations Survey data throughout, such as the belief that a lifetime career with a single company is desirable, or even possible, is lessening with each generation.

The authors spend time on the positives each generation brings to the workplace while also acknowledging the potential stressors. An example of a generational collision around giving and receiving feedback illustrates the frustration. Millennials are accustomed to receiving up-to-the minute feedback, while Baby Boomers long ago adopted the once-a-year performance appraisal process with lots of documentation. The authors themselves are from different generations and often use their working relationship as case studies of workplace collisions.

The book is also rich with anecdotes from leaders at companies such as General Mills, Lockheed, SC Johnson Wax, Carlson Companies, and Ernst & Young. The stories, along with survey data, provide examples of strategies around generational issues in areas such as recruitment, rewards, communication, career development, management and retention. Overall, the book provides a substantial base for understanding generational workplace issues, and may be especially useful for HR professionals, managers, company leaders and anyone interested in being a better colleague to those of a different generation.

Lancaster, L.C. and Stillman, D. (2002) When Generations Collide, New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
Review by: Amy Olmscheid, M.A., Capella University Career Center Supervisor

This entry was posted on Monday, August 17th, 2009 at 1:31 pm and is filed under Books and Publications, Current Topics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.