Generations at Work (Part 2): Better Work Products Through Multigenerational Teams

Better Work Products Through Multigenerational Teams

When faced with personal differences, teams can either become stronger and more cohesive, or they can break down and divide. Today’s modern workplace is multigenerational, which means that team leaders need to know how to effectively leverage individual strengths—and curb individual weaknesses—in order to create better work products and more pleasant work environments that will benefit all parties involved.

Title: Effective Management Tips that Work Across Generations

In some industries and organizations you can find five generations working side by side. This is most prevalent in family-owned companies, but the challenges are the same regardless of size or industry.

One the biggest challenges for leaders of multigenerational teams is managing negative stereotypes. Older generations see younger generations as lazy, unwilling to work hard, and entitled. Younger generations see older generations as technologically challenged and out of touch—although they generally have great respect for them. Remember that each generation has both strengths and weaknesses that need to be considered.

The key to leading multigenerational teams is to coach and manage individually, based upon each employee’s unique skills and disposition. Understand that each team member has ideas, experiences, and techniques that they bring to the table. Encourage discourse and collaboration; the sum is much greater than the parts.

Be mindful that there will be a big communication divide between the older and younger generations. Millennials, Generation Z, and even most of Generation X will prefer texting or using an IM platform such as Slack to communicate. Email and phone tend to be preferred by Veterans/Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, and older Generation X.

The best way to bridge the communication divide is to have team members share their ideal communication style. It may be good to have a loose standard in place. One example could be that quick questions and conversations happen on a messaging platform like Slack so they are archived for future reference. If a phone call is easier, ask employees to message or text before calling to make sure the person is available to talk.

When coaching more tenured staff, capitalize on their knowledge and experience. Pair up members of different generations to mentor each other. The more tenured staff member can mentor on industry knowledge while the younger staff member can mentor on new technology. This collaboration will leverage combined expertise and experience to fuel innovation.

Multigenerational teams are a great asset to organizations. They combine years of knowledge and expertise with a fresh perspective on working efficiently, which creates innovation. Capitalizing on this unique workplace dynamic can breathe new life into your organization and brand.

Gary Vice is sought out by leaders in Software and Services who recognize the need to attract the industry’s best talent.  Through Strategic Recruiting Partners’ extensive network of relationships, they are able to identify high level opportunities for well qualified candidates.  To discover how this process can benefit your job search, simply reply to this email or call Gary at 469.402.4008.