In the rapidly changing workplace of today, the fact that teams include several different generations at once represents both an exciting challenge and a major challenge. Presumably with up to five generations potentially working side by side — the Traditionalists through to Gen Z — workplace collaboration has never been more complex and more fascinating. I’ve been watching this stuff for years and it’s a thing of beauty (and occasionally chaos) through and through.
Understanding Generational Differences
The first rule of dealing with multigenerational teams is recognizing that each generation has something unique to offer based in the world events, technological and social changes that have occurred in each different generation’s lifetime. Age isn’t the only determinant, it also depends on how these experiences have shaped varied methods to work, communicate or solve problems. I’ve seen countless managers stumble here, making the rookie mistake of treating everyone the same way (spoiler alert: that doesn’t work!).
Communication Preferences
Baby Boomers like more face to face and a detailed discussion. It’s them who will come to your desk to say hello instead of giving you a quick Slack ping. But Gen X tends to prefer direct, no nonsense, communication, and they are efficiency minded and value independence. Digital natives have made emoji filled instant messaging the norm, and it’s now taken to the ultra brief / visual communication levels with Gen Z. Knowing these differences isn’t just for academics – it’s essential for avoiding these facepalm moments of miscommunication that can wreck projects.
Work-Life Balance Expectations
And this is where things get really interesting … and sometimes, a little heated. Regardless of the generational labels you put on them, each new generation has dramatically different expectations about work life balance than the last. Younger generations will often times place flexibility and personal time above work while Baby Boomers still tend to fall along traditional lines of ‘work comes first.’ I’ve seen this all unfold quite a number of times in heated discussions about remote work policies, and essentially boiled down to these differences in perspective.
Leadership Strategies for Success
Managing multigenerational teams is a juggling act of knowing when to remain flexible, bring understanding and thoughtfully strategize. Forget it’s a chorus of them with their own input; it’s like you’re a conductor leading an orchestra of different style sections of music and you must make it all harmonically work together as one.
Creating Inclusive Communication Channels
When it comes to communication, one size certainly fits none. Good leaders use several channels for one job: old fashioned office meetings in combination with online digital channels to allow for different forms of communication. But here’s the catch: Make sure that all theses different channels don’t create silos. One project I’ve seen derail completely was half the team freaking out with crucial conversations on Slack and the other half waiting for the weekly in person meeting!
Implementing Mentorship Programs
Here’s where the magic happens! Reverse mentoring programs in which older colleagues learn about leadership and industry experience while their younger protégés provide tech expertise, can be transformative. I’ve seen skeptical execs turn into TikTok fanatics and newcomers soak up wisdom from their most senior coworkers. When it works, it’s beautiful, but it’s also sometimes a bit like herding cats to get there!
Common Challenges and Solutions
Here’s the real story – multigenerational teams aren’t a walk in the park. However there are some pretty significant hurdles to overcome but with the proper approach it can instead be an opportunity for growth.
Technology Adoption
The tech gap is real, folks. As younger people on your team may be sighing at having to navigate everybody on why a particular digital tool works a certain way, older generations may feel like they’re being bombarded with the latest apps. The solution? Building the kind of easy feeling where questions are okay and patience is king. I’ve found that training technical things in small chunks and delivering them in multiple delivery formats are wonderful.
Different Work Styles
Some people want to work structured 9–5 days and others work at odd hours. The trick is to find areas of common ground and open up room for flexibility where you can and to get everyone to collaborate during core hours. This is about results, not set schedules, and this is admittedly a tough pill to swallow for traditional managers.
Building a Cohesive Team Culture
And I think maybe the hardest thing about managing multi generational teams is creating that unified team culture while still celebrating generational diversity. Think about it, if you borrow the ingredients for two different types of cake, authenticity aside, it doesn’t work… It’s like trying to create fusion cuisine with the best of both worlds.
Fostering Mutual Respect
Leaders set an example by respectfully behaving with all ages and asking others to take an age blind approach to whenever age is a factor in their business. This is about admitting that the 22 year old fresh graduate might have an unparalleled handle on social media strategy or the 60 year old veteran has key crisis management experience. One can be as valuable as another—in no way this is related to age, it’s just who can contribute.
Creating Shared Goals
A common purpose does the job on bringing people together exceptionally well. Amazing things happen when team members stop being divided into ‘we’ and ‘them’, but instead keep their focus on what they share rather than their differences. Having worked on teams and witnessed them surmount generational divides to achieve a compelling goal which could be a new product launch or solving a complex client problem, I’ve come to find a pattern.
Looking to the Future
Especially as modern workplace demographics change, effective leadership of multigenerational teams will become more and more vital. Those organizations that succeed in this challenge will enjoy a tremendous competitive advantage and be better able to attract and retain top talent from every demographic.
With new technologies and working models being introduced on a daily basis, the future workplace promises to only become even more generational diverse. In all, flexibility, open communication, and a workplace environment where every generation contributes and feels valued and is understood will be the key to success.
We’re all people, at the end of the day, just trying to give our best work. We sometimes stumble, make mistakes, or misspeak to one another, and that’s OK. It doesn’t matter about what, it matters how we decide to learn, adapt and grow together. Sorry, now I need to go find out why my Gen Z intern is giggling at my ‘out of date’ emoji use. 😅
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