How to manage the generations in your workplace
1. Don't forget
How to nurture your generations:
In 'Generations At Work', Ron Zemke and others identified five common approaches (ACORN) that organisations must nurture in a generation-ally friendly and productive workplace:
- Accommodate employee differences. Treat employees as you would customers. Find out everything you can about them, work to meet their specific needs, and serve them according to their unique preferences.
- Create workplace choices. Shape the workplace around what it does, whom it serves, and the people it employs.
- Operate from a sophisticated management style. Give those who report to you the big picture; specific goals and measures; empowerment to complete the task; and feedback, rewards, and recognition as warranted.
- Respect competence and initiative. Assume the best of your people, treating everyone as if they have a great deal to offer and are motivated to do their best.
- Nourish retention. Make your work environments a place where people want to be.
2. Read further
'Bridging the Boomer-Xer Gap', Hank Karp, Connie Fuller, Danilo Sirias, Palo Alto, Davies-Black, 2002.
'Generations At Work', Ron Zemke, Claire Raines, Bob Filipczak, Performance Research Associates, 2001.
'Managing Generation X: How to Bring out the Best in Young Talent', Bruce Tulgan, W.W. Norton & Co., 2000.
3. GenXers: Two findings
Two recent groundbreaking studies (reported in 'Bridging the Boomer-Xer Gap', Hank Karp, Connie Fuller, Danilo Sirias, Davies-Black Publishing, Palo Alto 2002) found that Generation X is significantly more individualistic AND significantly more team-oriented than the Baby Boomer generation. …
