Not long ago, I co-facilitated a World Café discussion at which a group of 50 leaders, consultants and students in organizational development brainstormed answers to two critical questions about a multigenerational workforce:
■ How do you motivate a workforce composed of several generations?
■ How do you develop and prepare the workforce for the challenges of tomorrow?
The collective thinking that emerged offers a starting point and even a list of issues for leaders to consider when creating a strategy for addressing multi-generational needs that emerge in their organizations.
Motivating the diverse age workforce
There are predominantly four generations in the workplace today: traditionalists, born before 1945; boomers, born between 1946 and 1964; Generation X, born between 1965 and 1980; and millennials, born between 1981 and 1999.
There are communication differences and needs among each generation — for example, preferences for text versus phone. There also are stereotypes within and about each generation that need to be understood and addressed.
■ Communication channels need to be both formal and informal because it is critically important to be transparent and foster open communication among all generations, especially around specific expectations and problems or discrepancies. Train everyone in the organization on the differences in communication styles.
■ Emphasize the strengths and experiences of groups and individual employees alike. Instead of mentoring, consider the concept of collaborative partnerships that emphasize learning from each other. Encourage people to share based on their passions. Drive relationships and promote collaboration. Consider diverse participation in projects to allow relationships to grow organically.
■ Maintain flexibility regarding differences among generations. Recognize that every generation will have different needs and preferences. Ensure enough communication to clearly define expectations that each group may have.
Prepare for tomorrow’s challenges
Enhancing the value of a multi-generational workforce takes planning. Before dealing with the challenges, leaders must anticipate and plan for them.
■ Build forecasting into the core competencies of every leader in your organization. Help them be great listeners, questioners and observers who are culturally and generationally sensitive and value diversity. Ensure that they have strong human relationship skills and a clear demonstration of these skills in practice. Help them be adaptable, flexible and able to embrace change.
■ Recognize that there are global issues and a need for a global-minded, multi-generational workforce. Consider qualifications for a global workforce, help each individual find his or her niche in the global picture and help each person consider why he or she should stay with the organization.
■ Create a broader relationship with your employees. Give them the freedom to think about future challenges and to be innovative in addressing them. Emphasize creativity and adaptability. Engage all employees in an ongoing dialogue. Build trust that promotes engagement. Finally, show a strong commitment to invest in each employee’s development.
A World Café is an excellent tool in developing a multi-generational workforce strategy that employs these tactics, because it is so dynamic and collaborative, drawing on the experiences and observations of all generations in the organization. There is no right or wrong, but the collective thinking of the crowd is a great starting point. If you open up communication in this way, your employees across all generations are likely to be highly motivated, engaged and willing partners in collaborating for best results. ●
Jay Colker, DM, MBA, MA, is on the core faculty teaching counseling and organizational psychology at the Adler School of Professional Psychology (www.adler.edu). He also maintains a human capital consulting practice, is founder of Crowdsourced Coaching and may be reached at [email protected] or (312) 213-3421. To learn more about Colker, visit crowdsourcedcoaching.com/about-us/.
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