We’re shaped by the emotional experiences of our formative years. Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z arrived in the workplace with different beliefs and expectations about how things should be done. Not surprisingly, each disturbed or caused friction with the prevailing workplace culture. Because each generation has a different sense of what really matters and what doesn’t. Understanding their distinctive characteristics and conflicting beliefs can help you create a more collaborative, cohesive and productive work environment. While age cohorts are not monolithic and every employee is unique, revelations about the consequences of their value imprinting can be informative to those who must lead them. Most managers treat everyone the same; the great ones see beyond the stereotypes and know what makes each generation thrive.
More than 70% of managers today experience conflicts between older and younger workers on a frequent basis. Unintentionally, they’re often the cause of it. More than ever, they need to know how generational differences affect workplace productivity, efficiency, accountability and the ability to embrace and lead change. Never assume everyone is driven by the same motivational triggers. Those socialized in different economic, political and cultural realities acquired different, sometimes opposing beliefs and values. And these do influence, if not determine, their behaviors at work. This understanding is especially important in our post-pandemic, technology-driven, unpredictable and chaotic workplace.
Great managers optimize the benefits, while minimizing the daunting challenges, of a multi-generational workforce. Improperly managed, these differences lead to worker apathy and disengagement, unnecessary time-consuming tensions, debilitating stresses and inefficiencies. The benefits of cross-cultural harmony include massive learning opportunities, talent intensification and increased innovation. In this course, you’ll gain a better understanding of what happens when generational values and preferences collide, what motivates and what divides each age-dominant cohort, how their contrasting experiences influence their work behaviors, and what you can do to enhance engagement, inclusion and collaboration.
Topics include:
❏ Generational differences that come alive in the workplace
❏ Stereotyping vs. prototyping the age cohorts: Key insights
❏ Cultural intelligence and relatability: Manager superpowers
❏ What each generation wants in a manager: The consequences
❏ Reconciling the profiles: Similarities, differences and cautions
❏ Essential points of tension between older and younger workers
❏ How to deal with old-school, demanding and younger bosses
❏ The next wave: Expectations, new triggers and the reality gaps
❏ Engaging the cohorts and giving/getting their honest feedback
❏ How to approach personal issues, insecurities and anxieties
❏ Handling taboo topics, workplace jargon and corporate speak
❏ Destabilizing stereotypes: Nurturing dialogue across generations
❏ How to bridge the current cross-cultural communication gaps
❏ Going forward: What the future holds in store for your company
❏ Achieving workplace harmony: A new playbook for managers
Includes a 28 page Pre-course Workbook of relevant readings and tasks.