Bridge the Generational Divide

The meek may never inherit the Earth, but the young certainly will. Robust organisations empower future leaders to navigate tomorrow by building on the foundations of today.

What

Whether the focus is on attitudes to ways of working, where you work, your values and beliefs, boundaries, motivations or what really matters, there is a belief that your age changes how you view the world. The stereotypes of ‘boomer’ and ‘snowflake’ are potent, defining, limiting and often wrong.

Generational difference has always existed. Typically we’ve called it progress. Until the start of the 21st century, however, the pace of change was slower. A generation was a period of 25-30 years. Until just after WWII, generations weren’t identified. Benign tolerance and moderated change from older generations, coupled with openness to change and new ways of being/working by younger generations meant workplaces, and communities, changed and adapted in ways which generally felt manageable.

This century has seen a dramatic shift in how we experience change. Generational groups are now 15-year groupings, and named as Generations X, Y, Z and Alpha. Developments in information technology have transformed the world, and the workplace. Social media has supercharged this changing environment, rapidly spreading information and new ways of thinking.

Why

Addressing generational difference is central to bringing divided teams together, challenging assumptions, and allowing cultural change to happen in a way that works for everyone. Left unchecked, the cacophony of noise and frustration about differences in generational attitudes risks creating real, lasting division, resentment and faction.

At the same time, organisational ‘listening’ and sensing of behavioural or social change is stifled before it reaches leadership, so opportunities for profitable growth are missed, and creative destruction happens outside the organisation rather than having a chance to take root within.

We are all custodians of a future which does not include us. Recognising that the old ways are the old ways, and finding ways to balance the new with the old, is essential in building longevity and engaging all members of the work community.

How

Engaging with generational difference in attitudes and approach can feel distressing and frustrating. The stereotypes on which generational difference is predicated are often incorrect, and based on assumptions which are not necessarily grounded in reality but which come from influences including media, peer groups, experiences (real and imagined), and our families. 

We create space to enable people to explore their frustrations and examine what’s going on for them. We start with the presumption of good intent – that everyone is doing their best – and then gently offer challenge to all parties: what assumptions are they making; what stereotypes do they hold;  how do their own experiences (both inside and outside the workplace) inform and frame their thinking; what do they envy about others’ ways of being; what don’t they understand? This develops tolerance and acceptance of different ways of being, alongside creating greater openness to trying new things, growing together and building a shared new way forward. 

Recent Engagement

Unscrambling the difficult feelings driving disengagement in a major City law firm

Growing tensions driven by misunderstandings and an intolerance of difference caused factions to emerge in a previously harmonious workplace

A client had concerns that factions were developing between members of their team. There were several potential contributing factors but central was an observation that age mattered. Tensions were emerging between older partners – who had worked their way up through the ranks, saw being a partner as a sign of commitment to the firm, and who had expectations that reaching a high level of seniority would permit them to combine fee-earning and client-winning activity with management and mentorship – and some of the more junior (usually younger) team members, partners or senior associates, who aspired to a better work/life balance, were open to moving elsewhere to achieve their personal and career goals, and who had little interest in being mentored by people who had made choices they struggled to respect.

Our involvement began as observational – watching the team, noting the physical and spoken responses to the contributions of others, and creating a diagnostic report which interpreted what we had observed. From this, a plan emerged – utilising listening exercises, where people were free to express what was going on for them, and discussion, where they learnt to trust each other as they expressed their fears, concerns and differences in attitude and belief. The work was grounded in theory and understanding about respect and valuing difference, recognising that the world is changing, that people expect greater autonomy and flexibility, but that people who make different choices are simply making different, not lesser choices. Respecting those choices, and accepting them without forcing them on others was essential to developing a better, more open understanding of peers.