Back in My Day...

Many of us remember how our elders wouldshare complaints that began with declarations like, “Kids these days (fill inthe blank),” or “Back in my day, (fill in the blank)”.  Today I hear this a lot and cannot honestly denyhaving joined in on a conversation that was going down that road.  However, I don’t think this mindset has to dowith generational differences as much as it does the diversity of experiencessomeone may have encountered.  Dependingon which scale you look at, I myself am a millennial and continuously hearcomplaints of how millennials lack communication skills, are always on theirphone, or are not as mentally tough as prior generations.  I don’t disagree that some of thesegeneralizations are accurate, and that I myself am probably guilty of a littletoo much screen time.  Yet, withmillennials being anywhere between 22-37 years old and expected to become 75%of the workforce by the year 2030 (Froman, 2015), it is long past time weanalyze reasoning and focus on solutions.

Reasoning

- Change to the Organizational Environment

Although I posit that the sometimesseemingly irreconcilable differences between the generational cohorts haveexisted since the beginning of time, changes to the organizational environmenthas made them more apparent.  Murray, Toulson, and Legg (2011) stated, “Having a mix ofgenerational cohorts in the workplace is nothing new and has been going on forgenerations!” So why in the last decade has managing and understanding thedifferent generational cohorts been such a hot topic?  The answer lies in a shift in how workplacesoperate.  Organizations are shifting to“less hierarchical organizational structures” and organizations are nowrequiring these different generations to interact and work side by side on asocial level more than ever before (Murray, Toulson,& Legg)

- Misunderstandings

Another reason the so-called differencesare magnified is because of the “why” movement. The digital natives, sometimes called “Generation Why,” often get abad rap because they frequently want to know the “why” behind a decision.  It is very hard to argue against thenotion that people perform better when they see purpose and meaning behindtheir actions. I find it hard to understand how asking “why” if done sorespectfully and out of honest curiosity, could be such a bad thing.  And if we throw the “sometimes I don’t havetime to provide the why” as a deflection towards instilling discipline, maybethe trust and discipline should have been instilled prior to reaching such animpasse.  Regardless, if you get stuckon the fact that this generation asks why too much versus developing a strategyto build trust and providing meaning, you’re rolling the dice for yourorganization. 

- Confirmation Bias

Due to the spotlight on generationaldifferences, literature on these topics is readily available. Though as Murray,Toulson, and Legg pointed out, “much of what is ‘known’ about generationalcohorts is based on their portrayal in the popular literature, rather than onempirical studies published in the research literature”. To put it in otherwords, in many ways popular culture is leveraging our confirmation bias (read more about confirmation bias here) and is influencing theresearch on the subject, further exacerbating the perceived differences betweenthe generational cohorts.  Furthermore,after doing quite a bit of research on the subject, I personally found thatthere is far more empirical and quantifiable data that shows that thegenerational cohorts have just subtle differences, and actually have moresimilarities.

- Actual Differences

Now don’t get me wrong…there are obviously differencesbetween the generations.  How could therenot be?  In the last 110 years there havebeen numerous technological advances ranging from the assembly line toautomation and the digital age.  However,generalizations that the millennial generation is adept in using technologydoes make me wonder, is this really a quality of the generation?  Or could this simply be the result of wheretechnology is and how those raised during a time where the ubiquitous nature ofthe internet coupled with the globalization of information technology trulyrules daily interaction.  Are theprinciples of communication different, or is it the tools that are different?  My personal inference is that if technologywas present to this level and the economic situations were similar when theboomers were coming of age, they would have adapted and learned to utilize justthe same.  Not to mention that mycolleague Scott just told me he had a twenty something year old co-worker whodid not understand how to use the snipping tool on her computer.  That goes to show you that generalizationswork well when drawing conclusions from studies on large groups but don’t meanmuch in small groups or on an individual basis.   

Solutions

- Leverage Strengths

A powerful solution is to stop complainingabout how things are different and divert focus to leveraging the diversestrengths of your teammates.  Invest in learning about one another withoutpre-judgement and build relationships and trust.  This takes time but it is worth it.  There are numerous surveys available toidentify strengths within your team and those coupled with some actualconversations could bring many positive results to your organization.

- Focus on the Right Thing at the Right Time

There are times we should focus on similarities andother times where we should focus on differences.  In my personal opinion, when there isconflict counterproductive to the team’s mission, vision, and goals, it’s timeto focus on the similarities and common values. When there is a need for innovative solutions and diversity ofperspective, focus on the differences. 

- Provide Meaning

Develop communication strategies when possible andbuild trust within your team.  The moreyou provide purpose and meaning and develop trust, the less likely your teamwill ask why at the most inappropriate times. Also, they will likely develop the ability to connect the “why”themselves and for their teams.  Be acoach and ultimately a force multiplier and your team will be effective versusjust efficient. 

Editor’sNote:  Joe Bogdan is the co-founder of LlamaLeadership, is an adjunct professor of leadership studies and is a seniorenlisted leader in the United States Air Force. He has led various organizations with diverse missions across multiplecountries and currently oversees over 400 people composed of U.S. Military andGerman civilian personnel in Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany.