The intergenerational makeup of today’s workforce contains a great deal of untapped potential. While headlines frequently focus on the challenges that can come from bringing different generations together, the truth is that, when employees learn to embrace their distinct strengths, they will be far more effective performers and collaborators.
Research from organizations like the Harvard Business Review has found that cognitive diversity accelerates learning and performance, especially in uncertain and complex situations. Given the pace of change and ambiguity in today’s workplaces, it’s more important than ever before to harness the diverse perspectives and experiences of multigenerational staff so that companies thrive.
To empower personnel from all age groups to build meaningful connections and collaborate to drive results, Human Resources teams can prioritize management support, team building and organization-wide programming.
Enhancing Cross-Generational Solidarity Through Manager Support
Supervisors have a significant impact on their employees’ engagement and workplace experiences. To inspire people leaders to better appreciate their direct reports of all ages, coach them on three mindset shifts, including:
- Practicing curiosity
- Celebrating strengths
- Welcoming feedback
Every employee has their own point of view, knowledge and ideas to offer. Managers who maintain an open mind will be better equipped to overcome preconceived notions and get the most out of their team members. Equip supervisors to practice active listening and to ask questions so they are less likely to make assumptions or embrace stereotypes, and instead truly get to know the people they are leading.
Additionally, help managers adopt a strengths-based approach. Rather than focusing on perceived deficits or beliefs about certain age groups, concentrate on the positive qualities that each person brings to their role. By prioritizing strengths and celebrating the learnings and insights that come from differences, managers can build stronger relationships with their staff members.
Lastly, coach people leaders on how to effectively receive feedback. We all bring our own preconceived notions about the best way to approach work or management. However, every person will have their own needs and preferences that may or may not align with assumptions about their generation. By valuing feedback from direct reports, managers will cultivate a more nuanced appreciation of their teammates and learn to motivate as well as support them in a way that honors each employee for who they are.
Promoting Team Understanding
Within departments, team leaders can take action to overcome stereotypes and nurture understanding through:
- Facilitating connections
- Creating shared norms
- Noting styles and preferences
To establish strong relationships, make time for team building. Host structured events and look for small ways to promote connection. Use chat channels to cultivate conversation over common interests and check-in questions in meetings to promote understanding. In addition to reducing stereotypes, team building has a positive impact on advancing collective productivity and work ethic.
Creating team norms is a powerful way to promote alignment among staff. Setting clear expectations around the collective ways of working will empower colleagues to collaborate cohesively no matter their age.
Cultivate a sense of belonging and respect by encouraging coworkers to name and note where their distinct ideas and approaches are coming from. Whether it’s from lived experience, personal preferences or generational expectations, calling attention to the reasons why these differences are informing interests, concerns or habits can create dialogue and reduce misunderstandings about how employees can best work together.
Engaging Staff Across the Organization
Human Resources departments play a vital role in creating experiences to promote connectivity for all personnel by:
- Introducing or expanding mentorship
- Promoting knowledge sharing
- Cultivating a learning culture
Mentorship programs allow employees from varying age groups and experience levels to come together to get advice and promote one another’s growth. Assess existing programs and consider expanding offerings to include reverse mentorship, group mentoring and flash mentoring. By providing several ways for personnel to connect, it’s more likely that workers from multiple age groups will cultivate meaningful relationships.
Another avenue that supports cross-generational cohesion is knowledge sharing. When workers at all levels can offer their expertise to colleagues, it promotes the understanding that all generations have something valuable to contribute to the company. Find different ways to engage staff in knowledge sharing. A few ideas include lunch and learns, webinars, recorded videos, live workshops or work hacks chat channels.
Intergenerational conflict often stems from one of two things: assumptions about other people, or a belief that there is only one right way to approach a situation. Cultivating a learning culture can address both causes of conflict. Make growth a priority inside your organization and celebrate people who are regularly participating in development and experimentation. By encouraging continuous learning, staff members will adopt a growth mindset, which will help them embrace the expansive perspectives of their colleagues of different ages with curiosity rather than judgment.
When employees see every interaction with their coworkers as an opportunity for new learning, it will empower the people inside your workplace to gain new understanding of one another and utilize their strengths to unlock greater performance. As September is Intergenerational Month, it’s an opportune time to challenge yourself to implement one of the tactics I’ve shared. I think you’ll be amazed at the positive changes you unleash within your workforce!
Marie Unger is CEO of Emergenetics International.