Are generational differences real?

One of the more popular pastimes in workplaces, BBQs or the local cafés is whinging about another generation.

It doesn't seem to matter if the generation is older or younger than the complainant’s generation, but apparently, they are all worse than they used to be.

It’s hard to imagine a more pointless activity because neither the complainant nor the target can do anything about their circumstance.

What is motivating this angst about other generations?

A kind answer to this question is that it is simply a display of our normal behaviour towards someone different from us. If someone wears different clothes, speaks differently or has different interests then we are quick to be judgemental about their motives or behaviour. 

A less kind answer points to direct bias and assumptions about the various generational categories like:

•    All Baby Boomers are inept with technology
•    All Gen Ys want everything on day one
•    All Gen Zs are lazy

Both answers are correct, and both are wrong, depending on who you speak to.

A new industry

A third possible answer to this question is that a mini-industry has grown with books, panel sessions, training courses and speakers touring the world to help organisations cope with the “massive” problem of generational differences in the workplace.

We are led to believe that our organisations are doomed to fail if we don’t address the communication failings between the various age groups; productivity will continue to plummet; conflict will be rife, and innovation will stall. Oh really?

Let’s test our thinking on this proposition. Are the challenges of various age groups working together significantly different today than they were 10, 20 or even 50 years ago?

Yes, the pace of change is faster today than ever before, but you can go well back into the film archives and find examples of older generations complaining about the work ethic of today’s youth and younger people mocking the old-fashioned ways of their more mature colleagues.

How have inter-generational families coped with this “problem”? Some have crumbled whilst most have thrived.

More similarities than differences

Rather than focusing on the differences between the generations, it is much more fruitful to focus on the similarities. Why? Because there are many more of them.

Whilst they are obviously at different stages of their career, all generations still strive for fundamental things such as those proposed by Dan Pink in his book Drive - a core Purpose to their work, a desire for Autonomy and to achieve Mastery in the role. 

Sweeping generalisations that stain each member of a generation group with negative characteristics are both discriminatory and untrue.

More likely is that the range of ages in your workforce shares similar competencies with technology, similar desires for immediate rewards and similar attitudes towards their workload.

Very close to the surface of the thin veneer of each person’s age, is a set of values, hopes and ambitions that is indistinguishable from the person in the next cubicle.

Respect

So rather than investing in another deep, and expensive, book on how you might mitigate the risks of generational differences poisoning your organisation’s culture, it might be better to invest in more respect at work.

Respect in this context looks like:

•    Being open to learning new things from all other employees
•    Listening with curiosity
•    Acknowledging that everyone has different perspectives, has different experiences and has different things to bring to the table
•    Being open to the possibility that you are wrong
•    Embracing the opportunity to work with people who are different to you

Of course, different generations view the world differently, but these differences are tiny in comparison to the number of things they share in common.

Let’s embrace the differences, build on our shared perspectives and always treat each other with respect.