Description
Generational differences are much in the news these days, with commonplace talk of Boomers considering when to retire (if ever!), increasing numbers of Gen X managers moving up (sometimes willingly and sometimes not!), and Generation Y younger adults now present in the workforce in droves (being twice the size of Generation X in the western world).
Generational relations present a modern-day challenge
Generational differences are much in the news these days, with commonplace talk of Boomers considering when
to retire (if ever!), increasing numbers of Gen X managers moving up (sometimes willingly and sometimes not!),
and Generation Y younger adults now present in the workforce in droves (being twice the size of Generation X in
the western world). Business has never before experienced people from such a wide range of age groups
working side-by-side as we begin the second decade of the new millennium.
Different generational groups working closely together can be challenging at times. As both products of our
chronological age and the time in which we grew up, people from different generations and age groups have rather
different attitudes, values, beliefs and motivations from one another. These differences can easily lead to
misunderstanding, miscommunication and even outright conflict in the workplace. Our outlook, or the way in
which we see the world, has significant implications for how we treat, work with, and value other people. Recent
research and organizational experience has shown that generational mix can be a potent problem that should be
dealt with through education, tolerance and increased understanding of the issues.
This booklet presents an overview of the topic of generational differences primarily from a business perspective,
defining the groups as outlined by current literature, and begins to ask the tough questions that progressive
organizations are interested in exploring in order to better lead the different generations effectively. Admittedly,
solid data in this topic is scarce, and rigorous, global study is needed to bring forward the real issues and then
present solutions about how to best address various generational problem areas. This challenge is explored in the
last part of the booklet, including how you can get involved.
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Generational Leadership
Written by Jon Warner & Anne Sandberg
Introduction
The workplace has changed dramatically in recent
years. There is tremendous growth in the older worker
population, particularly. “Traditionalists” are the oldest
working group at present; many have now retired,
though others continue to work full-time and in part-
time, consulting, volunteer, or training/mentoring roles.
“Boomers” have long been the dominant group in
business due to their sheer number in the workforce.
As this group ages, however, some are starting to
consider alternatives to full-time work, while others do
not want to retire or can’t afford to retire for the
foreseeable future. Workers in their “prime” –
Generation X – should be taking over key roles as
Boomers move on, however, there are not enough of
them. In fact, there are only half as many Gen X
workers as Boomers and Gen Y (the youngest group
of workers), for that matter. This leaves a gap in the
most vulnerable age range for management and
leadership positions in organizations – employees in
their 30’s and 40’s in their peak working years. For the
most part, Gen Y is not ready to move into
management and leadership positions vacated by
Boomers – who will take the reins?
Not only is there a shortage of skilled younger
employees, but there is a shortage of younger workers
with the right kinds of experience. Across all sectors
the greatest turnover in aging workers appears to be in
executive, administrative and managerial positions.
Further, as many “old economies”, such as the US and
Western Europe, continue the transition to knowledge-
based economies, the demand for well-educated
workers increases. “The labor shortage in this decade
will be considerably more severe than anything we
have experienced in history”, says Roger Herman,
author of Impending Crisis: Too Many Jobs, Too Few
Workers. Business is facing a serious replacement
gap. As a result of these trends and pressures,
generational diversity has fast become one of the most
important trends affecting today’s workplace.
Generation is just one factor among
many that makes us who we are
Human development, thinking, and decision making is
extremely complex and quite unique from one person
to the next. Given our individual differences, however,
there are patterns or styles of thinking and behavior
that are can be identified and studied. These patterns
are associated with factors such as differences in inner
temperament, nationality, culture, values, gender, and
a range of other factors. While none of these, in and of
themselves, can fully explain why a person thinks or
acts as they do, a particular factor might help to
explain some of these reasons, or at least provide a
context through which we can make and examine
judgments about a person’s attitude, behavior,
motivation, and beliefs.
The generation to which a person belongs is one of
many pattern or style factors that can help us better
understand a specific individual (or even a whole group
of a similar generation). In fact, a person’s generation is
a highly influential factor that we all recognize, at least
instinctively, when we talk and listen to individuals of a
generation different from our own. For these reasons,
people who grow up during the same era tend to be
exposed to many of the same stimuli from the
surrounding culture through the news, media, music,
and other cultural factors. People from the same era
are called, “cohorts.” It is reasonable to expect that
someone from your own era will have quite a bit in
common with you due to the environmental factors you
were both exposed to and shaped by when you were
young. Other factors that might increase your similarity
in outlook, values and attitude could include the
country in which you grew up, the region, your socio -
economic group, your gender, religion, and many other
sub-group identities. Generational group is one of many
group identities that shape who we are in the world.
Why is generational group important
to consider?
When different people come together in the workplace
to accomplish an organization’s goals and objectives
they bring with them their own worldview. Different
worldviews create greater diversity which in turn can
foster innovation and excitement, if managed positively.
If not managed well, the coming-together of different
worldviews, based in part on a multi-generational
workforce, can turn negative and result in
misunderstandings, poor communication, exclusivity
(rather than inclusion), silos, and conflict. This is why it
is so important to understand how the different
generational groups prefer to be communicated with,
motivated, recognized and rewarded. It can be difficult
to “step out of” your own generational group’s
worldview to consider other generations’ preferences,
but this is an essential step in building your
generational knowledge bank and skill set.
GENERATI ONAL L EADERSHI P
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The current four generations at work
Cicero wrote: “Life’s racecourse is fixed. Nature has
only a single path and that path is run but once, and to
each stage of existence has been allotted its
appropriate quality.”
Across all cultures and epochs, and all classes and
races, the experience of aging is universal for all
people in all societies. “From a biological standpoint,”
observed Chinese philosopher Lin Yutang, “human life
almost reads like a poem. It has its own rhythm and
beat, its internal cycles of growth and decay.”
In order to look at the “cycles” of time or phases in life
and work, we have two main options from which to
choose. The first of these, and often the most popular,
is to look at generational groups according to the year
of birth (in roughly 20 year eras). It is now therefore
commonplace to talk of “Traditionals”, often called
“The Greatest Generation” (born 1924 to 1943), “Baby
Boomers” (born 1944 to 1963), “Generation X” (born
1964 to 1983), and finally “Generation Y” (born 1984 to
2000). All four of these generational groups are in the
workplace today and each can be characterized as
one cohesively behaving group, based on the eras in
which they grew up or were influenced in their
formative years (social, economic, political,
technological influences).
The second option in considering life phases is to look
at the aging process as a cycle through which every
individual must travel. Pythagoras was among the first
of western thinkers to interpret life as a cycle of four
phases for an individual. He suggested that these
phases were roughly 20 years long and further stated
that each could be usefully associated with a season:
the Spring of youth, the Summer of early adulthood,
the Autumn of midlife, and the Winter of older age.
Many others (like Shakespeare, for example) have
maintained this analogy and extended the use of the
theme ever since. Gail Sheehy, popular writer,
published the best-seller book, Passages: Predictable
Crises of Adult Life, which covered the principal
challenges and concerns facing individuals passing
from one developmental adult life stage to
the next. Sheehy subsequently wrote New Passages
and several other “passages” books, all of which
emphasize that the purpose of life is to grow to one’s
full potential.
Whether you prefer the “generational group” or the
“seasons of man” model, both focus on better
understanding individual preferences and work style
through consideration of age or generational group.
Generational groups defined/described
This section provides a brief description of the
concerns of each age group and the four generational
groups. This information can give you insight into the
concerns, stresses, and issues that people in the
workplace may be dealing with in their life journey
now, and in the future. You may find some confirmation
for yourself, as well, in terms of what has been your
own journey over your career and in your personal life.
Better understanding others’ thinking, motivation and
resultant behavior can help you become a more
effective and emotionally mature leader, coach and
workplace contributor.
(Note: the age and generational group date ranges, or
years, in the chart headings have been collapsed into
decades rather than specific years for simplicity;
researchers debate the stop/start years of the different
generational groups anyway, so for the purposes of
this document, we have broadened the date ranges to
decades, rather than specific years.)
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The youngest generation currently in the workforce: Generation Y
(born during the 1980’s and 90’s)
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“Seasons of Man” Approach: Spring
Characteristics of the Young Adult 20-something
Generation Y, also called Nexters, Millennials,
and Echo-Boomers
• 20-somethings want to keep their options open,
explore many alternatives, and avoid pre-maturely
committing to one job, employer, or even career.
• The 20’s are marked by setting a life direction or
forming a dream. It’s a time of firming up values and
deciding what is important in relation to career, family,
and interpersonal relationships and trying to answer
the question, “What will I do with the rest of my life?”
The vision that is forming will probably govern life for
the next 15 to 20 years.
• During one’s 20’s, time is often regarded in a future
sense; a lot of life is still to be lived. There is often an
over-riding sense of optimism and open-mindedness.
20 somethings are able to put up with limitations
because they expect the future to be better. They are
“paying their dues” so that the future will be bright
and rewarding.
• The late 20’s, particularly, is often a time when the
early 20’s dream is re-evaluated. This is an urgent
time which Sheehy calls the “Trying 20’s.” There is a
desire to start to become settled, make sure the
career is coming along, and develop an individual
sense of identity in the community and with friends.
Someone in their late 20’s is asking the question:
“How well am I progressing in the direction of my
dream of the early 20’s?”
• The thinking of the 20’s is quite black-and-white.
Everything is relatively easy, and most questions have
precise answers. Life is very busy, but it hasn’t
become terribly complex yet. Not until the person has
moved into the middle years will he or she begin to
wrestle with life’s deep and perplexing issues, most of
which do not have simple answers, or sometimes
appear to have no answers at all.
• There are roughly 76 million Gen Y’s in the US.
• Some interesting Gen Y statistics for the US:
• 4-5% in the Armed Forces
• 13-15% are gay
• 45% are ethnic minorities
• Defining events for this cohort group include 9/11, the
dot-com bust, Columbine, YouTube, celebrity scandals,
talk shows/reality TV, Ritalin.
• A big differentiator for this group is that they grew up
with access to technology from birth: cell phones,
downloading music, blogging, online chatting,
YouTube, iPods, and the internet.
• Their Boomer parents tended to have rather
optimistic, idealistic parenting styles so Gen Y’s feel
empowered to take positive action when things go
wrong and can be good problem solvers.
• They have an appreciation of diversity in all its
forms – after all, they’ve been exposed to many
different kinds of people through travel, day care,
technology, and the media.
• This generation was weaned on participation. Instead
of focusing on chain of command, change of
command, or even self-command, this generation is
likely to proclaim, “don’t command, collaborate!”
• Gen Y’s thrive on small goals with short deadlines;
their attention span tends to be shorter. They demand
fast results. It can be best to break projects and tasks
down into smaller pieces for them to accomplish bits
at a time.
• They like to dress casually for work: jeans, flip-flops
and polo shirts are popular.
• They do not like condescending managers who are
not approachable when they need their questions
answered. They want to feel like a colleague, not a
subordinate. Treat them respectfully, as you ask for
respect in return.
• They like immediate and frequent feedback.
• They tend to be very social and like groups.
1
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“Seasons of Man” Approach: Summer
Characteristics of 30-40 somethings
Generation X (Gen X), also called the Lost
Generation, the Baby Bust Generation
• The 30-40’s are a period of intense, significant
personal and work life progression, growth and
establishing one’s niche in the workplace. By this time
most people have settled on their chosen career and
might be making adjustments and accommodations,
but are often working within a defined structure, or
framework. During this period, many are motivated to
“climb the ladder”, getting ahead, and becoming more
senior and expert in their field.
• Mentor relationships can occur (or continue from the
20’s) but this employee is likely becoming more
independent and less open to emulation of an
admired role model.
• Several important concepts surface during this period
of life, including career adaptability and career
adjustment. In addition, gender differences become
apparent as men and women choose whether or not
to follow paths congruent with traditional gender roles
(or hit particular obstacles or different views in terms
of what is and is not considered to be “acceptable”).
• The 30-40’s are extremely busy years for most
people. Many people in this age range seem to focus
heavily on career, sometimes ignoring family life and
personal relationships outside of work. A common
crisis for this group involves the difficult juggling act
involved with keeping all of these interests alive. It’s a
busy time for those with families as children are born
and begin to grow up and the demands of working
and raising a family intensify.
• The productivity of the 30-40’s is characterized by
action and movement; sometimes by doing everything
at once. For many, energy is boundless and
opportunities are abundant. For those with leadership
aspirations, this is the time for moving up the
corporate ladder. For those not particularly interested
in climbing the career ladder, it might be a time to
take on new interests or projects outside work.
• There are roughly 41 million Gen X’s in the US.
• Defining events for this cohort group: Reagan and
Iran-Contra, Watergate, corporate layoffs, latchkey
kids, single parents, MTV, AIDS, computers,
Challenger disaster, fall of the Berlin Wall, glasnost,
Desert Storm, “Friends” TV show.
• They were shaped by these family trends:
• They were born during one of the most blatantly
anti-child phases in history.
• They were born into an era where their parents
had the highest divorce rate in history, the highest
abortion rate, the highest dual income, and the
most permissive parenting habits.
• They were viewed as intrusive obstacles to their
parents' self-exploration.
• There was terror on their streets.
• They were the most unsupervised generation in
our history.
• X-ers created 70% of start-up companies in the 90’s.
• Gen Xers also are the first generation to graduate
from college with significant student loan debt. They
have other financial challenges, too, as their standard
of living falls short of their parents' at the same age,
having had the unfortunate timing of becoming adults
in a period when the share of income spent on
essential needs, such as a home, health insurance
and cars, has soared. For this and other reasons,
they can be skeptics.
• In the workplace, Gen X-ers demonstrate these
differences and attributes:
• More collaborative and independent
• Less hierarchical/more altruistic
• Good at dealing with change
• More comfortable with women bosses
• More skilled in management
• Tech and financially savvy
• Candid in communication
• Self-reliant/rule-shy
• Not intimidated by authority
• Creative/innovative
• Strive for real balance between work and private life
• Desire workplaces that feel like communities.
• Prefer smaller communities
The second-youngest generation currently in the workforce: Generation X
(born 1960’s-70’s)
2
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“Seasons of Man” Approach: Autumn
Characteristics of 50-60 somethings
Baby Boomers (or just called “Boomers”),
also called The Bulge (UK)
• The 50-60’s is marked by anxiety for many people.
People in this age group often ask, “Who am I? What
have I accomplished? What am I going to do with the
rest of my life?” For many, this is a time of letting go
of the impossible dream – understanding that one
may never become president of the company,
famous, or financially wealthy.
• This is a time for people to assess gains, possibly
asking if the gains are worth the price. “So I have a
nice house, a boat at the lake, and an influential
position. Does it give me the personal satisfaction I
thought it would? Maybe I should look at some
previously ignored alternatives? What about a simple,
more self-sufficient lifestyle in the country? What
about not trying to be ambitious?”
• This stage of life can be characterized as a period
when perceptions become more important than
chronology. In other words, how a person feels about
his or her life experiences is more significant than a
chronological timetable indicating years of life. It is a
period marked by stress for some, by constraints for
others, and by freedom for still others.
• This period is often characterized by reappraisal,
stress, angst, or the need for more freedom. For men,
state of health or career accomplishment may
predominate. The reason for this fixation on re-
evaluation is based on three factors that occur around
this period of time: first, a modest decline in body
functioning that may be interpreted as a loss of vigor
as well as a reminder of one’s mortality; second, an
age shift that occurs as younger people regard all
older individuals as completely different or even alien;
and third, a reflective examination of their youthful
dreams. For women, this stressful period can be
partially due to menopause and children leaving
home. Women in their 50-60s often rethink their
marriage, career, children, and their beliefs.
• This time of rethinking life involves some dramatic life
changes and can even be characterized by a desire
to completely escape. For some, a search for greater
meaning arises, as can spiritual crisis. Author Gail
Sheehy calls this time “groping towards authenticity.”
• There are roughly 80 million Boomers in the US.
• Defining events for this cohort group: prosperity, television,
hippies/flower power, assassinations, Vietnam, civil rights,
Woodstock, the Cold War, women's liberation, and the
space race.
• Perhaps the single most important arrival during the
childhood of the Boomers was television.
• Boomers are marked by a high level of idealism and
willingness to question authority. If Traditionalists saw
leadership in terms of “chain of command,” Boomers
believed in “change of command,” leading to deep and
divisive clashes in the workplace over how things would
get done.
• Boomers have high levels of optimism. They were raised to
believe that anything was possible, and that they could
change the world. At the same time, Boomers are also
fiercely competitive.
• Boomers have been called the “Me Generation” because
their focus tends to be more on the well-being of the
individual, rather than the group. They pursue personal
gratification, health and wellness, personal growth, and
youth.
• Boomers are often described as very driven, hard-working
and willing to go the extra mile. They are motivated by
position, perks and prestige, putting in long work weeks
and defining themselves by their professional
accomplishments. Since they sacrificed a great deal to get
where they are, this workaholic generation believes that
Gen X and Y should pay their dues and conform to their
culture of overwork.
• Many Boomers who planned to retire have had to revise
their plans. A number of factors, such as stock market
losses, deficit pressures, scaled back Social Security
benefits, and corporate cutbacks have derailed Boomers’
retirement plans. Private-sector pensions and personal
savings are insufficient and they may not have enough
money to live on when they finally retire.
• When asked about their ideal work arrangement in
retirement, most common choices among Boomers are:
• Repeatedly "cycle" between periods of work and leisure
(42%)
• Have part-time work (16%)
• Start their own business (13%)
• Work full time (6%)
• Only 17% of boomers reported that they hope to never
work for pay again.
Baby Boomer generation (born post World War II,
roughly the 1940’s and 50’s)
3
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“Seasons of Man” Approach: Winter
Characteristics of 70-80 somethings
Traditionalists, also called Veterans,
the Silent Generation, the Greatest Generation
(Tom Brokaw book by that title)
• Older workers are more likely to take up consulting,
seek self-employment, perform community service,
and they are more likely to work part time.
• This group no longer fits the stereotype of declining
agility and ability. Rather, most are quite healthy,
experienced, well-educated, and major contributors to
society. Most 70-80 somethings might be moving out
of “center stage” at work, but continue to play
important roles in organizations.
• This stage of life is often a happier time for people, as
many develop a “no panic” approach to aging based
on greater acceptance and approval of one’s self.
Many people in this age group move from competing
with others to connecting with others, are able to let
go of old rules, and find renewal of purpose that can
be inside or outside of work. Many find
companionship or a zest for aloneness that is
satisfying beyond what they experienced in younger
years.
• People in this group tend to reevaluate their life
direction and become resigned or refreshed with their
outlook and decisions. This means that generally,
both men and women will have passed through their
midlife re-evaluation and are now using their wisdom
and experience to make a significant impact. They
have prioritized their lives, thrown away unnecessary
obligations, and focused their energies on their
redefined dreams.
• This reflective age group has a lot to offer to younger
age groups because they have a time focus that sees
all of life. They’re well beyond the competitive
emphasis of the young adult or early midlife person.
They have accumulated life experience and are able
to look at life issues with a much more mature
perspective.
• There are roughly 60 million Traditionalists in the US.
and they make up 5-10% of the workforce
• Defining events for this cohort group: World Wars I
and II, the Silver Screen, growth of suburbia, the
Great Depression, radio, the New Deal, the Korean
War and the G.I. Bill.
• God-fearing, hard-working, fiscally conservative, and
patriotic, they could best be described by a single
word: loyalty. This is a generation that learned at an
early age that by putting aside the needs and wants
of the individual and working together toward
common goals, they could accomplish amazing
things.
• Traditionalists are the founders, CEOs and board
members of many of our most respected companies.
As they prepare to hand over the reins to younger
generations of leaders, they want to make sure the
same discipline that governed their success in
building the world’s economies will prevail.
• Their respect for authority and their experiences in
the military (over 50% of Traditionalist men are
veterans) taught them that a top-down approach was
the most efficient style for getting things done. Today,
the management style of many Traditionalists is still
modeled on a military “chain of command.” But by the
early 1960’s, things started to change as the Baby
Boomers began busting down Corporate America’s
front doors.
• Punctual, sharply dressed and often conservative
they believe that hard work is it's own reward. They
are survivors of hard times and known to be loyal,
self-sacrificing, and thrifty.
• Traditionalists best respond to a leadership modeled
in a command-and-control structured hierarchy. Also
worth noting, traditional gender roles and family
structure were commonplace for this generation, with
husbands working while wives cared for the home
and children.
The “Greatest Generation”: Traditionalists (born before World War II,
or during the Great Depression of the 1930’s)
4
Building relationships across
the generations
The wide range of age groups/generations (a range of
potentially 60+ years) working side-by-side in the
workplace calls attention to the fact that differences
are great and without concerted effort, the potential for
conflict and problems arising between workers is
substantial. According to the “Taking the Pulse:
Generations in the Workforce” survey – conducted by
i4cp in conjunction with HR.com – nearly 70% of
respondents said that their organizations do not have
specific programs in place to address generational
differences, while one out of three companies reported
that generational issues are not important or only
somewhat important in their organizations. Certainly
this perception is quickly changing as more and more
organizations are turning to experts in generational
differences to help them sort out problems they are
having with communication, leadership, relationships,
and their ability to attract and retain key talent.
As with any diversity effort, the key to building bridges
between people with different worldviews is sharing
perspectives, communicating openly, spending quality
time together, real listening, honesty, mutual respect,
and valuing one another. Building relationships takes
time, skill and strong leadership and it cannot be
forced.
What can employers do?
When left unaddressed, generational differences are
likely to have a significant impact on employee
performance and can lead to:
• Misalignment of goals and effort
• Lost opportunities (sales, service, etc.)
• Poor communication
• Greater change resistance
• Poor teamwork
• Lower staff engagement
• Greater staff turnover
• Unnecessary conflict
• Waste, sabotage, workplace violence
Unfortunately, most managers and leaders simply lead
the way that is most natural to them, which might work
well for those of the same generation, but what about
those of different generations? And then there are
conflicts within teams between employees of different
generations – facilitating these interactions takes skill
and generational acumen that most leaders simply do
not have. Consider this one scenario: a team with four
team members of different generations, all with
different preferences in the area of FEEDBACK:
An older, Traditionalist is not accustomed to and is
uncomfortable receiving regular feedback from the
team leader; the Boomer prefers annual performance
reviews; the Gen X wants a lot of feedback and
constantly inquires about performance; and the Gen Y
is impatient and expects regular technology-driven
feedback. How should the team leader handle this one
area, and how many more are there that can lead to
problems, conflict and unmet expectations?
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More research is needed
Articles written about generational issues in the
workplace tend to be anecdotal and not based on solid
and substantial research, however, a real need exists
in the business community for solid data about how to
best manage, motivate and retain talent from all four
generations. The data that does exist tends to be US-
centric, written largely by Boomers, is mixed with age-
based research, and tends to guess or mis-represent
the Gen Y population (mostly because this group is so
new to the workforce). Better data is needed to help
employers focus their efforts to engage the best and
brightest of all generations on a global basis.
For these reasons, a large-scale study is currently
underway, the Generational Research Project, which is
collecting data worldwide on generational issues in the
workplace. “Generations Leadership”
(www.generationsleadership.com) is collecting data
from employee groups in North and South America,
Europe, Asia, Africa and Australasia. The study is
organized to capture information across the entire
employee life cycle:
1. Recruitment and selection
2. Orientation and on-boarding
3. Learning and development
4. Ongoing management and retention
5. Separation
If you or groups from your organization would like to
participate in this study, please go to the site and take
the survey (www.generationsleadership.com).
Organizations that participate on a large scale will
receive reports back with data from their
group/organization and may be eligible to receive
some or all of the study findings when these are
published at the conclusion of the research.
Although the nature and scale of challenges will
emerge from the research data, the analysis is
expected to reveal a whole range of better ways to
manage generationally-based challenges, such as
how to achieve:
• More focused hiring and internal selection to jobs
• Better engagement and retention
• More creative team-based working
• More optimized goal/target-setting methods
• More flexible working with less conflict/disharmony
potential
• Optimized communication/influencing tactics
• Greater insights into the best possible people
policy and procedure
• Greater employee alignment of effort/productivity
• More focused training/learning interventions
• Greater creativity and innovation at all levels
• Better morale and team-working at all levels
• Greater capacity at all levels to manage/handle
change
We welcome your involvement. Look for our published
research in this area in the fall of 2010.
Generational cohorts: charts
On the remaining pages of this booklet you will find a
series of charts that summarize aspects of the
different generational groups that you may find useful
to understanding generational differences. These
charts are not intended to be comprehensive or
applicable to specific individuals.
GENERATI ONAL L EADERSHI P
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GENERATI ONAL L EADERSHI P
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Traditionalists (70-80’s)
Winter (’Reap’)
Boomers (50-60’s)
Autumn (‘Harvest’)
Gen X (30-40’s)
Summer (‘Till’)
Gen Y (20’s)
Spring (‘Sow’)
MOTTO: “Work before
play”
• Hardship and
deprivation orientation
(scarcity, war etc)
• Colder, more aloof
family relationships with
parents
• Conservative
• Promote duty and
obedience
• Hardworking/honest toil
• High respect for authority
• Conforming
• Disciplined and patient
• Past oriented/history
absorbed
• Formal/protocol oriented
Dedicated
MOTTO: “Work, and then
you die”
• Dog eat dog/competitive
• Obsessive/high stress
• Hard working (but want
to work smarter)
• Action orientated
• Success seeking
orientation
• Me first/personal
gratification
• High participation/seek
involvement
• Expansionist
• Impatient
• Rule breakers/
challengers
Driven
MOTTO: “Life first, work
second”
• Healthily skeptical
• Serious/cynical
• Pragmatic
• Self sufficient
• Seek life balance (work
to live)
• Multi-directional
• Informal
• Casual about authority
• Low profile
• Work at their own pace
• Tech savvy
Balanced
MOTTO: “Work as part
of lifestyle”
• Realistically optimistic
• Confident
• Personally goal oriented
• Undisciplined and
unstructured
• Cooperative
• Curious and novelty
seeking
• Technology
experimenters
• Fun seeking
• Environmentally
concerned/ social
conscience
• Education orientated
(self and others)
Determined
General characteristics of the 4 generations
Traditionalists (70-80’s)
Winter (’Reap’)
Boomers (50-60’s)
Autumn (‘Harvest’)
Gen X (30-40’s)
Summer (‘Till’)
Gen Y (20’s)
Spring (‘Sow’)
• Give them respect for
their experience
• Give them clear rules
and boundaries
• Give them time to do a
task or achieve a goal
properly
• Offer them the
opportunity to work with
and be of service to
others
• Give them rewards for
hard work and effort
Offer them: personal
recognition & symbols
• Involve them in the
decision making team
as much as possible
• Offer them challenging
goals and targets
• Give them a little
feedback (but not too
much) now and again
• Try to offer them
choices or options as
much as possible
• Give them rewards for
achieving results
Offer them: recognition
& status
• Give them room to often
challenge the status quo
• Give them lots of
feedback at regular
intervals
• Offer them as much role
freedom as possible
(including free time)
• Give them scope for
personal development
and growth
• Give them rewards for
independent thinking
Offer them: personal
feedback and variety
• Offer them intellectual
challenges and projects
• Give them the
opportunity to use
systems and technology
where they can
• Give them room to solve
problems for themselves
as much as possible
• Offer them scope to
satisfy their need for
curiosity
• Give them rewards for
building personal
competence
Offer them: personal &
public chance to develop
Motivational preferences of the 4 generations
GENERATI ONAL L EADERSHI P
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Traditionalists (70-80’s)
Winter (’Reap’)
Boomers (50-60’s)
Autumn (‘Harvest’)
Gen X (30-40’s)
Summer (‘Till’)
Gen Y (20’s)
Spring (‘Sow’)
• Loyalty
• Tradition
• Trustworthiness
• Duty and Service
• Respect
• Dedication
• Conformity
• Patience
• Honor
• Stability
“Respect me for my
experience”
• Decisiveness
• Teamwork
• Persistence
• Progress
• Tenacity
• Strength
• Courage
• Commitment
• Efficiency
• Dependability
“Value me for
my effort”
• Independence
• Flexibility
• Individualism
• Freedom
• Flexibility
• Organization
• Pragmatism
• Work/life balance
• Intimacy
• Tolerance
“Respect my
independence”
• Achievement
• Empathy
• Cooperation
• Openness
• Community
• Creativity
• Originality
• Adventurousness
• Competence
• Knowledge
“Value my
expertise”
Core values of the 4 generations
Traditionalists (70-80’s)
Winter (’Reap’)
Boomers (50-60’s)
Autumn (‘Harvest’)
Gen X (30-40’s)
Summer (‘Till’)
Gen Y (20’s)
Spring (‘Sow’)
• Comfortable in
command and control
leadership systems
• Like leadership to offer
structure and certainty
• Prefer leadership
decisions to be
anchored in precedent
where possible
• Leadership decisions
should be made with
logic and discipline
(don’t throw out the baby
with the bath water)
• Good leadership
minimizes risk
Leaders should
have integrity
• Leaders should describe
a vision of what the
future could be
• Leadership should
establish direction
clearly
• Leaders should focus on
the big picture and then
let followers work out
the details
• Leaders should be
democratic and
authentic
• Good leadership
maximizes opportunity
Leaders should
be humane
• Leadership should be
highly situationally
dependent
• Leaders should minimize
organizational politics
• Prefer leadership to be
relatively open and
informal
• Leaders should
prescribe loose
guidelines and a
framework (not rules) to
encourage
entrepreneurship
• Good leadership is
balanced and fair minded
Leaders should
be credible
• Leaders should create
the room for as much
autonomy as possible
• Leadership should focus
on setting broad and
challenging targets and
milestones
• Leaders should operate
within flat reporting
structures
• Prefer leaders to allow a
lot of individual freedom
and independence
• Good leadership is
creative and inclusive
Leaders should
have competence
Leadership style preferences of the 4 generations
GENERATI ONAL L EADERSHI P
Traditionalists (70-80’s)
Winter (’Reap’)
Boomers (50-60’s)
Autumn (‘Harvest’)
Gen X (30-40’s)
Summer (‘Till’)
Gen Y (20’s)
Spring (‘Sow’)
• Selling/Offloading or
reducing assets
• Seeking new/different
learning/education
• ‘Dabbling’ in new/different
experiences
• Becoming more conscious
of personal health and well
being
• Generally comfortable and
accepting of things
• Leave a legacy: transfer
knowledge and expertise to
others
Acceptance
Enlightenment
Wisdom
• Seeking new/different types
of material investment
• Challenging personal
beliefs/values/institutions/
rules
• Re-examining past
achievements and
successes/failures (and
seeking adjustment)
• Increasing consciousness
about physical fitness
• Generally see them selves
to be realistic
Building
Competitive
Reflection
• Seeking to nurture and
deepen friendships and
relationships
• Purchasing new home or
moving up from starter
home to larger family home
• Working to keep up or to
make ends meet
• Changing jobs or
organizations to gain
promotion/variety/ money
• Generally optimistic but
sometimes skeptical
Consolidation
Establishment
Focus
• Living in parental home or
only recently independent
of it
• Trying many things for
themselves for the first time
• Experiencing different kinds
of tasks and work
• Discovering a new partner,
friends and colleagues
• Generally optimistic about
the future
• Building their resume
Discovery
Enthusiasm
Exploration
Patterns/focus of the 4 generations
Traditionalists (70-80’s)
Winter (’Reap’)
Boomers (50-60’s)
Autumn (‘Harvest’)
Gen X (30-40’s)
Summer (‘Till’)
Gen Y (20’s)
Spring (‘Sow’)
Acceptance
Enlightenment
Wisdom
People in this group clearly
have the maturity of years
and have experienced many
things (good and bad) over
their lifetime. Values for this
group have often simplified to
practical things that have
been proven to work for them
like hard work, loyalty and
commitment etc. They will
naturally often pace
themselves, not because they
are slower but because
quality has become more
important than quantity.
Building
Competitive
Reflection
People in this group can be
generally said to have
become quite strong-minded
and self sufficient about what
they want and need from life.
This often means that they
are personally goal driven
and value persistence,
passion for a cause and
success. They will typically
therefore work hard and long
for something that they
believe to be important but
equally will be quick to reject
or criticize anything they see
to be not worthwhile or trivial.
Consolidation
Establishment
Focus
People in this group are
typically concerned to grow
and defend their independence
(particularly from their
seniors). They may therefore
dislike close supervision or
directive instruction and often
need a lot of personal ‘space’.
Values for this group are
things like freedom,
pragmatism and putting in
effort to achieve ‘balance’ in
their lives. This can make this
group seems to others to be
somewhat self centered and
not easy to commit to a
general goal or cause.
Discovery
Enthusiasm
Exploration
People in this group clearly
have most of their future
ahead of them, but perhaps
uniquely see themselves as
being able to learn from the
errors of the past in order to
create a better tomorrow.
Values for this group
therefore center around
creativity, innovation and
originality but also around
building personal and group
competence and knowledge
on a life time basis. This
usually means that this group
is quick to show new and
efficient ways to operate
where possible.
Definitional characteristics
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Generational differences are much in the news these days, with commonplace talk of Boomers considering when to retire (if ever!), increasing numbers of Gen X managers moving up (sometimes willingly and sometimes not!), and Generation Y younger adults now present in the workforce in droves (being twice the size of Generation X in the western world).
Generational relations present a modern-day challenge
Generational differences are much in the news these days, with commonplace talk of Boomers considering when
to retire (if ever!), increasing numbers of Gen X managers moving up (sometimes willingly and sometimes not!),
and Generation Y younger adults now present in the workforce in droves (being twice the size of Generation X in
the western world). Business has never before experienced people from such a wide range of age groups
working side-by-side as we begin the second decade of the new millennium.
Different generational groups working closely together can be challenging at times. As both products of our
chronological age and the time in which we grew up, people from different generations and age groups have rather
different attitudes, values, beliefs and motivations from one another. These differences can easily lead to
misunderstanding, miscommunication and even outright conflict in the workplace. Our outlook, or the way in
which we see the world, has significant implications for how we treat, work with, and value other people. Recent
research and organizational experience has shown that generational mix can be a potent problem that should be
dealt with through education, tolerance and increased understanding of the issues.
This booklet presents an overview of the topic of generational differences primarily from a business perspective,
defining the groups as outlined by current literature, and begins to ask the tough questions that progressive
organizations are interested in exploring in order to better lead the different generations effectively. Admittedly,
solid data in this topic is scarce, and rigorous, global study is needed to bring forward the real issues and then
present solutions about how to best address various generational problem areas. This challenge is explored in the
last part of the booklet, including how you can get involved.
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Generational Leadership
Written by Jon Warner & Anne Sandberg
Introduction
The workplace has changed dramatically in recent
years. There is tremendous growth in the older worker
population, particularly. “Traditionalists” are the oldest
working group at present; many have now retired,
though others continue to work full-time and in part-
time, consulting, volunteer, or training/mentoring roles.
“Boomers” have long been the dominant group in
business due to their sheer number in the workforce.
As this group ages, however, some are starting to
consider alternatives to full-time work, while others do
not want to retire or can’t afford to retire for the
foreseeable future. Workers in their “prime” –
Generation X – should be taking over key roles as
Boomers move on, however, there are not enough of
them. In fact, there are only half as many Gen X
workers as Boomers and Gen Y (the youngest group
of workers), for that matter. This leaves a gap in the
most vulnerable age range for management and
leadership positions in organizations – employees in
their 30’s and 40’s in their peak working years. For the
most part, Gen Y is not ready to move into
management and leadership positions vacated by
Boomers – who will take the reins?
Not only is there a shortage of skilled younger
employees, but there is a shortage of younger workers
with the right kinds of experience. Across all sectors
the greatest turnover in aging workers appears to be in
executive, administrative and managerial positions.
Further, as many “old economies”, such as the US and
Western Europe, continue the transition to knowledge-
based economies, the demand for well-educated
workers increases. “The labor shortage in this decade
will be considerably more severe than anything we
have experienced in history”, says Roger Herman,
author of Impending Crisis: Too Many Jobs, Too Few
Workers. Business is facing a serious replacement
gap. As a result of these trends and pressures,
generational diversity has fast become one of the most
important trends affecting today’s workplace.
Generation is just one factor among
many that makes us who we are
Human development, thinking, and decision making is
extremely complex and quite unique from one person
to the next. Given our individual differences, however,
there are patterns or styles of thinking and behavior
that are can be identified and studied. These patterns
are associated with factors such as differences in inner
temperament, nationality, culture, values, gender, and
a range of other factors. While none of these, in and of
themselves, can fully explain why a person thinks or
acts as they do, a particular factor might help to
explain some of these reasons, or at least provide a
context through which we can make and examine
judgments about a person’s attitude, behavior,
motivation, and beliefs.
The generation to which a person belongs is one of
many pattern or style factors that can help us better
understand a specific individual (or even a whole group
of a similar generation). In fact, a person’s generation is
a highly influential factor that we all recognize, at least
instinctively, when we talk and listen to individuals of a
generation different from our own. For these reasons,
people who grow up during the same era tend to be
exposed to many of the same stimuli from the
surrounding culture through the news, media, music,
and other cultural factors. People from the same era
are called, “cohorts.” It is reasonable to expect that
someone from your own era will have quite a bit in
common with you due to the environmental factors you
were both exposed to and shaped by when you were
young. Other factors that might increase your similarity
in outlook, values and attitude could include the
country in which you grew up, the region, your socio -
economic group, your gender, religion, and many other
sub-group identities. Generational group is one of many
group identities that shape who we are in the world.
Why is generational group important
to consider?
When different people come together in the workplace
to accomplish an organization’s goals and objectives
they bring with them their own worldview. Different
worldviews create greater diversity which in turn can
foster innovation and excitement, if managed positively.
If not managed well, the coming-together of different
worldviews, based in part on a multi-generational
workforce, can turn negative and result in
misunderstandings, poor communication, exclusivity
(rather than inclusion), silos, and conflict. This is why it
is so important to understand how the different
generational groups prefer to be communicated with,
motivated, recognized and rewarded. It can be difficult
to “step out of” your own generational group’s
worldview to consider other generations’ preferences,
but this is an essential step in building your
generational knowledge bank and skill set.
GENERATI ONAL L EADERSHI P
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The current four generations at work
Cicero wrote: “Life’s racecourse is fixed. Nature has
only a single path and that path is run but once, and to
each stage of existence has been allotted its
appropriate quality.”
Across all cultures and epochs, and all classes and
races, the experience of aging is universal for all
people in all societies. “From a biological standpoint,”
observed Chinese philosopher Lin Yutang, “human life
almost reads like a poem. It has its own rhythm and
beat, its internal cycles of growth and decay.”
In order to look at the “cycles” of time or phases in life
and work, we have two main options from which to
choose. The first of these, and often the most popular,
is to look at generational groups according to the year
of birth (in roughly 20 year eras). It is now therefore
commonplace to talk of “Traditionals”, often called
“The Greatest Generation” (born 1924 to 1943), “Baby
Boomers” (born 1944 to 1963), “Generation X” (born
1964 to 1983), and finally “Generation Y” (born 1984 to
2000). All four of these generational groups are in the
workplace today and each can be characterized as
one cohesively behaving group, based on the eras in
which they grew up or were influenced in their
formative years (social, economic, political,
technological influences).
The second option in considering life phases is to look
at the aging process as a cycle through which every
individual must travel. Pythagoras was among the first
of western thinkers to interpret life as a cycle of four
phases for an individual. He suggested that these
phases were roughly 20 years long and further stated
that each could be usefully associated with a season:
the Spring of youth, the Summer of early adulthood,
the Autumn of midlife, and the Winter of older age.
Many others (like Shakespeare, for example) have
maintained this analogy and extended the use of the
theme ever since. Gail Sheehy, popular writer,
published the best-seller book, Passages: Predictable
Crises of Adult Life, which covered the principal
challenges and concerns facing individuals passing
from one developmental adult life stage to
the next. Sheehy subsequently wrote New Passages
and several other “passages” books, all of which
emphasize that the purpose of life is to grow to one’s
full potential.
Whether you prefer the “generational group” or the
“seasons of man” model, both focus on better
understanding individual preferences and work style
through consideration of age or generational group.
Generational groups defined/described
This section provides a brief description of the
concerns of each age group and the four generational
groups. This information can give you insight into the
concerns, stresses, and issues that people in the
workplace may be dealing with in their life journey
now, and in the future. You may find some confirmation
for yourself, as well, in terms of what has been your
own journey over your career and in your personal life.
Better understanding others’ thinking, motivation and
resultant behavior can help you become a more
effective and emotionally mature leader, coach and
workplace contributor.
(Note: the age and generational group date ranges, or
years, in the chart headings have been collapsed into
decades rather than specific years for simplicity;
researchers debate the stop/start years of the different
generational groups anyway, so for the purposes of
this document, we have broadened the date ranges to
decades, rather than specific years.)
GENERATI ONAL L EADERSHI P
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The youngest generation currently in the workforce: Generation Y
(born during the 1980’s and 90’s)
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“Seasons of Man” Approach: Spring
Characteristics of the Young Adult 20-something
Generation Y, also called Nexters, Millennials,
and Echo-Boomers
• 20-somethings want to keep their options open,
explore many alternatives, and avoid pre-maturely
committing to one job, employer, or even career.
• The 20’s are marked by setting a life direction or
forming a dream. It’s a time of firming up values and
deciding what is important in relation to career, family,
and interpersonal relationships and trying to answer
the question, “What will I do with the rest of my life?”
The vision that is forming will probably govern life for
the next 15 to 20 years.
• During one’s 20’s, time is often regarded in a future
sense; a lot of life is still to be lived. There is often an
over-riding sense of optimism and open-mindedness.
20 somethings are able to put up with limitations
because they expect the future to be better. They are
“paying their dues” so that the future will be bright
and rewarding.
• The late 20’s, particularly, is often a time when the
early 20’s dream is re-evaluated. This is an urgent
time which Sheehy calls the “Trying 20’s.” There is a
desire to start to become settled, make sure the
career is coming along, and develop an individual
sense of identity in the community and with friends.
Someone in their late 20’s is asking the question:
“How well am I progressing in the direction of my
dream of the early 20’s?”
• The thinking of the 20’s is quite black-and-white.
Everything is relatively easy, and most questions have
precise answers. Life is very busy, but it hasn’t
become terribly complex yet. Not until the person has
moved into the middle years will he or she begin to
wrestle with life’s deep and perplexing issues, most of
which do not have simple answers, or sometimes
appear to have no answers at all.
• There are roughly 76 million Gen Y’s in the US.
• Some interesting Gen Y statistics for the US:
• 4-5% in the Armed Forces
• 13-15% are gay
• 45% are ethnic minorities
• Defining events for this cohort group include 9/11, the
dot-com bust, Columbine, YouTube, celebrity scandals,
talk shows/reality TV, Ritalin.
• A big differentiator for this group is that they grew up
with access to technology from birth: cell phones,
downloading music, blogging, online chatting,
YouTube, iPods, and the internet.
• Their Boomer parents tended to have rather
optimistic, idealistic parenting styles so Gen Y’s feel
empowered to take positive action when things go
wrong and can be good problem solvers.
• They have an appreciation of diversity in all its
forms – after all, they’ve been exposed to many
different kinds of people through travel, day care,
technology, and the media.
• This generation was weaned on participation. Instead
of focusing on chain of command, change of
command, or even self-command, this generation is
likely to proclaim, “don’t command, collaborate!”
• Gen Y’s thrive on small goals with short deadlines;
their attention span tends to be shorter. They demand
fast results. It can be best to break projects and tasks
down into smaller pieces for them to accomplish bits
at a time.
• They like to dress casually for work: jeans, flip-flops
and polo shirts are popular.
• They do not like condescending managers who are
not approachable when they need their questions
answered. They want to feel like a colleague, not a
subordinate. Treat them respectfully, as you ask for
respect in return.
• They like immediate and frequent feedback.
• They tend to be very social and like groups.
1
GENERATI ONAL L EADERSHI P
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“Seasons of Man” Approach: Summer
Characteristics of 30-40 somethings
Generation X (Gen X), also called the Lost
Generation, the Baby Bust Generation
• The 30-40’s are a period of intense, significant
personal and work life progression, growth and
establishing one’s niche in the workplace. By this time
most people have settled on their chosen career and
might be making adjustments and accommodations,
but are often working within a defined structure, or
framework. During this period, many are motivated to
“climb the ladder”, getting ahead, and becoming more
senior and expert in their field.
• Mentor relationships can occur (or continue from the
20’s) but this employee is likely becoming more
independent and less open to emulation of an
admired role model.
• Several important concepts surface during this period
of life, including career adaptability and career
adjustment. In addition, gender differences become
apparent as men and women choose whether or not
to follow paths congruent with traditional gender roles
(or hit particular obstacles or different views in terms
of what is and is not considered to be “acceptable”).
• The 30-40’s are extremely busy years for most
people. Many people in this age range seem to focus
heavily on career, sometimes ignoring family life and
personal relationships outside of work. A common
crisis for this group involves the difficult juggling act
involved with keeping all of these interests alive. It’s a
busy time for those with families as children are born
and begin to grow up and the demands of working
and raising a family intensify.
• The productivity of the 30-40’s is characterized by
action and movement; sometimes by doing everything
at once. For many, energy is boundless and
opportunities are abundant. For those with leadership
aspirations, this is the time for moving up the
corporate ladder. For those not particularly interested
in climbing the career ladder, it might be a time to
take on new interests or projects outside work.
• There are roughly 41 million Gen X’s in the US.
• Defining events for this cohort group: Reagan and
Iran-Contra, Watergate, corporate layoffs, latchkey
kids, single parents, MTV, AIDS, computers,
Challenger disaster, fall of the Berlin Wall, glasnost,
Desert Storm, “Friends” TV show.
• They were shaped by these family trends:
• They were born during one of the most blatantly
anti-child phases in history.
• They were born into an era where their parents
had the highest divorce rate in history, the highest
abortion rate, the highest dual income, and the
most permissive parenting habits.
• They were viewed as intrusive obstacles to their
parents' self-exploration.
• There was terror on their streets.
• They were the most unsupervised generation in
our history.
• X-ers created 70% of start-up companies in the 90’s.
• Gen Xers also are the first generation to graduate
from college with significant student loan debt. They
have other financial challenges, too, as their standard
of living falls short of their parents' at the same age,
having had the unfortunate timing of becoming adults
in a period when the share of income spent on
essential needs, such as a home, health insurance
and cars, has soared. For this and other reasons,
they can be skeptics.
• In the workplace, Gen X-ers demonstrate these
differences and attributes:
• More collaborative and independent
• Less hierarchical/more altruistic
• Good at dealing with change
• More comfortable with women bosses
• More skilled in management
• Tech and financially savvy
• Candid in communication
• Self-reliant/rule-shy
• Not intimidated by authority
• Creative/innovative
• Strive for real balance between work and private life
• Desire workplaces that feel like communities.
• Prefer smaller communities
The second-youngest generation currently in the workforce: Generation X
(born 1960’s-70’s)
2
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“Seasons of Man” Approach: Autumn
Characteristics of 50-60 somethings
Baby Boomers (or just called “Boomers”),
also called The Bulge (UK)
• The 50-60’s is marked by anxiety for many people.
People in this age group often ask, “Who am I? What
have I accomplished? What am I going to do with the
rest of my life?” For many, this is a time of letting go
of the impossible dream – understanding that one
may never become president of the company,
famous, or financially wealthy.
• This is a time for people to assess gains, possibly
asking if the gains are worth the price. “So I have a
nice house, a boat at the lake, and an influential
position. Does it give me the personal satisfaction I
thought it would? Maybe I should look at some
previously ignored alternatives? What about a simple,
more self-sufficient lifestyle in the country? What
about not trying to be ambitious?”
• This stage of life can be characterized as a period
when perceptions become more important than
chronology. In other words, how a person feels about
his or her life experiences is more significant than a
chronological timetable indicating years of life. It is a
period marked by stress for some, by constraints for
others, and by freedom for still others.
• This period is often characterized by reappraisal,
stress, angst, or the need for more freedom. For men,
state of health or career accomplishment may
predominate. The reason for this fixation on re-
evaluation is based on three factors that occur around
this period of time: first, a modest decline in body
functioning that may be interpreted as a loss of vigor
as well as a reminder of one’s mortality; second, an
age shift that occurs as younger people regard all
older individuals as completely different or even alien;
and third, a reflective examination of their youthful
dreams. For women, this stressful period can be
partially due to menopause and children leaving
home. Women in their 50-60s often rethink their
marriage, career, children, and their beliefs.
• This time of rethinking life involves some dramatic life
changes and can even be characterized by a desire
to completely escape. For some, a search for greater
meaning arises, as can spiritual crisis. Author Gail
Sheehy calls this time “groping towards authenticity.”
• There are roughly 80 million Boomers in the US.
• Defining events for this cohort group: prosperity, television,
hippies/flower power, assassinations, Vietnam, civil rights,
Woodstock, the Cold War, women's liberation, and the
space race.
• Perhaps the single most important arrival during the
childhood of the Boomers was television.
• Boomers are marked by a high level of idealism and
willingness to question authority. If Traditionalists saw
leadership in terms of “chain of command,” Boomers
believed in “change of command,” leading to deep and
divisive clashes in the workplace over how things would
get done.
• Boomers have high levels of optimism. They were raised to
believe that anything was possible, and that they could
change the world. At the same time, Boomers are also
fiercely competitive.
• Boomers have been called the “Me Generation” because
their focus tends to be more on the well-being of the
individual, rather than the group. They pursue personal
gratification, health and wellness, personal growth, and
youth.
• Boomers are often described as very driven, hard-working
and willing to go the extra mile. They are motivated by
position, perks and prestige, putting in long work weeks
and defining themselves by their professional
accomplishments. Since they sacrificed a great deal to get
where they are, this workaholic generation believes that
Gen X and Y should pay their dues and conform to their
culture of overwork.
• Many Boomers who planned to retire have had to revise
their plans. A number of factors, such as stock market
losses, deficit pressures, scaled back Social Security
benefits, and corporate cutbacks have derailed Boomers’
retirement plans. Private-sector pensions and personal
savings are insufficient and they may not have enough
money to live on when they finally retire.
• When asked about their ideal work arrangement in
retirement, most common choices among Boomers are:
• Repeatedly "cycle" between periods of work and leisure
(42%)
• Have part-time work (16%)
• Start their own business (13%)
• Work full time (6%)
• Only 17% of boomers reported that they hope to never
work for pay again.
Baby Boomer generation (born post World War II,
roughly the 1940’s and 50’s)
3
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“Seasons of Man” Approach: Winter
Characteristics of 70-80 somethings
Traditionalists, also called Veterans,
the Silent Generation, the Greatest Generation
(Tom Brokaw book by that title)
• Older workers are more likely to take up consulting,
seek self-employment, perform community service,
and they are more likely to work part time.
• This group no longer fits the stereotype of declining
agility and ability. Rather, most are quite healthy,
experienced, well-educated, and major contributors to
society. Most 70-80 somethings might be moving out
of “center stage” at work, but continue to play
important roles in organizations.
• This stage of life is often a happier time for people, as
many develop a “no panic” approach to aging based
on greater acceptance and approval of one’s self.
Many people in this age group move from competing
with others to connecting with others, are able to let
go of old rules, and find renewal of purpose that can
be inside or outside of work. Many find
companionship or a zest for aloneness that is
satisfying beyond what they experienced in younger
years.
• People in this group tend to reevaluate their life
direction and become resigned or refreshed with their
outlook and decisions. This means that generally,
both men and women will have passed through their
midlife re-evaluation and are now using their wisdom
and experience to make a significant impact. They
have prioritized their lives, thrown away unnecessary
obligations, and focused their energies on their
redefined dreams.
• This reflective age group has a lot to offer to younger
age groups because they have a time focus that sees
all of life. They’re well beyond the competitive
emphasis of the young adult or early midlife person.
They have accumulated life experience and are able
to look at life issues with a much more mature
perspective.
• There are roughly 60 million Traditionalists in the US.
and they make up 5-10% of the workforce
• Defining events for this cohort group: World Wars I
and II, the Silver Screen, growth of suburbia, the
Great Depression, radio, the New Deal, the Korean
War and the G.I. Bill.
• God-fearing, hard-working, fiscally conservative, and
patriotic, they could best be described by a single
word: loyalty. This is a generation that learned at an
early age that by putting aside the needs and wants
of the individual and working together toward
common goals, they could accomplish amazing
things.
• Traditionalists are the founders, CEOs and board
members of many of our most respected companies.
As they prepare to hand over the reins to younger
generations of leaders, they want to make sure the
same discipline that governed their success in
building the world’s economies will prevail.
• Their respect for authority and their experiences in
the military (over 50% of Traditionalist men are
veterans) taught them that a top-down approach was
the most efficient style for getting things done. Today,
the management style of many Traditionalists is still
modeled on a military “chain of command.” But by the
early 1960’s, things started to change as the Baby
Boomers began busting down Corporate America’s
front doors.
• Punctual, sharply dressed and often conservative
they believe that hard work is it's own reward. They
are survivors of hard times and known to be loyal,
self-sacrificing, and thrifty.
• Traditionalists best respond to a leadership modeled
in a command-and-control structured hierarchy. Also
worth noting, traditional gender roles and family
structure were commonplace for this generation, with
husbands working while wives cared for the home
and children.
The “Greatest Generation”: Traditionalists (born before World War II,
or during the Great Depression of the 1930’s)
4
Building relationships across
the generations
The wide range of age groups/generations (a range of
potentially 60+ years) working side-by-side in the
workplace calls attention to the fact that differences
are great and without concerted effort, the potential for
conflict and problems arising between workers is
substantial. According to the “Taking the Pulse:
Generations in the Workforce” survey – conducted by
i4cp in conjunction with HR.com – nearly 70% of
respondents said that their organizations do not have
specific programs in place to address generational
differences, while one out of three companies reported
that generational issues are not important or only
somewhat important in their organizations. Certainly
this perception is quickly changing as more and more
organizations are turning to experts in generational
differences to help them sort out problems they are
having with communication, leadership, relationships,
and their ability to attract and retain key talent.
As with any diversity effort, the key to building bridges
between people with different worldviews is sharing
perspectives, communicating openly, spending quality
time together, real listening, honesty, mutual respect,
and valuing one another. Building relationships takes
time, skill and strong leadership and it cannot be
forced.
What can employers do?
When left unaddressed, generational differences are
likely to have a significant impact on employee
performance and can lead to:
• Misalignment of goals and effort
• Lost opportunities (sales, service, etc.)
• Poor communication
• Greater change resistance
• Poor teamwork
• Lower staff engagement
• Greater staff turnover
• Unnecessary conflict
• Waste, sabotage, workplace violence
Unfortunately, most managers and leaders simply lead
the way that is most natural to them, which might work
well for those of the same generation, but what about
those of different generations? And then there are
conflicts within teams between employees of different
generations – facilitating these interactions takes skill
and generational acumen that most leaders simply do
not have. Consider this one scenario: a team with four
team members of different generations, all with
different preferences in the area of FEEDBACK:
An older, Traditionalist is not accustomed to and is
uncomfortable receiving regular feedback from the
team leader; the Boomer prefers annual performance
reviews; the Gen X wants a lot of feedback and
constantly inquires about performance; and the Gen Y
is impatient and expects regular technology-driven
feedback. How should the team leader handle this one
area, and how many more are there that can lead to
problems, conflict and unmet expectations?
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More research is needed
Articles written about generational issues in the
workplace tend to be anecdotal and not based on solid
and substantial research, however, a real need exists
in the business community for solid data about how to
best manage, motivate and retain talent from all four
generations. The data that does exist tends to be US-
centric, written largely by Boomers, is mixed with age-
based research, and tends to guess or mis-represent
the Gen Y population (mostly because this group is so
new to the workforce). Better data is needed to help
employers focus their efforts to engage the best and
brightest of all generations on a global basis.
For these reasons, a large-scale study is currently
underway, the Generational Research Project, which is
collecting data worldwide on generational issues in the
workplace. “Generations Leadership”
(www.generationsleadership.com) is collecting data
from employee groups in North and South America,
Europe, Asia, Africa and Australasia. The study is
organized to capture information across the entire
employee life cycle:
1. Recruitment and selection
2. Orientation and on-boarding
3. Learning and development
4. Ongoing management and retention
5. Separation
If you or groups from your organization would like to
participate in this study, please go to the site and take
the survey (www.generationsleadership.com).
Organizations that participate on a large scale will
receive reports back with data from their
group/organization and may be eligible to receive
some or all of the study findings when these are
published at the conclusion of the research.
Although the nature and scale of challenges will
emerge from the research data, the analysis is
expected to reveal a whole range of better ways to
manage generationally-based challenges, such as
how to achieve:
• More focused hiring and internal selection to jobs
• Better engagement and retention
• More creative team-based working
• More optimized goal/target-setting methods
• More flexible working with less conflict/disharmony
potential
• Optimized communication/influencing tactics
• Greater insights into the best possible people
policy and procedure
• Greater employee alignment of effort/productivity
• More focused training/learning interventions
• Greater creativity and innovation at all levels
• Better morale and team-working at all levels
• Greater capacity at all levels to manage/handle
change
We welcome your involvement. Look for our published
research in this area in the fall of 2010.
Generational cohorts: charts
On the remaining pages of this booklet you will find a
series of charts that summarize aspects of the
different generational groups that you may find useful
to understanding generational differences. These
charts are not intended to be comprehensive or
applicable to specific individuals.
GENERATI ONAL L EADERSHI P
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Traditionalists (70-80’s)
Winter (’Reap’)
Boomers (50-60’s)
Autumn (‘Harvest’)
Gen X (30-40’s)
Summer (‘Till’)
Gen Y (20’s)
Spring (‘Sow’)
MOTTO: “Work before
play”
• Hardship and
deprivation orientation
(scarcity, war etc)
• Colder, more aloof
family relationships with
parents
• Conservative
• Promote duty and
obedience
• Hardworking/honest toil
• High respect for authority
• Conforming
• Disciplined and patient
• Past oriented/history
absorbed
• Formal/protocol oriented
Dedicated
MOTTO: “Work, and then
you die”
• Dog eat dog/competitive
• Obsessive/high stress
• Hard working (but want
to work smarter)
• Action orientated
• Success seeking
orientation
• Me first/personal
gratification
• High participation/seek
involvement
• Expansionist
• Impatient
• Rule breakers/
challengers
Driven
MOTTO: “Life first, work
second”
• Healthily skeptical
• Serious/cynical
• Pragmatic
• Self sufficient
• Seek life balance (work
to live)
• Multi-directional
• Informal
• Casual about authority
• Low profile
• Work at their own pace
• Tech savvy
Balanced
MOTTO: “Work as part
of lifestyle”
• Realistically optimistic
• Confident
• Personally goal oriented
• Undisciplined and
unstructured
• Cooperative
• Curious and novelty
seeking
• Technology
experimenters
• Fun seeking
• Environmentally
concerned/ social
conscience
• Education orientated
(self and others)
Determined
General characteristics of the 4 generations
Traditionalists (70-80’s)
Winter (’Reap’)
Boomers (50-60’s)
Autumn (‘Harvest’)
Gen X (30-40’s)
Summer (‘Till’)
Gen Y (20’s)
Spring (‘Sow’)
• Give them respect for
their experience
• Give them clear rules
and boundaries
• Give them time to do a
task or achieve a goal
properly
• Offer them the
opportunity to work with
and be of service to
others
• Give them rewards for
hard work and effort
Offer them: personal
recognition & symbols
• Involve them in the
decision making team
as much as possible
• Offer them challenging
goals and targets
• Give them a little
feedback (but not too
much) now and again
• Try to offer them
choices or options as
much as possible
• Give them rewards for
achieving results
Offer them: recognition
& status
• Give them room to often
challenge the status quo
• Give them lots of
feedback at regular
intervals
• Offer them as much role
freedom as possible
(including free time)
• Give them scope for
personal development
and growth
• Give them rewards for
independent thinking
Offer them: personal
feedback and variety
• Offer them intellectual
challenges and projects
• Give them the
opportunity to use
systems and technology
where they can
• Give them room to solve
problems for themselves
as much as possible
• Offer them scope to
satisfy their need for
curiosity
• Give them rewards for
building personal
competence
Offer them: personal &
public chance to develop
Motivational preferences of the 4 generations
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Traditionalists (70-80’s)
Winter (’Reap’)
Boomers (50-60’s)
Autumn (‘Harvest’)
Gen X (30-40’s)
Summer (‘Till’)
Gen Y (20’s)
Spring (‘Sow’)
• Loyalty
• Tradition
• Trustworthiness
• Duty and Service
• Respect
• Dedication
• Conformity
• Patience
• Honor
• Stability
“Respect me for my
experience”
• Decisiveness
• Teamwork
• Persistence
• Progress
• Tenacity
• Strength
• Courage
• Commitment
• Efficiency
• Dependability
“Value me for
my effort”
• Independence
• Flexibility
• Individualism
• Freedom
• Flexibility
• Organization
• Pragmatism
• Work/life balance
• Intimacy
• Tolerance
“Respect my
independence”
• Achievement
• Empathy
• Cooperation
• Openness
• Community
• Creativity
• Originality
• Adventurousness
• Competence
• Knowledge
“Value my
expertise”
Core values of the 4 generations
Traditionalists (70-80’s)
Winter (’Reap’)
Boomers (50-60’s)
Autumn (‘Harvest’)
Gen X (30-40’s)
Summer (‘Till’)
Gen Y (20’s)
Spring (‘Sow’)
• Comfortable in
command and control
leadership systems
• Like leadership to offer
structure and certainty
• Prefer leadership
decisions to be
anchored in precedent
where possible
• Leadership decisions
should be made with
logic and discipline
(don’t throw out the baby
with the bath water)
• Good leadership
minimizes risk
Leaders should
have integrity
• Leaders should describe
a vision of what the
future could be
• Leadership should
establish direction
clearly
• Leaders should focus on
the big picture and then
let followers work out
the details
• Leaders should be
democratic and
authentic
• Good leadership
maximizes opportunity
Leaders should
be humane
• Leadership should be
highly situationally
dependent
• Leaders should minimize
organizational politics
• Prefer leadership to be
relatively open and
informal
• Leaders should
prescribe loose
guidelines and a
framework (not rules) to
encourage
entrepreneurship
• Good leadership is
balanced and fair minded
Leaders should
be credible
• Leaders should create
the room for as much
autonomy as possible
• Leadership should focus
on setting broad and
challenging targets and
milestones
• Leaders should operate
within flat reporting
structures
• Prefer leaders to allow a
lot of individual freedom
and independence
• Good leadership is
creative and inclusive
Leaders should
have competence
Leadership style preferences of the 4 generations
GENERATI ONAL L EADERSHI P
Traditionalists (70-80’s)
Winter (’Reap’)
Boomers (50-60’s)
Autumn (‘Harvest’)
Gen X (30-40’s)
Summer (‘Till’)
Gen Y (20’s)
Spring (‘Sow’)
• Selling/Offloading or
reducing assets
• Seeking new/different
learning/education
• ‘Dabbling’ in new/different
experiences
• Becoming more conscious
of personal health and well
being
• Generally comfortable and
accepting of things
• Leave a legacy: transfer
knowledge and expertise to
others
Acceptance
Enlightenment
Wisdom
• Seeking new/different types
of material investment
• Challenging personal
beliefs/values/institutions/
rules
• Re-examining past
achievements and
successes/failures (and
seeking adjustment)
• Increasing consciousness
about physical fitness
• Generally see them selves
to be realistic
Building
Competitive
Reflection
• Seeking to nurture and
deepen friendships and
relationships
• Purchasing new home or
moving up from starter
home to larger family home
• Working to keep up or to
make ends meet
• Changing jobs or
organizations to gain
promotion/variety/ money
• Generally optimistic but
sometimes skeptical
Consolidation
Establishment
Focus
• Living in parental home or
only recently independent
of it
• Trying many things for
themselves for the first time
• Experiencing different kinds
of tasks and work
• Discovering a new partner,
friends and colleagues
• Generally optimistic about
the future
• Building their resume
Discovery
Enthusiasm
Exploration
Patterns/focus of the 4 generations
Traditionalists (70-80’s)
Winter (’Reap’)
Boomers (50-60’s)
Autumn (‘Harvest’)
Gen X (30-40’s)
Summer (‘Till’)
Gen Y (20’s)
Spring (‘Sow’)
Acceptance
Enlightenment
Wisdom
People in this group clearly
have the maturity of years
and have experienced many
things (good and bad) over
their lifetime. Values for this
group have often simplified to
practical things that have
been proven to work for them
like hard work, loyalty and
commitment etc. They will
naturally often pace
themselves, not because they
are slower but because
quality has become more
important than quantity.
Building
Competitive
Reflection
People in this group can be
generally said to have
become quite strong-minded
and self sufficient about what
they want and need from life.
This often means that they
are personally goal driven
and value persistence,
passion for a cause and
success. They will typically
therefore work hard and long
for something that they
believe to be important but
equally will be quick to reject
or criticize anything they see
to be not worthwhile or trivial.
Consolidation
Establishment
Focus
People in this group are
typically concerned to grow
and defend their independence
(particularly from their
seniors). They may therefore
dislike close supervision or
directive instruction and often
need a lot of personal ‘space’.
Values for this group are
things like freedom,
pragmatism and putting in
effort to achieve ‘balance’ in
their lives. This can make this
group seems to others to be
somewhat self centered and
not easy to commit to a
general goal or cause.
Discovery
Enthusiasm
Exploration
People in this group clearly
have most of their future
ahead of them, but perhaps
uniquely see themselves as
being able to learn from the
errors of the past in order to
create a better tomorrow.
Values for this group
therefore center around
creativity, innovation and
originality but also around
building personal and group
competence and knowledge
on a life time basis. This
usually means that this group
is quick to show new and
efficient ways to operate
where possible.
Definitional characteristics
ReadyToManage, Inc is the corporate entity that owns and operates www.ReadyToManage.com, a webstore with
hundreds of eResources for trainers, human resources professionals, managers, leaders and individual contributors
interested in professional development. ReadyToManage consultant, Anne Sandberg, is the co-author of the assessment
above and conducts workshops on generational differences for organizations internationally. Sandberg lives in
Los Angeles and London.
Copyright © 2010, ReadyToManage Inc. 8939 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Suite 110-705, Los Angeles, CA 90245
Tel: (310) 648-8304. Fax: (310) 349-3391. Email: [email protected]. Website: www.ReadyToManage.com
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