Restructure To Be Cross-Generational

by Ray B Williams

The new workers--Generation X and Generation Y--will transform the workplace landscape, and in turn, employers will have to adapt to their values and lifestyle preferences, which are very different than those of the dominant Baby Boom generation.

Neil How and William Strauss wrote in a July, 2007 Harvard Business Review article that while Baby Boomers will transform old age as champions of values, Gen-Xers will guide us with their sense of pragmatic realism, while Gen-Yers will become deeply engaged in civic life and live more balanced lives.

Now, members of Generation X (1965-1980) are moving into power positions, determined to change the way organizations handle people. Their ideas are shaping approaches such as flex-time, home based work, paternity leave and work-life balance. According to studies by Bruce Tulgan (Managing Generation X) and Douglas Coupland (Generation Y), these managers are typically mature beyond their years, very adaptable and flexible, and team oriented. They have high expectations for employees and don't buy into power structures, but like the project-based approach to work. As employees, Gen-Xers need positive validation for their work, or they won't hesitate to move on. They hate being micro-managed and want independence n their work, which may explain why so many are becoming entrepreneurs.

In contrast, Generation Y (1981-1999), is the Blackberry, IPod and social networking generation, expecting instant communication in all aspects of their lives. This is a generation raised by doting parents who told them they were special, and they thrive on constant praise. They view job-hopping as a necessity and consider themselves marketable "free agents." They want work to be fun, and love working in groups.

While most companies readily acknowledge successful management of generation issues in the workplace is essential to success, few take anything more than an ad hoc approach to addressing them with creative employee motivation strategies or flexible leadership styles. Typically training programs should be designed to address an array of learning styles and modality preferences. Baby Boomers, for example, tend to prefer information transference from "experts," and so prefer the university courses and seminars. Gen-X workers crave autonomy and freedom to find their own way, and may be less appreciative of the "sage on the stage" approach to training, yet leap at the opportunity to participate in a collaborative training environment. And Gen-Y employees like to receive information from multiple sources in real-time and parallel process it immediately.

With the advent of Web 2.0 technologies and the prevalence of consumer social networks, smart companies are turning to these methods of socialization to facilitate and maintain lifelong relationships with employees. Entreprise or corporate social networks are on-line affinity-based social networks through which relationships can be fostered and leveraged for business value, similar in concept to consumer sites such as MySpace and Facebook.

I recommend that companies use multisystems of delivering training, including using technology more extensively. For example, Western Union uses IContent, a next generation talent management solution to deliver a varied menu of offerings to its employees, allowing them to pick and choose development activities that best fit their preferences.

Here are a few basic changes employers can adopt to recruit and retain Gen-X and Gen-Y workers:

* restructure leadership to be cross-generational, instead of dominated by Baby Boomers

* provide challenging but balanced work-life assignments for Gen-X and Gen-Y employees

* provide consistent and meaningful reinforcement for Gen-Yers

* restructure compensation and benefits to satisfy the value differences of the various generations, rather than the Baby Boomer's focus on financial compensation

* expand communication strategies to multiple formats and stop relying on traditional top down corporate communication

* make flexible mentoring programs a natural part of the management structure

About Ray B Williams
Ray B Williams is Co-Founder of Success IQ University a company based in Phoenix, Arizona providing the most innovative products and services to help professionals, entrepreneurs and business owners be more successful in life and work.
Ray is also President of Ray B Williams Associates, a company based in Vancouver B.C., providing executive coaching services.
Ray has been an executive, management consultant and coach for over thirty years, working with leaders throughout the world. He is also a Certified Hypnotherapist and Master NLP Coach. Ray has written a number of books on leadership and writes a regular column for the National Post, Canada's leading newspaper.
Ray is in demand as a speaker, coach, consultant and author throughout North America.
www.successiqu.comwww.raybwilliamsassociates.com;
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