Diversity – Generational
Diversity – Generational
Many organisations as with many families have five generations working together. They have different backgrounds and different views even, or perhaps especially, if they come from the same family.
A little quiz- which generation are you ? How to demonstrate you are a boomer
- Do you hold your phone in one hand and using one finger of the other to type into your phone’s keyboard -or do you , hold the phone in both hands and text with your thumbs,?
- Do you pay for parking with an app , or with coins?
- On receiving a cheque do you use a banking app to scan photos of cheques and cash them virtually, or drive miles to try to find a bank? (do you know what a cheque is, do you have a cheque book?)
- Do you use Facebook or TikTok? (what about Instagram?)
- When you mine a phone call, do you raise a thumb to your ear and point your little finger out or hold a flattened hand to your ear?
- Do you print tickets/boarding passes for planes or trains or buses?
- Do you send thank you notes after birthdays or Christmas?
- Do you wear sunscreen?, Apparently 45 per cent of over-50s admitted to not using sunscreen at all, even in summer, so haven’t fallen for the hype.
- Is your “Roll down your window for a chat” gesture frantically winding the air jab the air beside you to indicate an electric window switch. ?
- Do you turning the internet off?
- When texting, do you use lots of emojis or lots of exclamation marks? Do you use full-stops?
- Do you use the Oxford Comma or even know what it is ?
- Do you have very low volume ringtones and remove keyboard/camera noise?
- Do you hate self check-outs and QR codes on restaurant menus?
- Do you have a landline phone?
- Do you turn your phone landscape to take a picture?
- Do you keep a paper diary except for journaling or mindfulness exercises?
- Do you hold onto paperwork for years ‘just in case’ ? ‘Just in case ‘ can include keeping paper receipts for seven years to deal with the tax man . Do you keep your email receipts for same reason ?
Do you actually like to talk to people ? it’s faster than texting! – and you better opportunity to understand someone’s emotions
We offer
- a team of associates in four continents speaking 12 languages (see People)
- four day training course on Diversity already delivered in several countries (see Train )
- talks on Diversity delivered in several countries (see Speak)
- Diversity workshops tailored for specific countries to deal with others (see Train)
- Cognitive Diversity – how to build a properly diverse team using Profiling (see Profile
- Coaching on Interculturality and on how to become Diverse (see Coach)
- Call us on +447788425688 for more details or send us an enquiry
Research shows that generational diversity results in better performance on complex decisions and problems, just the type of challenges that face families as well as global firms.
Diverse teams can also experience their differences as barriers to communication, so that reaching a common understanding or outcome takes more time and effort, and raises the transaction costs of teamwork.
Whatever your organisational, individual, leadership or team needs are, have Smart Coaching & Training be your first call. Starting with a free strategy session we will discuss your needs and create a proposal to suit you.
Generational Diversity
Generational Diversity has generalisations suggesting people of certain type think the same way. Common Categories used in the West are these. The age ranges vary from country to country.
- Silent Generation1928-1945 79-96 years
- Baby Boomers1946-1964 60-78 years old
- Gen X 1965-1980 44-59 years old
- Millennials 1981-1996 28-43 years old
- Gen Z 1997-2012 12-27 years old
- Gen Alpha Early 2010s-2025 0-11 years old
Some of their characteristics are these
| Silent Generation1928-1945 79-96 years Require stability, Great fear of unemployment, never change employers, expect fixed hours and almost all retired, Own own homes and live alone. Promotion by ‘dead man’s shoes. Most number of alcoholics. Likely to be right-wing. Voted for Brexit. Hate multiculturality Lonely, remember fondly the ‘good old days’ when they had nothing and didn’t know it. Fanatics about being ‘smart’ – clean shoes, clean door-steps, because they had nothing else to be proud of. |
| Baby Boomers1946-1964 60-78 years old Job changers. Expect rewards and promotion for hard work but will move. Like structure and will work long hours to detriment of family and to pay for own home. Highest number of STDs, divorces and alcoholism. Not happy with multiculturalism. Eat out, not keen on home delivery. |
| Gen X 1965-1980 44-59 years old Independent, adaptable. Were brought up to fear everythin. Many jobs, many careers. Work long hours. Likes stability, Buy prepared foods. Don’t eat out. ‘Latch-key’ kids as they came back to empty homes as both parents worked. Most number of managers . Has the highest student debt. |
| Millennials 1981-1996 28-43 years old Brought up on internet and Social Media. Perfectionists, Don’t speak to anyone. Workaholics and think about work-life balance. Unlikely to afford own home without bank of mum and dad. Stick to their resolutions. Highly educated. Highly stressed. Less healthy than Gen X. Dress casually. Collaborative not competitive. Lower divorce, later marriages if at all, later kids. Less driving. |
| Gen Z 1997-2012 12-27 years old Born with internet, Used to diversity and multiculturality. Expect to work normal hours and have work-life balance. Heavy users of social media. Doing everything on-line. Bad at face-to-face social interaction. Don’t drive. Don’t drink alcohol. More likely to be vegan or at least vegetarian. Highly stressed and depressed. Most worried about climate change. Getting less sex and fewer intimate relationships. Would not have voted for Brexit if they had had the opportunity |
Managing a multigenerational workforce is a challenge that very few leaders are equipped to take on. However, effectively maximising the benefits of a diverse set of individuals working together will ultimately lead to long-term success. The key is for managers to take the lead in understanding each generation and what they need.
The similarities and differences
For the first time in history, there are now five generations in the workforce. This means that organisations face an unprecedented challenge of managing each of these generations’ needs and expectations, in unison. Here’s a snapshot of the generations and the differences:
Traditionalists
(born between 1900 and 1945)
Traditionalists are the oldest generation in the workforce. Although they’re retiring later than they have in previous years, they typically stay with the same company for the majority of their career. Traditionalists hang their hat on discipline and dedication to work, having overcome several periods of economic hardship.
Baby boomers
(born between 1946 and 1964)
Baby boomers were born just after World War II. Like Traditionalists, this generation is staunchly dedicated to work and committed to achieving its goals. Boomers have both an optimistic and team-oriented approach to work.
Generation X
(born between 1965 and 1980)
Gen Xers are independent and entrepreneurial. The advent of personal computers shaped their working experience, so they’re comfortable using technology. They enjoy diversity in the workplace and prioritise work-life balance.
Generation Y or Millennials
(born between 1981 and 1996)
Millennials are the largest generational group in the workforce. In contrast to Traditionalists, this generation is best known for switching roles often. Mobility is important to them, and they’ll move as often as they need to in order to find the right fit. Although they aren’t as digitally adept as later generations, they are still naturally tech-savvy.
Generation Z or Gen Z
(born between 1997 and 2015)
People born in Gen Z are digital natives. It’s the first generation that intuitively understands technology, because smartphones and other tech devices have been essential to their learning, and building of social relationships. Gen Z are both critical and selective with where they build their careers because of their high expectations. Unlike the previous generations, Gen Z prefers coaching styles, rather than management.