Bridging the Gap: Using Business Strategy to Lead Across Generations

Skills and Tools to support today’s business leaders as they navigate the complexities of executing business strategies through employees of all ages.

By Nathalie Rosenthal, Advantexe Summer Business Associate/Dickenson College Class of 2013 

and Robert S. Brodo, Executive Vice President, Advantexe Learning Solutions.

September, 2011

“I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on the frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words. When I was a boy, we were taught to be discrete and respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly wise and impatient of restraint.”-Hesiod, Greek Poet (~700 BC)

As evidenced by the quote above, social differences between generations have been the source of tension for thousands of years.  In today’s business world, these gaps are especially distinctive in the workplace.  The fundamental question today is how does one lead and work with people of different generations?  The solution to this issue lies in using business strategy – and adapting the way it is positioned – to meet the needs of each generation and close the gap.

There are four generations of employees often seen in today’s workplace:

• “Traditionalists” (born 1900-1945)
• “Baby Boomers” (1946-1964)
• “Gen Xers” (1965-1980)
• “Millennials” (1981-1999)

Today’s business leaders face a myriad of challenges ranging from the ongoing financial crisis, the global recession, and continued globalization to raw material cost increases, an energy crisis, and a shortage of existing and incoming talent.  On top of these pressing business concerns, they are tasked with leading generationally diverse teams.  The following table shows a few of the traits most often seen in the generations represented in the workplace today:

As you can see, each generation brings a different perspective to any company, and executing a strategy through employees with this range of characteristics can be a true challenge for any business leader.

Why the Gaps?

Why do these generation gaps exist in the first place?  What force created such distinct patterns among people born during a specific set of years?  The most basic reason is that each generation grew up differently and developed uniquely as a result of the pressures and influences of its time.  Traditionalists were raised to be extremely respectful towards authority, including their parents, and generally abided by much stricter societal norms.  Growing up after World War II, the Boomers took on a slightly more relaxed personality, though the overall rules of behavior were still similar to the previous generation. 

A drastic change came with the Gen Xers, who grew up in a time largely defined by the tensions with and reactions to the Vietnam War and the social changes and unrest of the 1960’s and early 1970’s.  This generation became much more radical in its outlook on life, and this translated to being more informal and less concerned with structure in the workplace.  Finally, many Millennials – who have really only established themselves in the workplace within the last decade – grew up with the perception that everyone (most importantly, me!) is special and is entitled to rewards.  This sense of entitlement leads to the ultimate conundrum that if everyone is special, then no one is.  As a result of this perspective, a stigma against this generation has developed, with many corporate leaders and older generations of managers viewing the Millennials as spoiled and unmanageable.  In reality, though, this generation just sees work as “a means to end” and is looking for “fulfillment.”  Many Millennials will tell you that they prefer to “work smarter, not harder”, and to have the flexibility to live a balanced life.

Clearly, each generation holds unique values that define how its members function in the workplace.  This does not mean, however, that they cannot function together.  Effective leaders are able to position their overall business strategy in a way that is clearly understood and supported by different types of workers. 

Advantexe uses a Value Proposition framework for helping our clients understand and execute business strategy.  There are three distinct strategic value propositions including:

• Cost leadership strategy
• Innovation leadership strategy
• Customer focus leadership strategy

The best and most successful organizations in the world focus on one of these three value propositions and execute it flawlessly.  The remainder of this AdvantEdge will focus on effectively communicating them to employees from all four generational groups.

The Leadership Toolkit

There are three steps to leading across generations effectively.  It’s most important to remember that a truly successful leader will always be delivering the same message to his or her employees – the difference is in how the message is delivered.

Step One: Acknowledge Differences

The first step to effectively narrowing the generation gap is to acknowledge and understand that there truly are differences between the generations.  Just as some people are visual learners and others verbal, Boomers are likely to work differently from Millennials.  Each generational group values different things, and will feel differently about the way your company positions and executes its strategy, as described below.

STRATEGIC DIFFERENCES

Step Two: Flexible Communication Style

To be effective, leaders must be willing to alter how they communicate with the employees based on their generations.  Older generations are typically comfortable with and respond to formal, somewhat unemotional in-person interaction, and feedback on their performance is rarely wanted.  For younger employees, especially the Millennials, communication via technology such as email, with a fun and informal tone, is generally preferred, and feedback is needed consistently.  The table below illustrates a few of the ways a leader might have to alter the communication style and message to an employee based on his or her generation.

COMMUNICATION STYLES

Step Three: Focus on Motivations

Each generation has different motivations for working.  Those in the older two generations tend to have more individualistic motives, with the end result being that the employee is respected or viewed as necessary to the success of the business.  Gen Xers do not have a specific motivation other than the prospect of working however they please.  The motivation of most Millennials stems from the “opportunity to work with others” and work in a social environment.  With the knowledge of these different motivators, you can successfully encourage employees to accomplish a wide range of projects.

FOCUS ON MOTIVATIONS

Summary

In order to effectively manage a multi-generational workplace, it is critical to understand that there are fundamental differences in the work habits of each generation.  The key to bridging these gaps and creating a cohesive, successful work environment is to acknowledge these differences, adapt your communication style to suit their differing needs, and recognize what drives members of each generation. 

As a value-added offer to our current and potential clients, Advantexe is pleased to offer you a detailed Conceptual Design Document of the Fundamentals of Business Leadership™ learning solution that teaches participants the skills they need to be effective business leaders. 

Fundamentals of Business Leadership™ is part of an award winning series of learning solutions that integrates learning modules, business simulations, and application exercises into real and usable skills that improve business performance. 

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to receive your free detailed Conceptual Design Document of Fundamentals of Business Leadership