Skepticism About Generational Labels

This week our hosts (both Gen X) dig into the differences between different generations of workers. There have been endless articles and presentations on topics like "How to work with Millennials".

But for Pilar and Tim there are inherent dangers in assigning behaviours to an entire group of people based on the year they were born. Whilst being the same age should mean we share some collective experiences, this doesn't always translate across other factors like geographical location, culture and our personal journey. But whether the differences come through age or stage of life or just life experience, there are benefits in bringing a mix of generations together in our workplaces.

00:10 mins Pilar and Tim discuss their dynamic of "peacemaker vs the cranky old man". And we learn about one of Tim's special skills.

2:00 Both our hosts are dubious about classifications that say that one huge group of people all operate in the same way. As always there are going to be exceptions and it is not enough to group people by age. Life experience, mindset and motivation can still be very different.

3:40 There is a distinction between shared experience and behaviour. e.g. growing up after the internet was a different experience to growing up before the internet. But Tim doesn't like translating this through to behaviour e.g. it isn't fair or true to say "Gen Z aren't motivated to work hard".

5:00 Cultural norms are an important factor. Some behaviours were acceptable for people growing up 40 years ago. But they aren't acceptable for kids growing up now.

6:00 The introduction of technology is interesting, for example Generation X grew up with landlines and then experienced mobile phones, internet and social media. That's a very different landscape to where they started.

7:20 Tim points out that while the pace of technology has increased, his grandparents generation still experienced a big technological shift when electricity was introduced into their lives.

8:10 Whilst the technology landscape and cultural norms might evolve, do people's fundamental desires really change that much? How much of a factor does opportunity play? Tim uses the example of his grandfather's loyalty to his employer and how much of that was because of his limited access to alternative jobs or careers. And whilst newer generations of employees might be seen to be less loyal, mass layoffs weren't as big a factor for the "loyal generations".

9:45 The demand for remote knowledge work might have been strong 50 years ago but the opportunity to work remotely wasn't there yet.

10:20 Tim suggests some of the supposed differences are driven by the jealousy of older generations towards the increased opportunities available to younger generations. Pilar of course sees the other side - perhaps older generations can't understand some behaviours because they haven't experienced it themselves. We develop and internalise beliefs based on our own experiences and the possibilities available to us.

13:00 Pilar got Chat GPT to create a summary of the different generations and their attributes: The Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, Generation Z, Generation Alpha. And she finds that Chat GPT is taking a very US or UK view of history. For example the Baby Boomer generation in the US experienced post World War II optimism. But during that period Spain was under a dictatorship!

16:15 Tim wonders how much of the "generational" behaviours are just about stage of life. e.g. Generation Z are said to value individual expression which makes sense given they are in their teenage years through to early 20's. Baby boomers probably also valued individual expression in their late teens and early 20's...

18:15 Our hosts date themselves through a series of stories of younger generations using technologies in ways they don't understand. It seems that using a mouse is a Generation X thing!

20:30 There are great benefits in having a mix of ages and generations working together. For example, digital natives should have a higher expectation of software interfaces than someone who was already working back when spreadsheets were invented. A fresh perspective can be a force for improvement.

22:00 Managers should recognise that there are differences and sometimes those differences are due to being born at a different time. But also to be wary of stereotyping. As always, a difficult balance for managers.

23:45 Our hosts close with some advocacy for the benefits that come via blending different age groups in the workplace.

What about you, dear listener? Do you feel like you match your "generational managers"? We'd love to hear from you! Get in touch through our Contact Form https://managementcafepodcast.com/contact/