PERHAPS for the first time in history, organisations are having to deal with teams that consist of people who are from the Baby Boomer Generation (1943 to 1960); Generation X (1960 to 1981); and Generation Y (1982 to 2001), all having to work together.
This timeline above is an amalgamation of many alternate views. However, I find that social scientists accept this definition as a general guide.
While it is definitely an exciting collaborative arrangement to have people of differing perspectives work in the same team, it does pose a range of very specific problems, for both the individual and the organisation.
And, the complications centre on what motivates each of these generations.
Professionally, I conduct training and executive leadership coaching. Currently, I am working with a large conglomerate in Malaysia with multiple business units. One of the units, as part of its recalibration process, is moving into a new business area.
I do not work with them on technical matters. My ambit is to help this new team find purpose, create proper communication protocols, and connect strongly with each other, to ensure they can navigate the complexities of this innovative business, and offer sustained growth to the group.
Towards this end, I conduct dialogue sessions to get input from the team, offer tools through my training programmes, and engage in one-on-one leadership coaching to get them up to speed.
I must say the whole process has been eventful and deeply insightful. Eventful, because it has been harder than I thought it would be. Insightful, because I have had to research and understand generational motivation to make this team work effectively.
The intricacy of forming a fresh team was made even more challenging because it comprises of twelve people who straddle across all the three generations. The CEO and the number two in-charge in the unit are Baby Boomers. The remainder are evenly split between Gen Xs and Gen Ys.
Working with this team, I realised that generational differences have an emotional bearing on everything. The internal recruiting process, dealing with new ideas, managing the change of mindsets, and keeping the team motivated, were all grossly impacted by this.
The biggest challenge for me was to understand how these generational variances influence the way people communicate, and how that creates misinterpretations. These misunderstandings led to dwindling commitment by the members of the team. Imagine the pressure of having to manage all this while still showing the stakeholders that it is a viable business idea.
One of the earliest things I had to re-align was to get their communication protocols in order. Within the first few weeks of the formation of the unit, I saw regular squabbling, which meant things were not getting done.
The leaders in this unit were Baby Boomers and they enjoyed having regular, long and unhurried meetings. And, they were happy to call for these meetings at any time, day or night. They did not have any issues about these hours being odd, and felt it was just part of the rigours of establishing a new business.
The Gen X members on the other hand really valued their work-life balance. They did not want to discuss office matters outside working hours, and did not appreciate text messages or emails that they felt they were expected to deal with immediately.
Now, the Gen Ys did not want meetings at all. They found it a profound waste of time. They were happy with messages, emails, voice-mails, messenger and face-time. To them, communication was instant and required no planning.
This lack of understanding of what motivates each of these generations led to a breakdown in proper team communication. Each generation resented the other for imposing their preferred modality. And this resulted in low morale, sketchy relationships, and a general confrontational atmosphere.
I had to get all the generations separately to run workshops on why people of a certain generation wanted to communicate in a particular way. I had to get them to understand their colleagues in the light of their values, their personal and lifestyle traits, based on what motivates them.
It had to be made clear that Baby Boomers were often schooled at being team players, and their leadership style is habitually collegial. This involves sharing responsibilities and developing a certain sense of camaraderie. For them, the best way to do this was through leisurely and deliberate meetings, where relationships would be formed.
The driving spirit behind the Gen Xs is very entrepreneurial. Freedom is the best reward for them. Therefore long-winded meetings or cumbersome communication protocols just wear them down. They feel their work-life balance being impinged on, when things take too long because of these long meetings.
On the contrary, Gen Ys are looking for exciting and participative experiences. They want to come into work at 10am, wearing a pair of jeans and flip-flops, because their appearance doesn’t matter to them, as long as their work product delivers results. They would sooner be sat in a café, sipping a latte while replying your queries interactively, than be in a stuffy board room looking at charts and slides, and listening to lectures about the way forward.
Grasping, and being acutely aware of such generational differences will help you understand why your bosses, colleagues or subordinates behave the way they do.
Once you become conscious of this, you can alter your own perspectives, or if you are in a leadership position, tailor your message appropriately for the maximum effect.
Remember, you will become more effective when you learn to leverage on generational motivation.
**Shankar R. Santhiram is managing consultant and executive leadership coach at EQTD Consulting. He is also the author of the national bestseller “So, You Want To Get Promoted?”