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Generalizations can be bad for business, and how to turn them around
While stereotyping by generation may offer some truths, it may keep you from hiring the best talent, training your employees, being productive, and building the highest quality team. For example:
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You want your team to have high competencies, diverse experiences, and perspectives. It’s better to directly measure what you are after than relying on assumptions about generational groups. A specific example is not to assume that Generation Z employees will be more tech-savvy, as Generation Xers may have been IT professionals earlier in their careers or just be really strong in the tech space. It’s also so important to have diverse perspectives on teams or committees.
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On the training front, don’t assume what certain groups may need and others don’t. You may be wrong. Take the time to talk to individual teammates to learn their skills and interests―ask them directly. Building the best department or team possible is worth the upfront work.
- Remember that what might be touted as a dealbreaker for particular groups may also be important to other people. A good example of this, which applies to many generations in the workplace, is when organizations focus solely on family-related benefits; while fantastic and valuable for your employees with a spouse and children, it may be off-putting for those without dependents. Take into consideration all types of individual lifestyles when introducing value-added benefits.
Dr. Finkelstein reminds us that many characteristics beyond generation membership determine what motivates us to engage and stay with an organization.
Where and when in organizations does age matter
It’s helpful for decision-makers to recognize age differences, without generalizing by generations, when it comes to:
- Motivation and engagement
- Training and learning
- Physical and cognitive changes
- Teamwork and diversity
- Work-nonwork balance
- Talent management and retention
Employers should also remember that there are many differences within a generation. Diversity adds to these differences, like individuals with an invisible disability. The range between individuals of the same age, whether 25, 35, 45, 55, or 65, will highlight significant differences.
You also can’t always assume a traditional age difference in job levels, as people often embrace a second career, in which case mentors will be younger than the mentee. Remember, too, that there are plusses and minuses at every age. While our physical health may decline with age, “older” employees also come with emotion regulation, expertise, and crystallized intelligence.
Ageless Talent and the PIERA method
One of the methods from Dr. Finkelstein’s book, Ageless Talent, that can benefit people in any industry or age to improve the workplace is PIERA, which stands for Plan, Implement, Evaluate, Reflect, and Adjust. Based on scientific findings, this method can be a springboard for tailored mini-interventions to help reach business goals under diverse organizational constraints.
Potential group activities at work
If your project team or department has an established level of trust, it may be interesting for you to share what assumptions are made about you related to your generation. Talking about how you’re all generalized, whether true or not, can guide a better understanding of each other on an individual level—leading to working together better and ultimately being more successful. The next time you begin to make an assumption about someone, ask yourself, “Do I know if this is actually accurate?” Dr. Finkelstein and the research behind Ageless Talent show that even tiny tweaks to change assumptions can really help improve workplace relationships among individuals from different generations.
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