Leadinga Multi-Generational

Workforce

A Personal Lens Influences Our View of Events

3 | © 2015 Tammy Erickson. All Rights Reserved.

Cognitive Structures Form from the Interpretation of Experiences

• Sensorimotor stage (birth-2 years old)

– Concepts about how physical objects work based on direct physical interaction with the environment

• Preoperational stage (ages 2-7)

– Intuitive intelligence related to concrete physical situations

• Concrete operations (ages 7-11)

– Logical structures related to concrete objects or physical experiences (numbers, for example)

• Formal operations (ages 11-15)– Conceptual reasoning and abstractions– Mental models that persist throughout adulthood

Piaget’s Four

Developmental Stages

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Our Cognitive Structures or “Mental Maps”Are Shaped by Many Factors

National and global

events and trends

Parents’ views

Religion

Race and

ethnicity

Gender

Socioeconomic

status

Many other

factors

Shared views

and common

perspectives

across

“generations”

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A spectrum of shifting mental models over time

Typically marked by major events –prompting a significant change

in the focus of adult conversation

There Are No Crisply-Bounded “Generations,”But Some Generally Accepted Clusters

Traditionalist Boomer Generation X Generation Y

Born 1928-1945 Born 1946-1960 Born 1961-1979 Born 1980-1995

Re-Generation

Born 1996-

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Your Personal Lens

In what years were you 11-15?

What national or global events do you remember from that time?

What was happening within your family or community? What do you remember doing?

What values were important to your family? What advice do you remember your parents giving?

How do you think these influences shaped your view of the world?

7 | © 2015 Tammy Erickson. All Rights Reserved.

Generational CharacteristicsAre Country-Specific

Gen X and Y:Some common threads from exposure to global events

Wide variation in cohort size relative to the size of older generations

Traditionalists and Boomers:

Unique experiences in almost every country

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India

India:Born 1928 to 1945

Traditionalists

Shared Experiences of the 1940s and 1950s

• Mahatma Gandhi leads non-violent, civil disobedience campaign for independence

• Independent nation established as a democratic republic

• Difficult conditions: poor economy, low life expectancy, low rates of literacy, mass impoverishment, stalled industrial development, and destitute farmers

• Resurgence in Indian traditions

• Series of border wars, including the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 (First Kashmir War)

Jawaharlal Nehru signing the Constitution of India

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Traditionalists

Common Characteristics

• Proud of the newly established independent nation

• Loyal to family and community

• Respectful of traditional practices

• Attracted to stable jobs offering steady economic progress

India:Born 1928 to 1945

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Boomers

Shared Experiences of the 1960s and 1970s

• Socialist economic model: nationalization of industries, public works, social reforms, investment in education

• Wars over borders

• Indira Gandhi comes to power

• Liberalization and severe devaluation of the rupee

• Indian national Congress splits into two factions: Old and New Congress

• Indian Emergency of 1975-77: Gandhi accused of corruption, rules by decree, suspends elections and civil liberties, is removed from power by opposition Richard Nixon and Indira Gandhi in

1971

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India:Born 1946 to 1960

Boomers

Common Characteristics

• Committed to education as a path to success

• Willing to emigrate to achieve career objectives

• Closely tied to family and Indian traditions

• Inclined to conform to the norms of large institutions – may seem overly bureaucratic or rigid today

13 | © 2015 Tammy Erickson. All Rights Reserved.

India:Born 1946 to 1960

Generation X

Shared Experiences of the Late-1970s through the Mid-1990s

• Indira Gandhi is killed by her bodyguards and succeeded by her son Rajiv

• Rajiv institutes important reforms: loosens business regulations and restrictions on foreign investment/imports, reduces bureaucracy

• Major expansion of telecommunications industry and space program

• Birth of software industry and information technology sector

• Over 75% of 1980s’ Indian Institutes of Technology graduates emigrate to US

• Rajiv Gandhi's image colored by the Bofors scandal; killed in office

• Further economicliberalization and reform The Indian School of

Business at Hyderabad, ranked number 20 in global MBA rankings by the Financial Times of London in 2008

14 | © 2015 Tammy Erickson. All Rights Reserved.

India:Born 1961 to 1979

Generation X

Common Characteristics

• Eager consumers

• Career-minded and entrepreneurial

• Valuing money and merit-based progression

• Excited about economic opportunities within India, but see success as emigrating

• Comfortable with Western institutions

15 | © 2015 Tammy Erickson. All Rights Reserved.

India:Born 1961 to 1979

Generation Y

Shared Experiences of the Mid-1990s through the Late-2000s

• Economy grows under liberalization and reform policies

• Underground nuclear tests; U.S. and Japan impose economic sanctions

• Increase in terrorism

• Rising divorce rates

• Growing middle-class–demand for and production of many consumer goods

• Political power changes hands without incident

• 57 Indian companies are listed in Forbes Global 2000 ranking in 2010

• India becomes prestigious educationalpowerhouse, respected source of IT talent

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India:Born 1980 to 1995

Generation Y

Common Characteristics

• Immediate – eager for financial success

• Technologically capable and connected

• Interested in work that allows them to make an impact

• Optimistic about the opportunities available in India

• Proud of India’s role in the global economy

• Accepting of diversity – steeped in democracy

• Entrepreneurial and business-savvy

• Fluent in English and Western-savvy (laws, customs, business) in global interaction

• Preference for a workplace that is flexible and fun

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India:Born 1980 to 1995

Common Areas of Misunderstanding

• Communication approach

• Time and place

• Pace of advancement

• Authority figures

• Rules

• Money

• Learning approach

Practical Steps for Attracting and Retaining Y’s

• Provide work that is meaningful (important) and challenging

• Offer variety – including lateral opportunities

• Facilitate collaboration

• Develop a compelling culture – strongly reinforce what makes your

organisation unique

• Incorporate leading-edge technology and policies

• Focus on task completion, not time spent

• Embrace time shifting, asynchronous work, and flexible schedules

• Don’t over-define the task – let Y’s “figure it out”

• Provide frequent opportunities to learn – mentoring, on-the-job teaching,

formal classroom

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Practical Steps for Attracting and Retaining X’ers

• Offering options to broaden skills and build personal capabilities – “badge” accomplishments

• Design career paths that broaden options, rather than narrowing them

• Give them choice and control over their career paths

• Provide family-friendly flexibility

• Invest in technology

• Develop the leadership skills required for future challenges

20 | © 2015 Tammy Erickson. All Rights Reserved.

Practical Steps for Attracting and Retaining Boomers• Retire retirement – encourage them to stay

• Create a variety of bell-shaped curve career options – including cyclic work and options for both less and more responsibility

• Tap their expertise, while downsizing formal management responsibilities

• Leverage their understanding of their own children’s preferences to build support for changes in the workplace

• Encourage giving back -- through mentoring, community service, knowledge sharing

21 | © 2015 Tammy Erickson. All Rights Reserved.

Appreciating Different Points of View

Level One

Level Two

Level Three

Having diverse

individuals –

but criticizing

their

differences –

and expecting

them to

conform to

“our” norms

Appreciating the

fundamental

legitimacy of

alternate views

Understand our

own “lens” or

bias

Acknowledging

diverse

preferences –

accommodating

them

(begrudgingly)

22 | © 2015 Tammy Erickson. All Rights Reserved.

The “Four A’s” of Leading Multiple Generations

• Appreciate: Withhold judgment – don’t jump

to conclusions

• Acknowledge: Legitimize diverse perspectives

• Arbitrate: Surface differences and establish clear and effective group norms

• Adapt: Frame and deliver messages in ways that are meaningful to each individual, while building trust-based personal relationships

23 | © 2015 Tammy Erickson. All Rights Reserved.

Make the Mostof a Multigenerational Workforce

• Appreciate

• Acknowledge

• Arbitrate

• Adapt

24 | © 2015 Tammy Erickson. All Rights Reserved.

Follow my blogs at http://blogs.hbr.org

“It’s Time to Retire Retirement,” Harvard Business Review, March 2004

– Winner of the 2004 McKinsey Award

“Managing Middlescence,” Harvard Business Review, March 2006

Workforce Crisis: How to Beat the Coming Shortage of Skills and Talent

by Dychtwald, Erickson, and Morison, Harvard Business School Press, 2006

“What It Means to Work Here,” Harvard Business Review, March 2007

“Bridging Faultlines In Diverse Teams,” MIT Sloan Management Review, Summer 2007

“Eight Ways to Build Collaborative Teams,” Harvard Business Review, November 2007

“Breakthrough Ideas for 2008: Task, Not Time,” Harvard Business Review, February 2008

Retire Retirement: Career Strategies for the Boomer Generation,

Harvard Business School Press, 2008

Plugged In: The Generation Y Guide to Thriving at Work, Harvard Business Press, 2008

“Unconventional Wisdom in a Downturn: “Give Me the Ball!” Is the Wrong Call in a Downturn,”

Harvard Business Review, November 2008

“Gen Y in the Workforce,” (Case Study), Harvard Business Review, February 2009

What’s Next, Gen X? Keeping Up, Moving Ahead, and Getting the Career You Want,

Harvard Business Press, 2010

“The Leaders We Need Now,” Harvard Business Review, May 2010

Resources for Further Reading

tammy@tammyerickson.com

www.tammyerickson.com

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