Intergenerational Communications

Recognizing the impact of life-span and experience on communications in the workplace

Outline for the lecture

• Defining Intergenerational Communication – what is it and why do we care?

• What is are generations?

• What characteristics may we use to describe and understand generations?

• Once we have identified those differences, how can we adapt our communication?

• Discussion and Questions

General Guidelines

• The topics of discussion are meant to stimulate discussion and awareness

• If you have questions or comments, please feel free to let me know

• Be aware of the problem of gross generalizations

• I only ask that comments and discussion remain courteous and open.

What is intergenerational communication?

• It happens every day

• It is happening right now

• It determines how you express yourself

• It determines how you are understood by others

• It is something that will always play a role in your communications

Why should we be concerned about communication?

• Effective communication is considered by most to be the number one problem in, and the number one solution for numerous aspects of our lives

• More effective communication results in greater satisfaction and success in our daily lives, as well as more efficient execution of tasks we undertake

• How we are perceived and understood by others impacts how others respond to us and how others react to us.

Age Demographics of the United States

How many generations are there?

• Right now, in any event, you could have members of seven generations identified by William Strauss and Neil Howe and characterized in a definitive study by Schumann & Scott in 2012:

1. The G.I. Generation (1901-1924): Fought and won WWII2. The Silent Generation (1925-1942): Second smallest generation3. Baby Boomer I (1945-1954): one of the two largest generations4. Baby Boomer II (a/k/a Generation Jones – born 1955-1964)5. Generation X (1961-1981): also known as Baby Bust6. Generation Y(1981-2000s): Also known as Millenials7. Generation Z (2005 or so to the present): Also known as the Homeland Generation

What are some of the characteristics of the generations we see?

• GI Generation: strive for financial security, risk averse, waste-not-want-not, strive for comfort, hostile to change, idealistic about improvements in quality of life (shaped by the Great Depression, WWI, WWII, Prohibition, radical politics, mass European immigration, and Americanization on a mass scale)

• Silent Generation: socially conservative, patriotic, nuclear families replaced multi-generational families, traditional values (sustained economic growth, WWII, the Korean War, McCarthyism, anti-communism, jazz, rock, nuclear proliferation)

What are some of the characteristics of the generations we see?

• Boomer I: idealistic, experimental, progressive, individualism, free-spirits, social cause-oriented (assassinations of JFK, RFK, MLK, Malcolm X, Sexual Revolution, Civil Rights, Vietnam, the War on Poverty, rise of Environmentalism and Feminism, and recreational drug use, peak of rock & roll)

• Boomer II: less optimistic, more fatalistic, principled, cynicism, easily bored, interested in change, born-again movement, yuppies, challenged gender roles and racial stereotypes (Watergate, Nixon, Oil Embargo, Disco, Iran Hostage Crisis, US Bicentennial, Hippies turned into Yuppies)

What are some of the characteristics of the generations we see?

• Generation X: pragmatic, independent, informal, entrepreneurial, single-parent households common (Challenger explosion, Iran-Contra, Reaganomics, AIDS, Star Wars, MTV, home computers, divorce, fall of the Berlin Wall, 1992 LA Riots, Gulf War I, 1993 WTC Bombing, 1995 OK City Bombing, Monica Lewinsky, Y2K)

• Generation Y: acceptance of change, technically savvy, environmental issues, socially more liberal, political correctness, no expectation of military service (rise of the Internet, iPods, social networks, war on crime, 9/11, OBL, War in Afghanistan, Gulf War II, Great Recession)

• Generation Z: Nothing to note, yet…

Identifying the stages of a generation – the Turnings

• Strauss & Howe identified a pattern in the historical generations which revolved around generational events, and classified a four-stage cycle of social or mood eras

Turnings

High

Awakening

Unraveling

Crisis

High: First Turning. Institutions are strong and individualism is weak. Society is confident about where it wants to go, collectively. Those in the minority feel stifled

Awakening: Second Turning. Institutions are attacked in the name of personal and spiritual autonomy. Public progress reaches high tide, and people want less social discipline and more personal authenticity

Unraveling: Third Turning. The opposite of the High turning. Institutions are weak and distrusted, and individualism is strong and flourishing.

Crisis. Fourth Turning. Institutional life is destroyed and rebuilt in response to a perceived threat to the nation’s survival. Civic authority revives. Cultural expression redirects towards community purpose.

What role do the Turnings Play?

• A Turning takes about 20-22 years.• A full cycle of four Turnings lasts about 80 to 90 years.• Historical events shape childhood and young adulthood, creating a generational

archetype.• There is a symbiotic relationship between historical events and generational

personas.• The combination of the two types of Eras (Crises and Awakenings) with the

formative age locations of them (childhood and young adulthood) results in four archetypes by generation that repeat sequentially: Prophet, Nomad, Hero & Artist

The Prophet Generation

• Born near the end of a Crisis Turning. They grow up as increasingly indulged children of the post-Crisis era, come of age as self-absorbed young crusaders of an Awakening Turning, focus on morals and principles in mid-life, and emerge as elders during another Crisis.

• This is the Baby Boom, and their formative era was the era of America as a Superpower.

• The period of birth years that Strauss and Howe attribute to this archetype is 1943 through 1960 (23 years).

The Nomad Generation

• Born during an Awakening, a time of social ideals and spiritual agendas, when young adults are passionately attacking the established institutional order. They grow up as under-protected children, come of age as alienated, post-Awakening adults, become pragmatic midlife leaders during a Crisis, and age into resilient post-Crisis elders.

• This is the Generation X, and their formative era was the Awakening that took place in the tumult of the 1970s to 1990s.

• The birth years Strauss & Howe attribute to this archetype are 1961-1981.

The Hero Generation

• Heroes are born after an Awakening, during an Unraveling, a time of individual pragmatism, self-reliance and laissez-faire. They grow up as increasingly protected post-Awakening children, and come of age as team-oriented young optimists during a Crisis. They emerge as energetic, overly confident midlifers, and age into politically powerful elders attacked by another Awakening.

• This group includes the G.I. Generation, and the Millenial Generation. Their formative years took place in WWI/Prohibition, and The Culture Wars/Postmodernism respectively.

• Heroes were born in 1901 – 1924 & 1982 – 2004 according to Strauss & Howe.

The Artist Generation

• Artists are born after an Unraveling, during a Crisis, a time when great dangers cut down political and social complexity in favor of public consensus, aggressive institutions and an ethic of personal sacrifice. Artists grow up overprotected by adults preoccupied with the Crisis, come of age as socialized and conformist young adults of a Post-Crisis world, break out as process-oriented midlife leaders during an Awakening, and age into thoughtful post-Awakening elders.

• Artist generations include the Silent Generation and the Homeland Generation. Their formative years took place during the Great Depresssion/WWII, and Global Financial Crisis/War on Terror, respectively.

• Strauss & Howe attribute the birth years 1925-1942, and 2005 to present in this Archetype.

General Comments on Strauss & Howe

• This is a theory of generational characteristics and is not infallible or 100% accurate.• The terminology used is useful for discussion, but not determinative of the nature

of someone’s generational characteristics.• As stated by Jonathan Alter, these boundaries are plainly arbitrary, and might be

facile and reckless. However, they do lend support to Arthur Schlesinger’s position that American History is cyclical.

• These theories were panned by some as not taking into account differences in generation size, speeding up of generations, the important role of outside chance events, and do not reflect every person in each generation regardless of their race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, or genetic information.

Applying the general theory to your communications

• We will dispense with the mode and manner of our own communications, because, as we know, this is being presented to assist us in AUGMENTING our existing abilities, rather than replacing the manner in which we communicate.

• WHAT DOES ALL OF THIS MEAN TO US?

Applying Strauss & Howe in your communications

• Remember that there are several modes of communication, whether you are emailing, on the telephone, or having a face-to-face conversation, all of them can benefit from application of this understanding of the generational models and the archetypes for each turning.

• This involves paying particular attention to word selection, use of gender appropriate/ gender neutral phrases, appropriate use of salutations, and paying close attention to not just what you say, but HOW you say it.

Strauss & Howe versus Myers-Briggs

• This is not a forum in which we will examine the similarities and differences in the personality-typing under Myers-Briggs and the generational characterizations of Strauss & Howe.

• That does not mean that Myers-Briggs is not useful in assisting us in understanding the communications style and listening style of the generations.

• Let’s look at some MBPT questions about communications and see how they fit into these archtypes: in particular, pay attention to what you think each generation might pay attention to when gathering or giving information, and what criteria a person uses to make decisions or prioritize work.

MBPT questions: Introversion & Extroversion

• How to communicate with an Introvert or an Extrovert:• Which generations might you see as introverted or extroverted, in general?

• Extroverts tend to like verbal communication, rather than written, and like to bounce ideas off of other people;

• Introverts like to focus on one task at a time, and prefers a full, written report to solve the problem alone, rather than as part of a team

• Which are you? And what generation are you?

MBPT questions: Sensing & Intuitive persons

• How to communicate with Sensing & Intuitive Types: • Which generations might you see as Sensing and Intuitive, in general?

• Sensing people gather information with their senses, preferring things they can see and touch; They need demonstrable information.

• Intuitive persons gather information more on the basis of gut feelings; they are OK with some intangible signals as the basis of some analysis of problems or issues.

• Which are you? What generation are you?

MBPT questions: Thinking and Feeling

• How to communicate with Thinkers and with Feelers

• Which generations do you identify with Thinkers and with Feelers?• Thinkers prefer logical, objective analysis, and lead with their heads;

• Feelers seek harmony and are concerned with relationships

• Which are you? What generation are you?

MBPT questions: Judgers and Perceivers

• How to communicate with Judgers and with Perceivers• Which generations might be Judgers versus Perceivers?

• Judgers like things well-planned and organized

• Perceivers like flexibility, and spontaneity, and having their options left open.

• Which are you? Which generation are you?

What are you?

• Before you can improve the effectiveness of your communication, you need to understand where you fall on the generational spectrum, and how that might affect the way you communicate:

• This will allow you to better understand what language and perspectives affect your communications.

• This is very important: DO NOT PIGEONHOLE PEOPLE. Not everyone will be the same. This is a guide.

Shared Core Values

The Center for Creative Leadership found that most of us have similar core values, want to be challenged at work, and have a leader we can trust

(Center for Creative Leadership: Retiring the Generation GAP, Jennifer J. Deal, Ph.D., 2007)

Success stems from understanding and leveraging the strengths of different generations and creating a work environment that values the differences

between them.

Causes of conflict and miscommunication

• Rapid change in the workplace

• Downsizing and reduction-in-force

• Decreasing role of seniority in promotion

• Technology

Aim for similarities

• Jennifer Deal has pointed out the compelling evidence that different generations in the workforce have remarkably similar attitudes toward a wide range of issues, but have different ways of expressing them.

• Once you can find the similarity, and can understand the different manner in which the ideas or attitudes are being expressed, then you can attempt to bridge the communications gap by appropriately adapting your communications.

Warm-ups and Ice-Breakers

• Developing rapport with someone who does not belong to your generational group will not be instantaneous, and you must make and effort to plan for rapport-building, and to allow for time to increase the rapport.

• Understand that when dealing with technology, “many people with limited technology skills, support, and access do not readily reap such social benefits associated with the advancements in technology…older adults’ adoption of new technologies is neither quick, simple, nor universally accepted by all older people.”

Youth mentoring older generations in technology

• It is important to keep in mind that even when the primary intergenerational engagement dynamic is one of “youth mentoring older adults in technology skills,” as the older adult participants become more knowledgeable about technology and comfortable sharing experiences and learning from and with people across generations in a virtual world, new modes of communication become possible

• Technology can be a primary pathway to promote intergenerational contact

Generational differences in mode of communication

• People between the ages of 25 and 34 prefer face-to-face communications by a margin of 55%, followed by email or text at 35% and phone at 10%

• Those over 55 preferred face-to-face communications by a margin of 60%, while they also preferred email or text second, it was at only 28%, and phone was preferred at 12%

• Brevity is preferred universally by generations

• Choice of platform of communications is important.

Specifics

• Millenials prefer email and text to phone conversation

• 88% of Millenials use their cell phones to text, compared to

• 71% of Generation X

• 51% of Boomers (both sets); and

• 9% of the Silent Generation

More specifics

• Being “connected” is a characteristic demonstrated by how many people SLEEP with their phones:

• 83% of Millenials do it

• 68% of Gen-Xers do it

• 50% of Boomers do it

• Even 20% of Silent Generation members do it

• 69% of Millenials work AFTER leaving the office, versus 62% of other generations

Even MORE specifics

• Although most people before the Millenials are OK with Phone calls, Millenials view them as an invasion of privacy (or do I say intrusion);

• But everyone finds email acceptable• 56% of Millenials

• 57% of Generation Xers

• 54% of Boomers

• 26% of the Silent Generation

Email-specific tips

• Tell Millenials to read the WHOLE email• Avoid subject lines like the following:

• Fwd:Fwd:Fwd:Re: [anything]• Thank you for using [service]• Your input is valuable to us• [Season] is finally here!

• If it is a short message, send a text• Use Bullet Points. Even if people are on ADHD meds, they will not read a wall of text• Adjust your communication style and devices to your audience

Strategic Information

• Understand the factors of generational diversity that influence characteristics and attitudes of individuals, such as:

• Religion, Historical Events

• Socio-Economic Status, Environment

• Disability, Education Level

• Race and Ethnicity

• Gender, Political Affiliation

• Age in the context of the intergenerational profile

Effectively Manage Generational Diversity

• Know the intergenerational profile of your organization

• Establish generational management and communication practices• Customize your communication style

• Leverage the strengths of the intergenerational diversity

• Tailor your recognition and rewards to each generation

• Encourage collaboration

• Develop generational competence• That includes understanding the generations, participating in mentoring programs, and improving your

communications skills and generational sensitivity

The Intergenerational Workforce Continuum

Millenials(entering work force)

Generation X (advancing their

careers)

Boomers (delaying retirement

plans)

Silent Generation/GI Generation

(95% are retired)

Attitudes among generations

• 70% of older employees are dismissive of younger worker’s abilities

• 50% of younger employees are dismissive of older worker’s abilities

• Millenials seek mentorship to grow in their careers, and so you can combine daily or weekly challenges with constant feedback to get more productivity

• Generation X is mistrustful of institutions and authority and are more cautious about investing in relationships with employers

• Boomers lead most companies and are more authoritarian, but need to realize that Millenials and Gen Xers need an encouraging and supportive environment

Where do their attitudes align?

• Workplace perceptions• Most important aspect of workplace culture across the board is FAIR• Closely followed by ETHICAL

• Top reasons for happiness at work?• Feeling Valued• Followed by Recognition and Appreciation

• Reasons to Stay • Opportunity to advance; and• Learning and Development

What do they want from their work schedule?

• Freedom to set their own hours if the work gets done.

• This was the top choice across the board

generations’ communication style?

• Silent generation: • Style is formal,

• Content is detailed, prose-style writing,

• Context is of relevance to their security and historical perspective,

• Attitude accepts and trusts authority and hierarchy,

• Tactics include print, conventional mail, face-to-face dialogue, some phone, some online

• Speed is within a reasonable time frame

• Frequency is within a digestable amount.

generations’ communication style?

• Boomers• Style is semiformal

• Content is to bottom line, but they want everything

• Context is relavent to their bottom line and their rewards

• Attitude is to accept the rules created by their predecessors

• Tactics are print, conventional mail, face-to-face dialogue, online tools and resources

• Speed is available, or handy

• Frequency as needed

generations’ communication style?

• Generation X• Style is not so serious, irreverent• Content is “what do I need to know?”• Context is relevant to what matters to me• Attitude is to openly question authority, and cynical/skeptical• Tactics are online, some face-to-face meetings (if really needed), games, technological

interaction• Speed is immediate, when I need it• Frequency is whenever

generations’ communication style?

• Millenials• Syle is eye-catching, fun

• Content is if-and-when-I-need-it-I-will-find-it-online

• Context is relevant to now, today and my role

• Attitude is OK with authority that earns their respect

• Tactics are online, wired, seamlessly through technology

• Speed is five minutes ago

• Frequency is constant

Thank you.

• Questions?

• Comments?

Endnotes & Bibliography

• Deal, Jennifer (2006). Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground. Center for Creative Leadership/Jossey-Bass.

• Feist, Parker, & Hugo, 2012; Selwyn, Gorard, Furlong, & Madden, 2003 (quoted in http://extension.psu.edu/youth/intergenerational/program-areas/technology/using-technology-to-connect-generations-report)

• Freifield, Lorri, Intergenerational Communication Some Quick Tips on Managing Boomers to Linksters., July 16, 2013, available at http://www.trainingmag.com/content/intergenerational-communication

• Howe, Neil; Strauss, William (1991). Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584 to 2069. New York: William Morrow & Company. ISBN 978-0-688-11912-6.

• Howe, Neil; Strauss, William (1993). 13th Gen: Abort, Retry, Ignore, Fail?. Vintage Books. ISBN 9780679743651.

• Howe, Neil; Strauss, William (1997). The Fourth Turning: What the Cycles of History Tell Us About America’s Next Rendezvous with Destiny. New York: Broadway Books. ISBN 978-0-7679-0046-1.

• Howe, Neil; Strauss, William (2000). Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 9780375707193.

Endnotes & Bibliography (cont.)

• Howe, Neil; Strauss, William (2007). Millennials & K-12 Schools: Educational Strategies for a New Generation. Great Falls: LifeCourse Associates. ISBN 978-0-9712606-5-8.

• Howe, Neil; Strauss, William (2007), "The Next Twenty Years: How Customer and Workforce Attitudes Will Evolve", Harvard Business Review: 41–52

• Howe, Neil; Strauss, William (2008). Millennials Go to College: Strategies for a New Generation on Campus (2nd ed.). Great Falls: LifeCourseAssociates. ISBN 9780971260610.

• McIntosh, Richard Leucke, Jeffrey H. Davis, and Perry (2008). Interpersonal Communication Skills in the Workplace (2nd Ed.). AMACOM.

• Meister, J and Willyerd K (2010). The 2020 Workplace, Deloitte Consulting and the International Business Communicators Study

• Rob Salkowitz (2008). Generation Blend: Managing Across the Technology Age-Gap. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

• Schuman, H. and Scott, J. (1989), Generations and collective memories, American Sociological Review, vol. 54, 1989, pp. 359–81.

• Tapscott, Don. (1998) Growing Up Digital: The Rise of the Net Generation. McGraw-Hill.

• Tolbize, A (2008) Generational Differences in the Worplace

• Williams, Angie and Jon F. Nussbaum (2001), Intergenerational Communication Across the Life Span.