Working With All Generations Jenna Lehr Learning Development

Working With All Generations Jenna Lehr, Learning & Development Manager Ellen Liberatori, Director of Grants and Sponsored Programs Jeneeta O’Connor, Deputy Compliance Officer 1 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Retiring the Generation Gap § 7 years of research § 3, 000 leaders § Non-profits, big and small businesses alike 2 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

What are the Generations? Silent Generation / Traditionalists • 1925 -1945 Boomers • 1946 -1964 Gen X • 1965 -1981 Millennials • 1977 -2000 Gen Z • 2000 - today 3 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

What stereotypes have you heard about your own generation? Do you think that stereotype is true? 4 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Conventional Wisdom “Children today are tyrants. They contradict their parents, gobble their food, and tyrannize their teachers. ” - Socrates 470 -399 BC 5 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

What does the research tell us? § A generation is just a group who shared common experiences at the same time in history § Shared experiences do not mean common attitudes § Fundamentally people want the same things, no matter what generation they are from. § You can work with or manage people from all generations. 6 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

What’s wrong with generational thinking? § Generalizations about large groups of people, especially those connected only by arbitrary birth date categories, are bound to be fraught with problems. § To accept generational thinking, one must “swallow two large assumptions”: § That tens of millions of people, born over a period of 20 years, are fundamentally different from people of other age groups § That those tens of millions of people are similar to each other in meaningful ways 7 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

What’s unique about “Millennials” § They have been immersed in technology and likely know better how to leverage technology creatively for a variety of purposes than their older counterparts. § They are less likely to think about their work and life as being bound by traditional gender roles. § They are less likely to have completed the traditional milestones of “adulthood” by age 30 than previous generations. 8 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Where does intergenerational conflict come from? 9 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Most intergeneration conflict shares a common point of origin: The issue of clout – who has it, and who wants it. 10 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

10 Generational Principles 11 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Before We Proceed These principles are true for many-perhaps most-people, under many–perhaps most– circumstances, but they aren’t true for everyone, everywhere, in every circumstance. And just because we can all think of someone who doesn’t fit perfectly with the explanation doesn’t invalidate the principle. 12 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Principle 1 All Generations Have Similar Values; They Just Express Them Differently. 13 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Principle 1 All Generations Have Similar Values; They Just Express Them Differently. § Family is the value chosen most often. § Values and behaviors aren’t the same thingsomeone can behave very differently from you and still hold the same values. 14 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Principle 1 All Generations Have Similar Values; They Just Express Them Differently. 15 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Principle 2 Everyone Wants Respect; They Just Don’t Define It the Same Way. 16 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

What does respect mean to you? 17 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Principle 2 Everyone Wants Respect; They Just Don’t Define It the Same Way. § People in authority want their decisions to be respected. § Older people want their experience to be respected. § Younger people would like their fresh ideas to be respected. 18 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Principle 3 Trust Matters. 19 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Principle 3 Trust Matters. § What generation you are from or how old you are does not affect how much you trust other people or your organization. § An employees relationship with his or her boss is one of the primary reasons people stay with or leave an organization. 20 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

What qualities do you want in a leader? 21 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Principle 4 People Want Leaders Who Are Credible and Trustworthy. 22 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Principle 4 People Want Leaders Who Are Credible and Trustworthy. § Does age matter at all? For this principle, no, it does not. § People of all generations and at all levels want leaders to be credible, trustworthy, dependable, farsighted, encouraging and good listeners. 23 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Principle 5 Organizational Politics Is a Problem-No Matter How Old or Young You Are. 24 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Principle 5 Organizational Politics Is a Problem-No Matter How Old or Young You Are. § Different generations have similar attitudes towards office politics, though they may express those attitudes slightly differently. § People higher in the organization think they got there because of their hard work and strong performance. § People lower in organizations think political behavior is more important for advancement than do people higher in organizations. 25 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Principle 5 Organizational Politics Is a Problem-No Matter How Old or Young You Are. § The reality is political skills are important for success in organizations no matter your age. Whether we like it or not others have to like us, trust us, and want to work with us, if we are to get work done and be successful. § What are some strategies for navigating office politics? 26 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Lets talk about change. What does conventional wisdom tell us about who is good at handling change and who is not? 27 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Principle 6 No One Really Likes Change. § People of all generations dislike change. § Some people do have more problems with change than others- but that isn’t because of their age; it is because they’re more fearful of loss than they are hopeful of gain. 28 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Principle 6 No One Really Likes Change. § Managers and executives don’t like change much more than do people lower in the organizations. § To increase the likelihood of success in a change effort, leaders must explain why the change is necessary, explain what actual effect the change is going to have, and set up organizational systems that reinforce the change. 29 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

What about loyalty? What is the conventional wisdom about who is loyal and who isn’t? 30 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

The research tells us… 31 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Principle 7 Loyalty Depends on the Context, Not on the Generation. 32 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Principle 7 Loyalty Depends on the Context, Not on the Generation. § Different generations have about the same levels of loyalty. § Younger generations are not more likely to job-hop than older generations were at the same age. 33 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Principle 7 Loyalty Depends on the Context, Not on the Generation. § People who are closer to retirement are more likely to want to stay with the same organization for the rest of their working life. § People higher in an organization work more hours than do people lower in the organization; working more isn’t a matter of what generation an employee is from. 34 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

More on “Entitlement” The use of the word “entitled” is inflammatory and results in delegitimizing and belittling whatever group is being labeled at the moment. In order to have a healthy productive conversation about your workforce avoid wide sweeping remarks like these. 35 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

So how do we retain people of all generations? 36 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Principle 8 You Can Retain Employees From All Generations if You Do the Right Things. § Employees of all generations are more likely to remain with an organization if they receive § Good compensation § Learning and development § Opportunities for advancement § Respect and recognition § Good quality of life outside work • Flexibility 37 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Principle 8 You Can Retain Employees From All Generations if You Do the Right Things. § Leaders can focus their efforts on this list, but must realize that each individual wants a slightly different combination of compensation, learning, advancement, quality of life and respect. § Just about everyone feels underpaid and overworked. 38 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Principle 9 Everyone Wants to Learn 39 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Principle 9 Everyone Wants to Learn § What people want to learn is related to what they need for their job, not to their generation. § Younger people do not want to learn everything via a computer. § Older people want to learn some things via a computer. § People are savvy about what they need to learn, what they want to learn, and how they want to learn. Listen to them. 40 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Principle 10 Almost Everyone Wants a Coach. § People from every generation and at every level want a coach. § You can have your employees be coaches by providing them with more knowledge, greater experience, better communications skills, and specific training on how to be a coach. § Next mentoring program kicks off September 2019. § Next RAVA kicks off Jan 2020. 41 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Reverse Mentoring Benefits for younger employees Benefits for older employees § Opportunity to gain new exposure to other areas and departments in the organization and a better understanding of the organization’s history 42 technical skills and update your mindset about the industry Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Recap § Fundamentally people want the same things, no matter what generation they are from. § You can work with or manage people from all generations. 43 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Most intergeneration conflict shares a common point of origin: The issue of clout – who has it, and who wants it. 44 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Recap ü All Generations Have ü Organizational Politics Is a Problem-No Matter How Old Similar Values; They Just or Young You Are. Express Them Differently. ü Everyone Wants Respect; ü No One Really Likes Change. They Just Don’t Define It the Same Way. ü Loyalty Depends on the Context, Not on the ü Trust Matters. Generation. ü People Want Leaders ü You Can Retain Employees Who Are Credible and From All Generations if You Trustworthy. Do the Right Things. ü Everyone Wants to Learn. ü Almost Everyone Wants a 45 Coach. Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family

Take aways & aha moments? 46 Jennifer J. Deal, 2007, Retiring the Generation Gap: How Employees Young and Old Can Find Common Ground, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Brad Harrington, Executive Director and Research Professor at the Boston College Center for Work & Family