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Generational Differences in the Workplace

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Generational Differences in the Workplace
Generational Differences in the Workplace

Composition II—Eng 102

Generational Differences in the Workplace The workplace of today involves interactions among people from four different generations often causing much conflict for leaders and organizations. Each generation represented has its own set of different values and beliefs. These differences can easily lead to conflicting barriers within the workplace. This can pose a significant problem for those in leadership. In order to combat this issue, leaders and organizations can effectively deal with these issues by offering different programs such as executive mentoring, town hall meetings, and leadership seminars for those in leadership. The workplace of today is composed of the intermingling of four different generations all working together towards a common goal. This combination of interactions can often cause much conflict for leaders and create challenges for organizations. Warner and Sandberg (2010) states, “people from different generations and age groups have rather different attitudes, values, beliefs and motivations from one another. These differences can easily lead to misunderstanding, miscommunication and even outright conflict in the workplace.” This can ultimately lead to a loss of productivity amongst fellow employees. The key to success for any leader or organization is learning to effectively deal with these challenges. Leaders and organizations must understand these differences and be willing to work together with their fellow team members. These interactions will lead to a better understanding of one another and make it easier to achieve the organizational mission. In an ever-changing diverse workplace, there are currently four generations working together. Warner and Sandberg (2010) define them as, “Traditionals or Veterans,” “Baby Boomers,” “Generation X,” and finally “Generation Y.” Each of these groups can be classified as one cohesively



References: Beekman, T. (2011). Fill in the generation gap. Strategic Finance, 93(3), 15-17. Houlihan, A. (2007). The new melting pot: how to effectively lead different generations in the workplace. Supervision. 68(9), 10-12. Johnson, L., & Johnson, M. (2010). Resolving intergenerational workplace conflict. Baseline, (107), 17. Kyles, D. (2005). Managing your multigenerational workforce. Strategic Finance. 87(6), 52-55. Marshall, J. (2004). Managing different generations at work. Financial Executive. 20(5), 18. Wagner, K. L. (2007). Filling the GAP. Journal of Property Management, 72(5), 29-35. Warner J., & Sandberg, A. (2010). Generational leadership. Ready to Manage. Retrieved December 12, 2011 from http://www.kiwata.com/pdf/Generational-Leadership.pdf Zaporzan, D. (2010). Four generations, one workplace: Watch us work. CMA Management, 84(6), 12-13.

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