Working It Out by Camille Wright-Miller

My son, Matthew, called. Recently transferred to Fort Knox, Ky., his new responsibilities include training young soldiers. In the midst of talking about his responsibilities, he launched into a discussion of how "this generation of soldiers" differs from those of his day. According to Matthew, this "new" generation differs significantly and, to him, those differences signal a problem. I laughed.

After all, Matthew was discussing a "new" generation not even 10 years younger than he. Turns out, Matthew is right. There are differences which may present new challenges to managers.

Ron Zemke, Claire Raines and Bob Filipczak, in their recently published "Generations at Work: Managing the Clash of Veterans, Boomers, Xers and Nexters" (Amacom, 2000), focus on those differences as well as on the similarities. According to the authors, this is the first time the workplace has been faced with four distinct "generations" of employees who bring with them such vastly different experiences and expectations.

That was a theme in a conversation I had with a reader from Johnson City, Tenn., this week. This baby boomer has had considerable entrepreneurial success. He confesses, though, to being perplexed by his younger employees. Like many boomers, he thrives in a team atmosphere. He's discovering that his most recent hires prefer working independently. His efforts to promote a team environment aren't working. And, according to the authors, they won't. Hence, the "Clash."

How do the authors characterize the generations?

The "Veterans," those born between 1920 and the early 1940s, grew up in a time when American society valued patriotism, the nuclear family and respect for authority. They value tradition. As they've aged, they've gained considerable expertise and value being treated with respect because of that hard-won expertise.

"Boomers," born during an unprecedented birth boom (mid '40s to mid '60s) grew up surrounded by "aspiring peers." They want to excel at team work, in their careers and in receiving recognition. To achieve that recognition, boomers "live to work instead of working to live."

Xers, born in the late 1960s through 1980, expect a lot and demand a lot. They witnessed their parents being downsized, right-sized and re-engineered. They've tremendous loyalty to their own careers but not to organizations. They value opportunities to develop their careers within an organization. However, when development opportunities cease, they're ready to move on. They value constructive feedback, but want to feel they are in control of their work. Unlike their parents, they've little tolerance for meetings, repetition or long hours. Overtime isn't an opportunity; it's an obstacle to returning to other parts of their lives.

As noted in the newsletter "Workplace Visions" (a publication of the Society for Human Resource Management), Xers are "characterized by latchkey kids left to fend for themselves." They've been making their own decisions for quite some time.

Nexters, born after 1980, are the next generation of high achievers. Because they grew up using technology, they adapt to change readily. They're used to opportunities. While Xers were home alone, Nexters were offered opportunities to play organized sports, take music and dance lessons, and other extracurricular activities. They are quite accomplished in many areas.

It seems that the biggest clashes are between the boomers and Xers and between Xers and Nexters; those clashes are causing a new kind of conflict in the organization. Those working with the generations are discovering that applying the Golden Rule as a "managing others guiding principle" isn't working. The other generations don't want to be "done unto" as you want to be "done unto."

I recognize the danger in lumping all of an age into the same narrow characterizations. Quite simply, not everyone in any "generation" shares the same values. However, adding a generation's experiences and expectations to the mix of variables adds greater potential for answers in the search for ways to meet employee needs.

Camille Wright-Miller, Ph.D. is a consultant on workplace issues and problems for companies in Western Virginia. She can be reached at 540/777-6498, by email at gerthac@roanoke.com, by fax at 540/981-3346, or in care of The Roanoke Times Business News Department, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va. 24010. Please give your name and phone number in case she has questions.