Leadership and Communication Across Generational Lines Essay example

Who is Generation Y? According to business dictionary, Generation Y is the generation of people born during the 1980s and 1990s. Growing in an era where technology changes constantly has made Generation Y more technologically savvy and prone to using media in everyday life. It has also made some people not realize what it was like in the past because Generation Y has seen the technology grow so much in their lifetime. Generation Y has had access to growing and changing technology, such as the internet and video games. Harrison states that Generation Y have been immersed in and surrounded by technology, from television and playing Snake on a Nokia 3210 to World of Warcraft and iPhones there is no escape form electrical devices in the modern world. With all this new technology and video games at the tip of their fingers: How have video games affected Generation Y on a social and media point?

There are now four different generations working together in the work force, which is causing conflict and communication issues. Each generation has their own way of interpreting things and sometimes these conflict each other. An example would be if a baby boomer said to another baby boomer “we need to get this report done,” it would be interpreted as an order on both sides since they are under the same category. If the baby boomer said it to a “Xer”, they would hear is an observation while the baby boomer meant it as a command. The Xer may not get to it right away, which will cause issues if the baby boomer asks about the report status and the Xer says they have not done it yet or even started. (Hammill)

I find that some many factors will determine a leaders form of communication. Therefore, understanding generational difference is a key factor in leadership communication. For example, I serve as a Board Member on a Home Owner Assocation (HOA). Last week I attended a Board Member conference on Community next: 2020 and beyond. A executive summary was presented by the community Association Institute. Two key subjects during the presented was communition and Generational Difference. The chart was from www.wmfc.org. A questions was asked how many Millennials set on a board. Only one Millennial was sitting on a HOA broad. The meeting had approxialty 20 HOA broads with an average of five members. The chart stated first generation of kids with

When I was younger, I thought that a leader was a superhero or the President. I assumed that because I wasn’t the most talkative or daring kid, I couldn’t be a leader. I had always taken the role of the shy girl that nodded and smiled at other’s suggestions. As I grew up, I realized that my stereotypes didn’t truly show who a leader is. I saw people who silently lead behind the scenes, who inspired and motivated others to achieve their goals. While a leader might be bold and outgoing, a leader can also be a listener and a motivator. A successful leader listens, gains trust and respect, and works with their team, not above them. If someone is loud and full of ideas, but doesn’t hear or discuss other thoughts, are they a leader? The American dream is to be that bold, dominant champion, but that isn’t

The baby boomers also believe in personal gratification and personal growth, with a strong desire to make a difference (WMFC, 2016). It

How do different generations communicate? What are some of the reasons that experts are worried about the increase in online communication among young people?

In this article we get learn about the four main generations alive today and they duffer in characteristics, lifestyle, preferences and communication styles. First, we learn about the traditionalists generation that lived through the second world war and had memories of the great depression. That generation respected working hard mostly for the same company over a long period of time. They feel more comfortable using telephones only and not engaged in new communication methods or online access.

The way a leader communicates is not dependent from his or her age/generation. The classification of generations are chart by their birth

There were negative situations that most baby boomers encountered. Baby Boomers faced economic downturns and high financial costs of a college education (Fingerman, Pillemer, Silverstein & Suitor, 2012). On the other hand, Baby Boomer children were generally comfortable under parents’ care and support even if there was a high expenditure required for education (Fingerman, Pillemer, Silverstein & Suitor, 2012). When they became adults, they usually lived separately without their parents and therefore could improve their autonomy (Fingerman, Pillemer, Silverstein & Suitor, 2012). Based upon the Generation Difference Chart, Baby Boomers had experienced a high level of family disintegration, which was a difficult situation for parents and children. Another aspect of family life was that percentage of Baby Boomers in the workplace was higher with 45% as compared with other

The issues I chose to discuss throughout this paper will reference my experience in formal communication dealing with older peers and younger peers. Throughout my seven years within the automotive field I have dealt with employees ranging from as elder as seventy two years old to as young as eighteen years old. In my seven years I have struggled on both ends to connect and communicate with both, some situation more difficult than others. The lessons I’ve learned in dealing with both have proven to be invaluable from both a communication and management stand point.

Communication is the exchange of information or ideas between two or more parties. Workplace communication is that exchange operating inside the workplace, and is a topic of consistent importance. New media is regularly integrated, new studies are completed about different personality characteristics, and varying ages leave and enter the workforce. This report provides a summary of findings about intergenerational communication in the workplace, specifically between Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, Generation X, born between 1965 and 1980, and Millennials, or Generation Y, born between 1981 and 1997 for Eller, Inc.’s use in an upcoming project (CNN Library). Details about each generation’s communication preferences, strengths, weaknesses, and integration of the communication methods of the three generations can be found throughout.

A review of literature indicates that normal communication changes in older adults (Busacco,1999).This fact coupled with the fact that younger adults and children (Verhoef & de Boer, 2012) have a faster learning rates means that the way a leader communicates is dependent upon his or her age/generation. The age difference within the organization may cause a great deal of misunderstanding. This is the case because teenagers have their own forms of expressions (which they invent-slang) and terms of references. Some of the terminologies that are used by teenagers may be totally unknown to the elder population. This is the case if an organizational leader is an elder adult. Their terms of reference may be totally different. Their management styles to may be different. It is very important for anyone who wishes to communicate to a given group of

Generation Y- also “called Millennials” refers to people born approximately between the 1980’s -2000. The striking behavior patterns we see among them are one being “group oriented”. They are more comfortable acting in groups. Facebook is just one of many examples, which being an integral part of their lives. Typically they have also been more subjected to group activities since childhood, often parents or teachers engaging them in-group activities. Parents and the current teaching system are responsible for their obsession with group activities.

Supervising staff and volunteers from ages fourteen to ninety can be a challenging task. These age groups make up the four different generations: Traditionalist, Baby Boomers, Generation X’ers, and Generation Y’ers. Traditionalist, (born 1925-1946) may need a little prodding to communicate their needs and they prefer written communication plans. Baby Boomers, (born 1946-1964) are aware of technology but still prefer to communicate by telephone and they call themselves the age of the memo. Generation X’ers, (born 1965-1982) commonly prefer short concise communication. Generation Y’ers, (born 1983-2000) prefer short, quick e-mails, texting and mobile phone applications to communicate. The hospital

In order to understand the communication gap between the two generations, Venter (2016) studied interpersonal communication style of the each generation. The author found that Generation Y and the Baby Boomer generation value different communication styles and that creates a communication gap between the two generations.