Theoretical And Implementual Theories In Multigenerational And Leadership Management

It’s the first time in American history that five generations are sharing the workplace, from Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X, the Millennials or Generation Y, and the new unnamed generation. With five generations come five sets of ideas, how to conduct one’s self, approach activities, values and motivators. Different beliefs, understandings, and undertakings create misinterpretations and frustrations. The fire service is currently facing a similar situation. It’s imperative to recognize and understand these differences to avoid misunderstandings and to help your department work effectively to meet its goals. Not every employee displays aspect of their generation category, but understanding the individualities of each generation will help with teamwork, supervision, embracing change, and productivity. With each generation there are different communication styles and driving factors that motivate production. It is essential that you understand how each generation communicates and what they motivators are so that you can communicate ideas and organization vision to them. What can we do in the fire service to prepare to handle these challenges?

The generational span is exceedingly larger today than in the prior history of our nation. The multiple generations consist of the veterans 1922-1945, the baby boomers 1946-1964, the generation X 1965-1981, and, the generation Y 1982-1999, in addition, upcoming millennial generation born 2000-2016 (Murray, 2013). There frequently are misconceptions and misunderstandings based on the differing perspectives of each generation. Moreover, as an effective leader, one must comprehend and acknowledge the characteristics of each generation and utilize these individualities to mentor and motivate the staff they are leading (Hendricks & Cope, 2012). In addition to considering the impact of the generational

The workforce is seeing up to five generations working together for the first time in history. People are choosing to work longer and delay retirement. Ultimately, the workforce could experience up to six generations working together. It’s the role of business leaders to embrace diversity and guide their teams to cohesion. Generational gaps can pose challenges in the workplace, but understanding each generation 's unique characteristics and skills sets will assist in effectively managing diversity to keep a peaceful coexistence.

America has about five generations that function in our society today, and they are Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y, and the Millennial. It is interesting the way that an age gap influences the thinking of millions of people in different generations. Different times and situations require that different strategies be put in place for the following generation. Solutions that worked for one generation may be less useful for the next, so sometimes, because of the age gap, these solutions cause disagreements. These various ideologies all have one goal, and that is to be successful. We will discuss the path of the Baby Boomers and Generation X in the workplace environment.

For decades there has been extensive research on generations to better understand characteristics such as personalities, motivations, and work ethics to help current and future employers better understand how to engage targeted demographics. As a result, in recent years there has been a lot of dialogue around Generations X and Y as employers have tried to understand what attracts, retains, and engages these individuals in the workplace. It’s evident that not understanding and respecting these differences can lead to misunderstanding, miscommunications, mixed signals, and possibly the loss of talent within an organization. Over the next couple of paragraphs I will elaborate on each generation and highlight their values as it is important to

Over the past 100 years, many analysts can see evident a rise and decline of the United States population. Looking further into the demographics there are currently 73 million millennials aging from 18 to 34 that will soon account for one in three adults by 2020 (Catalyst, 2012). However, despite the increase of millennials, the overall U.S population continues to grow older. Retirement is a subject of the past in this decade and many over the age of 65 are living and working longer thanks to better health and stability in jobs. In fact, the population of older Americans is expected to more than double by 2060 (Catalyst, 2012). Looking at these statistics overall, we are seeing an increase in both generations meaning they are most likely going to have meet face to face within the workplace. This in result, has made it possible to have five generations in the workplace simultaneously. This is truly remarkable and can have a great effect on a business. Looking in the past at how much has changed in the few years, there was only 10.8% of the 65 year old crowd still working in 1985. Presently, thanks to the U.S Bureau Labor Statistics predicts for the year 2020 will comprise of 22.6% of 65 year olds still working (Ganett Company, 2014).

Generational diversity in the workplace has gained much attention since it has an impact on the organization. Managers in healthcare organizations face many issues concerning the generational differences due to the differences in characteristics that differentiate these groups of workers older and younger employees. The generational differences are based on the historical, cultural, social and economic events that happened during different times. The most significant factor is reliance on technology that has separated the younger generation from the older one (Levi, 2013). Productivity in nurse practice and clinical settings can be boosted by combining the differences in the learning preferences and work ethics through successful integration. Baby boomers, Gen Xers, and millennials are the major groups in the workplace. Their attitudes towards work, family, comfort with technology and communication styles differ (Hendricks & Cope, 2013).

Managing multiple generations can pose a challenge for employers. Managers have to find a balance. Taylor (2014) state “The modern workplace is no different than those of years past, with Generation Y, Generation X and baby boomers all coexisting in the same office. But as more boomers work past retirement age, and tech-savvy millennials continue to graduate and enter the workforce, the stark differences in the values, communication styles and work habits of each generation are becoming increasingly pronounced.” (Taylor, 2014). Taylor (2014) also states “"As new generations join the workforce, there is a period of adaptation that 's required on both ends," said Rich Milgram, CEO of career network Beyond.com. "New talent needs to respect and assimilate, while established talent needs to adjust and remain flexible. Companies should challenge their employees to rise above [generational differences], think outside their comfort zone and tackle problems together."” (Taylor, 2014).

More than ten thousand Baby Boomers retire every single day (Gurwitt, 2013). Combine that with the fact that there are currently four generations are in the workforce and managers of today have their work cut out for them. These leaders must ensure the knowledge from the retiring baby boomers is transferred to the remaining workforce, while simultaneously managing the retention of the disloyal, self-centered Millennials. Many leaders in this situation are finding it difficult to create and develop an organizational culture that supports this and conflict is manifesting in many organizations (Carpenter & DeCharon, 2014).

1. The aging labor force affects Human Resources by the department needs to take the time to motivate employees who are older to push themselves, start planning for retirement and manage the cost health care. In today’s society, many older people do not plan on retiring anytime soon or do not have enough money to retire. From this, some older workers are cutting down hours, working on temporary assignments, and or working from home. This allows older generations to mentor younger generations with work ethics and other aspects of the business. While this also gives the younger generations to mentor older generations with the latest technology and new ways of thinking. Human Resource management might run into different issues with the different generations such as the silent generation values job security and income. Baby Boomers value job opportunities and time management. on the other hand, Generation X is self-managed and can be pragmatic and Generation Y is good with technology and respect the hard work of older generations.

ICT-based generation gaps pose as an interesting obstacle for those individuals serving in a managerial role. The inconstant nature of the discourse created by ICT is particularly hard to track, for it is understood that experiences differ among co-workers (perhaps quantitative research would identify “to what degree” dissonance is felt) . Though experiences differ, intergenerational discourse contributes to factors affecting workforce motivation: specifically maximizing

“The number of employees over the age of 55 has increased by 30 percent; however, the number of 25- to 54-year-olds has only increased by 1 percent” (Claire, 2009). In 2008 the eldest of the 77 million baby-boomers turned 62. Estimates are that by the end of the decade about 40 percent of the work force will be eligible to retire. As people begin to reach the age of retirement there may be not be enough new employees to fill the gap (Clare, 2009). Companies need to find ways to attract Boomers and Millennials. Companies that want to attract Boomers and Millennials need to be creative in their culture, HR policies and work environments.

Understanding the motivation of millennial employees is important as it helps in setting mutual expectations for success within the workforce. Millennials are keener on completing assigned tasks as this opens up new opportunities for an employer to motivate and reward. Younger employees are very likely to respond to offers of paid time off. In organizations it is important to tailor the workplace to meet the needs of the organization and employee needs. In meeting these needs, the company will succeed. Moreover, there should be no myth about whether the Millennal generation exists because this generation has unique set of skills that sets them apart from other previous

As Americans, we spend countless hours at our jobs, working together with people of all different ages, backgrounds, races, and gender. All of which influence each individual’s mentality towards their jobs and their goals. There has been research to show that there are some drastic differences between generations that make working a little more difficult. These differences influence the many aspects of people management including recruitment, training and development, career development, rewards and working arrangements, and management styles as well as having the potential to cause serious conflicts within the workplace (Parry and Urwin, Generational Differences in Work Values: A Review of Theory and Evidence). That being said, it seems that our company has unfortunately discovered a disconnect with the newest generation in the work force, Generation Y.

Organizations are always looking for the most cost efficient way to stay competitive in their industries. This means that they are also looking for specific talent in individuals within their organizations and from the pool of individuals they hire. Which means understanding what prompts those individuals to give their organization the best ideas, attitudes and results. There are now five generations of people that currently make up the available workforce and have the responsibility of working together in varying capacities. The generations include traditionalist, baby boomers, generation X, generation Y and Generation Z.