As we live and work longer, it's becoming increasingly common to find four different generations in the same organization: Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y (Millennials), and Generation Z. As working life expectancy continues to expand, there may be even more generations collaborating together in the future.
A new competency that is emerging as a requirement for professionals is generational diversity management. This competency enables organizations to implement internal policies and training plans that foster it.
Given the differences in aspirations and work behaviors among these generations, the coexistence of multiple generations poses a challenge for companies. How can we leverage generational diversity? By creating pathways that encourage and facilitate knowledge sharing, and by building bridges and networks between them:
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Mutual Mentoring: One way companies can foster this exchange is by connecting new hires with veteran employees. The Mentoring method accelerates the sharing of skills and develops strategies to ensure the transfer of knowledge so that when one person retires or leaves, there is always another ready to fill their position.
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Merge project teams: Use teamwork as an opportunity to form new collaborations. In addition to creating bridges, we will be driving innovation through complementary skills.
Develop interpersonal skills: It is essential to foster relationships with employees and create an open and inclusive environment among them.
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Talks: Once a week or month, give an employee an opportunity to share her insights or insights with the rest of the classmates. It's a great way to educate each other.
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Initiative: Being new to the office and/or young doesn't mean you have to take a backseat. From the first moment we must let the new incorporations take the initiative and allow them to share their skills and experience.
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Leaving the office: Any event that breaks the routine or usual patterns will increase productivity and give employees the opportunity to get to know each other better how much we can learn from each other!
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Renew the traditional: A strategy that never fails is to take advantage of what was useful years ago and renew it by taking advantage of new technologies. That's innovation! You can innovate in the products and services we offer, as well as innovating by simplifying our own internal processes, creating more agile and effective organizations.
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Communication strategies: The same strategy for corporate communication cannot always be effective if we have in our company to very different generations. We can deliver the same message in multiple formats to ensure it reaches all workers. For example, if we want to remember that there is a meeting, we can tell the baby boomers anytime we meet them or through a call, we can send an email to generation X and generation Y and Z just send an instant message like this:
We can no longer rely on traditional management approaches or assume that a high salary or company perks are the top priorities for our workforce. As the Silent Generation retires, Baby Boomers hope to retire with a lifelong company, Generation X seeks stability and professional development, Generation Y values work-life balance and is open to entrepreneurship, and Generation Z aspires to turn their passions into a career.
Leaders must be open to new ideas and adapt their management strategies based on generational attitudes. They should also encourage ongoing feedback to shape the organization's strategic vision.
In a intervention on management of diverse talent in which we participated together with great exponents of the field of human management such as Alex Rovira, Nuria Sáez or Elena Cascante, we were able to learn, among other things, data from the study of Intergenerational Diversity that analyzes five professional concerns generations that coincide at the same time in the world of work.
Embrace diversity , in general terms, just as heterogeneity between generations will help us create a creative and flexible work environment, are you aiming to bridge the gap in generational coexistence?
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Each member of your organization has much to contribute. Their personal and professional experiences can be the competitive difference you are looking for. Innovation and creativity are born from diverse environments. Do you really know the skills and competencies that each one of them treasures? Find out with agile competency assessment processes that foster communication and collaboration as HRider!
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