The Generational Re-Mix

Today’s blog entry was inspired by two similar (but different) conversations I had this past week. The first: a twenty-something professional expressing angst about managing employees “the same age as my dad.” The second: a fifty-something professional expressing frustration with “the kids of today.”

We often talk about the benefits of a diverse workforce in terms of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, etc. But what about age? Couldn’t the blending, “or re-mix,” of generations also be a plus? Wouldn’t we establish a more engaged work force or create a better product/service or reach a broader audience if we incorporated the strengths and knowledge of each generation’s perspective?

Obviously some organizational cultures may tend to attract certain generations over others, and some may target customers from specific generations. But with that said, it would seem to our overall advantage to understand the general personal and workplace characteristics across the generations in order to truly benefit from each.



So what generations are generally represented in today's society? Although the labels and timeline may vary by source, generations typically fall into the following 4 categories:

• Traditionalists (born before 1964)
• Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964)
• Generation X’ers (born between 1965 and 1977)
• Generation Y, Millenials (born after 1977)

For more information on this topic, check out the 2 articles below:

1. This one was published in 2005, but I like Greg Hammill’s charts on the different generations and his reasons for why this is an important issue:

“Mixing and Managing Four Generations of Employees”

2. Erin White’s article is more recent. Read more about the different perspectives on generational theory and tips for making the “re-mix” work:

“Age Is as Age Does: Making the Generation Gap Work for You”