How to create a team culture in a multi

How to Create a Team Culture in a Multi-Generational Workforce

How to Create a Team Culture in a Multi-Generational Workforce

By Michelle Riklan and Doug Staneart

©Copyright 2016, The Leader’s Institute® Publishing Publisher reserves all rights to copyright material in this document. http://www.leadersinstitute.com

Introduction: The Generational Divide

The majority of American companies have workforces that span across many generations. The traditional seniority ladder‐climbing and top‐down decision making have gone the way of the dinosaur in many workplaces.

As a result, the older structures are giving way to a culture where bosses are younger than the people who report to them, and where teams encompass members who have 40 years of differences between their ages.

Because of this shift, leaders are seeking ways to help their teams work together despite the age differences that exist between their members. One of the most important factors to consider when preparing and improving in multi‐generational leadership is how to build a culture that incorporates and satisfies all of the needs and wants of these various personalities.

A well‐defined and intentionally built company culture increases productivity, decreases turnover, and promotes collaboration that cross the generational divides. Read on to discover how to promote an inclusive culture in your workplace.

Chapter 1: The Generations Present in Today’s Workforce

Before talking about how to intentionally create a team culture in today’s generational climate, it’s helpful to know what generations are present in most workplaces.

This is a broad overview, but it is a quick way to see what the primary want or need of each generation is.

The Traditionalists (1923‐1944)

First are the Traditionalists, who make up a relatively small amount of the workforce at 12 percent according to a recent Gallup poll. These team members were born before 1960 and can often be seen as inflexible, old, and fatalistic, though hardworking, to the rest of the organization.

The traditionalists are resistant to technology, and they tend to want to stick to tried‐and‐true processes, policies, and corporate structure. They embrace and respect the chain‐of‐command. A good analogy for this group is a military structure where the general or admiral is in charge, and a hierarchical structure is in place where decisions are made and passed down to the organization.

A good motto for this generation is, “My way or the highway.”

The Baby Boomers (1945‐1964)

The Baby Boomers are up next, and this group values being treated as individuals and being recognized appropriately for their contributions in the workplace. They are loyal, and they value being respected for their hard work.

The Baby Boomers know that people who pay their dues are rewarded for loyalty and for hard work. They see the hierarchy that their former generation created as a challenge to conquer, and their goal is to make it to the top so they can re‐create the hierarchy in a way that better suits them. They are revolutionaries.

A good motto for this generation is, “My way is better than your way.”

Generation X (1961‐1981)

Gen X, or the “Forgotten Generation,” are skeptical of leadership and lack the optimism and engagement of the Boomers. They are known for rejecting most rules and strongly value work‐life balance. They resist the hierarchy all together, because there is always a more creative solution than what we’ve done before. They see the organizational structure of old as an impediment to creativity and growth.

This is the dot com generation where one good idea can make someone wealthy, and with great risk comes great reward. They value creativity and ingenuity, and the love to receive recognition for this ingenuity – especially if that recognition includes additional income.

A good motto for this generation is, “There is always a better way.”

Generation Y or The Millennials (1975‐1995)

Finally, the Millennials make up 76 million members of today’s workforce – the largest percentage of any of these groups. They value recognition, even for routine tasks, and value being consulted on matters and innovation – which means that they often look down on coworkers who are less technologically savvy or flexible.

This is the YouTube and iPad generation that believes that your success is primarily based on how many people that you can personally influence. They see true leaders as people who have the most “followers” (YouTube followers, Twitter followers, Instagram followers, SnapChat followers, etc.)

This generation’s motto is, “There are an infinite number of ways to do something... What makes you think your

way is the best?”

The thing to keep in mind about these different generations is that, although each group has different values and different goals, they all crave recognition. The Traditionalists value recognition because they believe that “they DESRVE it.” The Baby Boomers value recognition, because they believe that “they have EARNED it.” The Generation X group values recognition because the recognition shows that others “value their creativity.” And the Millenials value recognition because it shows them that “others are following their lead.”

Chapter 2: Shared Experiences Outside of the Workplace Builds Camaraderie Inside the Workplace

The first thing to keep in mind when building a company culture that includes age‐diverse members is that it’s more important to focus on commonalities rather than differences and to build on the unique strengths of each group.

Shared needs across all generations include feeling valued and respected, being included in the company and in the organization environment, and receiving continuous feedback. A culture that emphasizes all these tenants will satisfy all parties and minimize gaps.

Though some of the generational qualities listed previously could be seen as negative characteristics, there are positive sides to every personality trait. For example, the skepticism of Gen X could encourage disengagement, which is a negative, but it could also keep everyone honest and focused on a specific goal.

Encouraging a culture where all generational traits are celebrated encourages open‐mindedness.

When it comes down to it, leaders should see people and individuals, and not the generation that they inhabit.

Engaging with your team on an emotional level and recognizing the unique skills and perspectives they bring to the table will be inherently more valuable than just catering to their age. Reward them when they do good work, and respond with education and engagement

when they fall short of standards.

These best practices will resonate with your team and build a supportive, inclusive culture – no matter what generations it includes.

In addition to the normal day‐to‐day feedback and recognition that is important to each of these generations, sometimes it is important to get out of the office with your group so that they get to work with each other in a non‐traditional setting. This can take place at annual retreats or conventions, or you can just take a Friday afternoon to reward your team for their hard work.

Team building events can be effective tactics for bringing a team together to work toward a common goal. Often, these types of fun, team‐wide events force people to get outside their generational comfort zones and recognize the value that each person brings to the table.

One of the most popular types of team building activities are charity team building events where the group learns good team building skills but also donates their time or effort to help a charity.

These types of activities have been around for decades.

The first of these types of events began in the church where company workers volunteered on weekends to help with church rummage sales and the like. Years later, charities like Habitat for Humanity and Meals on Wheels were formed, and companies often formed “outings” where their groups donated their time to help those in need.

In the last decade, though, an entire new industry has been created around Philanthropic Team Building. For the first, professional team building facilitators began to organize high‐energy events where real team building and communication skills were developed between these generations, and, at the same time, the groups were able to help a charity in their local area.

The most popular of these types of Charity Team Building Events is the Build‐A‐Bike ® Team Building Activity. This was the first event where the activity came to your group versus your group traveling to the activity. In this event, teams race against each other and time to acquire pieces of children’s bicycles. They acquire each piece by having to solve team challenges where the expertise of the

different generations is critical to their success. For instance, the competitive spirit of the Baby Boomers is important to get the participants moving in the same direction, but the goal oriented strategies of the Generation X group helps the group stay focused. The real secret to success though is that when the groups become cross‐functional (meaning the groups begin to work together to solve the challenges) the speed that the groups complete the tasks increases exponentially, and the Millennials are the group that typically gets the others to see the value in sharing their success with the other groups.

The beauty of this type of activity is that it is fun and high‐energy, but it also brings about an emotional benefit to the participants. At the end of the Build‐A‐ Bike® activity, children from a local Boys & Girls Club or shelter are often invited to the event where the groups actually give the bike to a kid who has maybe never owned a bike of his/her own. There is a feeling of camaraderie and teamwork that often carries back over into the workplace.

In January, a few years ago, I was leading one of these events, and the director of the YMCA in Irving, Texas has a tear in his eye as he watched a little boy and a little girl ride their new bicycles around in the ballroom of the Four Seasons. Now, this director was a big, burly “football coach” type of person, so I was shocked to see him tearing up. I asked him what was it that got him choked up this time as this was one of probably a dozen or so events like this that he had helped me with.

He turned to me and pointed to the little boy and girl and said, “Those kids are twins, and ten months ago, their dad got laid off from his job. This was the first Christmas in their entire lives where they didn’t receive any presents – or even have a tree for that matter. Look how happy this gift has made them.”

It is that type of emotional impact that makes events like this very special.

Other types of Charity Team Building Events include building a mini‐golf course out of non‐perishable food items like canned goods that are later donated to homeless shelters or food banks or building stuffed animals that police officers or firefighters can carry with

them in their vehicles to give to kids who have experienced a tragic loss.

You don’t necessarily have to invest in a professional team building company to get this result. Sometimes, just an evening out for dinner or a pizza party in the break‐room can get you a similar result. However, the larger your team and the more challenges that you have within the team, the more beneficial a professional team building facilitator will be.

Chapter 3: Baby Boomers Who Manage Millenials

According to the latest U.S. Census, Millennials make up the majority of today’s workforce. As of 2015, the Baby Boomer generation makes up only 29 percent of the workforce as a whole.

However, just because Millennials have surpassed Baby

Boomers in numbers does not mean they are represented equally in leadership. In fact, in many situations, Baby Boomers have risen through the ranks to inhabit management positions, and now find themselves managing teams of Millennials.

It’s not hard to see that these generations operate differently in the workplace. To work effectively together and to manage Millennials in a way that bridges these differences, there are several things Baby Boomer leaders should keep in mind.

How are Boomers and Millennials different?

First, it is helpful to know the main differences between these two generations as they relate to work.

Baby Boomers have grown their careers in large corporate hierarchies where putting in long hours and organizational memory were rewarded. They derive their self‐worth by their strong work ethic, and when faced with a question of work‐life balance, the scale often tips toward work.

Boomers’ motivation to put in these long hours comes primarily from money, and they rose through the ranks in an environment where annual raises with a percentage bonus were the norm.

In the media, Baby Boomers were also heavily influenced by the concept of the “American Dream,” which reinforced that if they worked hard enough, they could be successful and achieve the “white picket fence” lifestyle.

Conversely, Millennials grew up when AIDs, terrorist attacks, global warming, and school shootings ruled the media. They are more socially and globally conscious, and deeply value their personal time. They enjoy flexibility and open environments in the workplace, and typically aren’t the type to put in long hours just to impress their boss.

Most Millennials were raised in “child‐centered” households, where their opinions and decisions played a role in family situations. Because of this, they expect that

their career should fulfill them creatively and monetarily – and if they do not find a job that fulfills these requirements, they move on to the next one.

How to engage and lead your Millennial staff

The different mindsets, historical contexts, family constructs, and technology that these generations grew up around can cause friction in the workplace. So how do Boomer leaders avoid tension and lead Millennials in a way that celebrates, not punishes, their different viewpoints?

Millennials do not like to feel like just another cog in the machine of an organization. Baby Boomer leaders should give them meaning and purpose in their work by helping them see the bigger picture. In your training and professional development, talk about how the work they are doing contributes to the organization in tangible ways.

1. Do not just tell Millennials what to do – tell them why it’s important they do it. Simon Sinek’s TED Talk, Start

with Why, gives several practical tips on how to do this in your workplace.

2. Enable all employees to have their voices heard.

Because Millennials want to feel like they’re making an actual contribution to their company and to the world, and not just clocking in and out, create a culture and processes to allow for people to voice their ideas and opinions. Take a page out of Toyota’s book – they allow any employee to completely halt production if they discover a quality issue in their products. Tools like SpeakUp and 15Five are great ways to enable the dissemination of ideas across companies.

3. Provide feedback that is more consistent. Research shows that the primary reason Millennials decide to leave their company is because of their boss. It also showed that three out of four Millennials felt in the dark about their performance, so frequently checking in outside of the standard annual performance review would go a long way.

By keeping in mind the differences between Baby

Boomers and Millennials and by using these tips to appeal to younger generations, leaders can bridge the gap to create a happy, productive team atmosphere for all groups.

If you need help increasing communication across the generational divide, our instructors are masters at analyzing the specific needs of a group and tailoring workshops and training programs that lead to positive behavior change. In fact, if you need help, you can talk to a facilitator directly for a free needs assessment and consultation at (800) 872‐7830. We look forward to helping you build your team culture!