The Secrets for Effective Multi-Generational Team Leadership – Hernan Guadalupe, PMP

SPRING 2020 | PM magazine

THE SECRETS FOR EFFECTIVE MULTI-GENERATIONAL TEAM LEADERSHIP

The professional workplace is undergoing a diverse and dynamic time Hernan Guadalupe, PMP where different generations are crossing over to make up today’s workforce. Program Manager With existing economic challenges City of Baltimore and longer life expectancies, many people are working beyond the traditional retirement age well into their 70s and 80s either as full-time or part-time employees. This phenomenon creates a unique experience for project managers when leading teams that are composed of generational crossovers. In any instance, companies may have three to five generations working together. (Boyle et al., 2018).

According to the Pew Research Center (2018), the generational gaps are often represented as:

Traditionalists – born before 1946

Baby Boomers – born between 1946 and 1964

Generation X – born between 1965 and 1980 or 1979 according to other sources

Generation Y (Millennials) – born between 1981 and 1997 or between 1980 and 1995 according to other sources

Generation Z – born after 1997 or after 1996 according to other sources

Teams and companies composed of various generations have their advantages and disadvantages to individual project success or a company’s stability. Project managers and owners need to understand the dynamics of each generation and the leadership styles that are best suited to handle generational diversity. Communication styles can vary between verbal and nonverbal therefore, effective communication must be conveyed appropriately to generations.

Challenges of Generational Diversity

While diverse workplaces provide companies the opportunity to leverage unique backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, diversity can also present their own set of challenges. Each generation is known for specific characteristics, which may or may not cooperate well with other generations’ features. Traditionalists and baby boomers are well known for having a strong work ethic, devotion to their work, strict adherence to the organizational chainof-command, and loyalty, however, they are also rigid, often unwelcoming, and lack the same level of technological savvy as later generations. Generation X is known as self-reliant, autonomous, adaptable, entrepreneurial, resourceful, and creative, however, they are also described as disloyal, apathetic to authority, and more focused on work-life balance. Millennials are known as social, confident, team-oriented, more efficient at multitasking, flexible, and tech-savvy. However, they are reliant on constant feedback, more likely to pursue short-term gratification, require continuous engagement, often rely on technology for communication, and frequently challenge the status quo. The aforementioned presents the varying characteristics, values, and work preferences between the generations. Leaders need to comprehend the multi-generational diversity challenges and opportunities to facilitate the project or organization objectives to mitigate potential conflicts, frustrations, or resentments between team members. As a program manager I use the interactive communication model to analyze communication styles between the sender, receiver and the acknowledgment of the recipient to confirm that the message is correctly understood among all generations. Additionally, I must figure out which communication style I will have to use to reach everybody. Millennials may like emails sent; baby boomers may want a face to face meeting. Since I must manage different communication styles, managing communication is very important. “Manage communications is the process of ensuring timely and appropriate collection, creations, distribution, storage, retrieval, management, monitoring, and the ultimate flow between the project team and stakeholders” (PMI, 2017, p. 379), and in keeping with that model, some tools and techniques that I use are communication competence, feedback, and project management information systems (PMIS).

Leaders Styles

Over the past several decades, researchers have presented numerous leadership styles and models an attempt to identify a specific approach to improve project-level and organizational success. Effective leadership is necessary for any project team and organization to sustain productivity, profitability, and competitive advantage (Yahaya & Ebrahim, 2015). Leaders may be transformational or democratic and often described, in most cases, as empowering, motivating, uplifting, supportive, and empathetic. Some examples given both past and present, include Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,

“However, there is one leadership characteristic that has proven to unite and drive a diverse multi-generational team towards success. That characteristic is empathy.“

Nelson Mandela, Henry Ford, Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, and Jeff Bezos. Servant leaders put others before themselves focus on serving the team first.

Transactional leaders may need to take charge of the decision-making and be more direct, similar to autocratic leaders such as Martha Stewart or Donald Trump. There is no doubt that projects and organizations both depend on capable and competent leaders, but what would be the best leadership style to lead a multi-generational team? Most leadership styles focus on the characteristics of the leader and how they should engage with their project teams, but scant research exists on the diversity of the workforce.

“Remember, the goal of a leader is to value their team and, as a result, you may begin to experience higher team performance and success. “

For example, charismatic leadership emphasizes on inspirational vision setting to create an environment of intrinsic motivation where followers will sacrifice their self-interest and devote themselves to the overall cause of the program or organization. The charismatic leader paints a utopian environment without really considering the individual characteristics of the followers. This leadership style may work well if everyone buys into the project or organization’s objectives, but one thing I have learned in over 17 years of experience is that there is no such thing as a perfect project picture.

Work Experience

Working for the City of Baltimore, I find myself working in the most diverse environment. The diversity is not only due to age or ethnicity but to the level of interest and motivation. The baby boomer workforce wishes to ride out the remaining years to retirement. Generation Z are hungry and eager to learn and contribute. While Generation X and millennials are on the fence. They appear to be stuck between playing along with the system or challenging it. So how can one manage a multi-level diverse group with their own purpose and goals while promoting the goals of the organization? Painting a perfect picture may not work with everyone. However, there is one leadership characteristic that has proven to unite and drive a diverse multi-generational team towards success. That characteristic is empathy. Sincerely understanding the feelings of a team, their goals, and putting oneself in their shoes facilitates connection, communication, and setting expectations. Empathy is the key to opening the door of effective leadership.

Leadership Expectations

Once you begin to focus on the needs and purpose of others, managing them may become easier. However, there are still some useful techniques and approaches that help lead multi-generational teams on projects. One of the most critical initiatives that a team leader can do is communicate and establish team expectations and provide the opportunity to acknowledge everyone’s strengths and

desires. This approach is a two-way street that requires effective listening and a growth mindset environment. The tool and technique that is used is feedback. “Feedback supports interactive communication between the project manager, and the project team” (PMI, 2017, p. 384). Generation X and millennials should recognize the value of historical knowledge and lessons learned that baby boomers possess. Baby boomers should acknowledge the zeal, energy, and creativity of the younger generations. All generations have something new they can learn, so it is essential to open up the lines of communication and collaboration (Novo, Landis, & Haley, 2017). One of the best practices to establishing expectations is working on a team charter that identifies how the team will function, the skills necessary for success, agreed behaviors, communication protocols, and goal setting that will eventually lead to a strong communication plan. By doing so, everyone on the team acknowledges each other’s skills, roles, and contributions.

Leaders should focus on recognizing the unique capabilities that each team member brings to the project or organization and encourage collaboration between them. If conflicts and challenges arise, then everyone can refer back to the communication management plan to reset the expectations and mitigate any challenge. Referring to the communication plan will remind the team who to communicate with and how to communicate. Getting feedback on the communication plan from the project team is the best way to make sure the information is up to date. An example of conflict

may be when engineer B performs the tasks of engineer A without his knowledge or permission out of a sincere desire to help the team and meet the project performance goals regarding scope, cost, quality, and time. While it seems out of good intention, it breaks the responsibility matrix and may cause unnecessary conflicts. Ultimately engineer A is the sole responsible party for delivering his tasks, but without communication, engineer B puts him in a difficult situation to address changes made outside of his control. The team leader may also view engineer B’s help as attention-seeking or potentially detrimental to the project and team esprit de corps. By establishing a charter, everyone will know their role and provide an opportunity for fairness and balance on the team.

A second approach to effectively leading multi-generation teams is cross coaching or mentoring. Leaders should do their best to leverage the opportunity to have team members coach or mentor each other regardless of generation and experience. The guidance and support system help team members develop a strong working relationship and facilitate the forming stage while minimizing misunderstandings (Grensing-Pophal, 2018). The last advice that leaders should take is to be the most flexible and adaptable among the team members. They should be versatile and be capable of customizing their leadership style to fit the needs of the individual team members. Leaders should tailor their strengths and personality to gain a higher perspective and awareness of the trends within the workplace. Managing multi-generation teams means that leaders need to be in touch with each generation. Communication, transparency, expectation-setting, coaching, mentoring, encouraging collaboration, flexibility, and above all empathy could lead to trust and commitment from team members regardless of generation. Remember, the goal of a leader is to value their team and, as a result, you may begin to experience higher team performance and success.

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Pew Research Center (2015, September 3). The Whys and Hows of Generations Research. Retrieved from https://www.people-press.org/2015/09/03/the-whys-andhows-of-generations-research/

Project Management Institute (PMI). (2017). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide). 6th ed. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute, Inc.

Novo, B., Landis, E. A., & Haley, M. L. (2017). Leadership and Its Role in the Success of Project Management. Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics, 14, 73-77. Retrieved from http://www.na-businesspress.com/jlaeopen.html

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Yahaya, R., & Ebrahim, F. (2015). Leadership Styles and Organizational Commitment: Literature Review. Journal of Management Development, 35, 190-216. DOI: 10.1108/ JMD-01-2015-0004