Generational Differences

Have you noticed that people of different generations approach work differently? That each generation has its own unique communication style? Most of us are aware that differences exist, but many people are unaware of what causes the difference or what to do to bridge the gap. So lets get started with building a bridge. Take a few minutes and think of defining moments in your life, moments that impacted you as well as the country that you grew up in? These events changed the way you perceived the world and your safety within it. For example, September 11th, 2001 redefined the security of people who were going to work? International terrorism landed in the United States and changed the way people thought about the typical day. It changed the way workers and employers looked at emergency management plans. These items suddenly became more than plans on paper and become way of keeping people safe. Now not all defining moments are negative, but many of them are.
Our experiences and the response of society and family to those experiences directly affects how we respond and what we learn to do. For example, Generation Y born from 1977 to 2000 are a generation that communicates in acronyms. They grew up with PDA’s DVD’s CD’s and MP3’s Their communication is filled with words that are simply letters – LOL and this is very natural to this generation. While older generations such as the Mature generation born 1930’s to 1944 were raised with acronyms which they too invented such as AC for air conditioner , typically their vocabulary has been more restricted or censored. The mature generation was more consistently raised to use polite phrases, thank you, please, your welcome, while younger generations found these phrases to be optional and in some areas eliminated these phrases all together. In the workplace leaders may need to take a moment to re-evaluate communication methods for each generation and how communication techniques and styles can increase productivity and clarity or cause it to depreciate. We all lead someone, we just have to know if we are leading down the path that will improve our relationships. Have a great week.

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