Mind the Generation Gap

At Chameleon Skills, we were busy with the Knowledge Resources Conference in Cape Town in March, and it was a wonderful opportunity to get face to face with some of the senior HR people in SA. We were able to discuss their current challenges; how they are going to tackle them and where they may need help.

What were key topics?

Leadership and management are always hot topics and this time there was a focus on working with Gen Zs!

As everyone becomes aware that Gen Zs are a major part of the workforce, there is growing concern over what this means in terms of harnessing their knowledge and skills and integrating them successfully into the organisation. Chameleon Skills has a Graduate Transition programme that can assist with this process.

However, is seems that Gen Zs are being seen as the challenge that needs to be managed and as we all know, there are usually two sides to any story. The more we work with them, the more we see that the issue is not just Gen Zs.

It is a fact that there have always been generational differences in the workplace. The old style of control was strong enough to dominate and most workers were quite compliant, so it may not have seemed so obvious.

What are generations?

Generations are cohorts of people born in the same date range and who share similar cultural experiences.

What organisations need to consider is that these different generations have brought their cultural and emerging world experiences with them, and this changes their perspectives.

The baby boomers are exiting the workplace and their goals of issues like owning their own homes were realisable. Working hard would pay off and they would do what was expected of them. They had to adapt to technology and start to enter the digital world, which many struggled with and rejected. The boss and secretary situation was disappearing to a large degree so you had to get to grips with technology to survive.

Millennials encountered technology at an early age and accepted its place in their work and lives. They were encouraged by their parents to believe they could have whatever they wanted.

They started to question the way things were done and to have expectations. Gen Zs are a product of the digital age and have lived with technology, they have also lived through COVID in their formative years.

This experience would be more like that of a child growing up in the war years, surrounded by the anxiety and uncertainty in the world. They want to question the way things are and how we got to this place. They have opinions on everything and so have demands, not just expectations.

These dynamics play out in families as each generation views the next as different and challenging, so it is no surprise that this is reflected in the workplace. The challenge for leaders and managers today is to accept that the world of work has changed and so have the workers.

The key to success is finding the way to unleash the power of each generation through opening up the conversations that bring out the gifts that each one can share with the other.

Where the mentors share their knowledge and experience, not as the gurus but providing the context of how we are at the place we find ourselves today, without defensiveness. Then in turn being open to seeing the perspectives and possibilities that the new thinking and life experience can add to take situations and organisations forward.

A space where there is respect and understanding of each other and harnessing the best of multiple world views by focusing forward not holding back. Closing the gap with communication and curiosity.

Our Maximising Intergenerational Programme will assist you to bridge the gap. Contact: Info@chameleonskills.com to start your journey.