Bridging Boomers, Millennials, and Everyone in Between

Aligning multiple generations in the workplace is no easy task. Millennials, Gen Xers, and Baby Boomers all bring their own styles, histories, and communication methods to the team dynamic. For HR leaders and talent executives, the challenge is to appreciate the differences—and strengths of each—to help organizations balance and empower their teams.

Understanding the generational strata of an organization can reveal insights from a hiring perspective and also reveal how team dynamics surface and internal tensions arise. In technology companies, for instance, the distribution often may lean more toward younger staff, whereas more tradition-centric sectors such as health care or higher education may be more balanced between generations. In my experience as a leadership consultant, addressing team alignment head on benefits company morale, culture, and, eventually, the bottom line.

Business leaders can foster cohesiveness between employees of various generations by employing some fundamental approaches:

1. Define a Vision: Before any team can form, its members must align under one vision. To be a united and impactful group, individual members must define their purpose and charge, their goals, and how the defined goals will be met. Teams that establish a leadership structure, work style, and decision-making approach from the outset are more likely to become productive business units. These “rules of engagement” inform how individual team members will work with one another, regardless of their generational perspective. Only upon this firm foundation can the group build a team with a cohesive mission that all members can get behind. When someone new joins the team, communicate the team vision clearly during the onboarding process. Then reinforce the message during one-on-ones and team meetings. New leaders will have a much greater likelihood for early and lasting success if they participate in an effective transition into the organization, helping them understand its culture and priorities.
2. Develop Strategies to Acquire New Technology and Knowledge: To foster a strong group dynamic, encourage employees to explore and be open to new technologies and new knowledge acquisition. Having grown up in the age of the Internet, most Millennials are tech-savvy, infusing teams with new content knowledge and higher digital IQs. Nurture a culture of open communication to enable idea-sharing; this way, everyone can contribute to new company initiatives, from new product or service line development to social media campaigns. The best leaders recognize that individual strengths energize an organization and revitalize teams.
3. Create Mentoring Partnerships: To connect junior talent with more seasoned professionals, encourage cross-mentoring in which the mentor relationship is viewed as a partnership of sharing information and experiences between two different generations. Each party can learn from the other. Veteran employees have tremendous knowledge to share, but also can learn a lot from younger colleagues. For example, more junior employees can teach their senior counterparts about being flexible, adaptable, and shifting gears quickly. Mentoring partnerships are win-wins for everyone, from the individuals involved to the company on the whole. It can be helpful for employee retention, especially with Millennials who, on average, transition from their first job after 18 months. Setting up a mentoring program or building a mentoring partnership culture is worth the investment in terms of building and cultivating cohesive teams.
4. Encourage Group Work: Having multiple perspectives from different generational approaches can be highly beneficial when solving problems, within the framework of the set rules of the road. Encourage employees to tackle projects as groups, after they have done individual brainstorming. For many, individual thinking time is just as important as group time, so leave the door open before and after meetings. The best idea or solution might come from the quietest one in the group who was doing the best listening. Not only will group work allow employees to share diverse perspectives and pool knowledge and skills, it also will provide opportunities for team members to become familiar with each other’s specific work styles. Millennials may approach individual time and group time differently than Baby Boomers or Gen Xers; all should be encouraged and respected within the team structure.

With Baby Boomers staying longer in the workforce than prior generations, Gen Xers and Millennials likely will follow suit, affecting the dynamics of the overall workforce long term. Soon, another group will be joining the mix: Gen Z, which will bring its own history and style to the increasingly diverse platform of team culture. Balancing generations is an evergreen challenge for leaders. The more attention that is paid to this challenge, the greater the long-term benefits will be for teams and organizations.

Michelle Lee is a consultant for the Leadership Solutions practice at executive search firm Witt/Kieffer.