The Generation Gap Analysis

The Generation Divide

The “Generation Divide” (Biro, 2013) is a challenging problem for the leadership in today’s culture. The gaps between these generations are a concern organizations are confronted with. Today’s workforce includes four generations spanning more than 60 years in age (Cogin, 2012). Strategies aimed at attracting, retaining, and engaging employees of all ages are strategic concerns that employers are focusing on (Cogin, 2012).

This paper will address the strengths of the four generations of American workers that exist in today’s workplace, similarities and differences, and how to resolve collaboration efforts between them (Mayden, 2014). While there are methods that can be used to close the gap, it takes imaginative

One of the largest generations in the workplace, still considered to be the dominant player in today’s workforce (Ferri-Reed, 2013). With 78 million strong, this era has the biggest impact on society (Cogin, 2012). Political and social turmoil such as the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights, Woodstock, Watergate and the Kennedy assassination categorized these events during the growth years of this generation (Cogin, 2012). Protesting for power characterized the developmental years for many of the members of this generation in leadership positions today. This generation was raised on respecting authority and believed that hard work and sacrifice are the ingredients to success. According to Ganciola (2006), health, welfare, personal gratification and growth are important to them(Ganciola,

Communication conflict from the different generations is more likely to arise from errors of attribution and perception than from valid differences (Mayden, 2014). This is where effective communication is critical when dealing with generational conflicts in the workplace (Ferri-Reed, 2013). Aggressive communication causes ‘behind-the back complaining and adds to passive-aggressive behavior and hostility (Biro, 2013). Decisions made from assumptions are viewed as disrespectful to the younger generations. Therefore, regardless of the different communication styles of all four, asking questions as opposed to assuming disrespect when questions are asked quite often leads to the wrong conclusions (Ganciola, 2006). Despite the differences of each generation, team meetings and problem-solving task teams are strategies to help minimize communication conflicts (Ferri-Reed,