Generational Challenges in the Workplace:

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Generational Challenges in the Workplace Conflict
and Success
Haldane Davies, Ph.D.
ORION GROUP OF COMPANIES
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People from different generations are working at
the same place at the same time all trying to
contribute to the same mission.
REALITY
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CARICOM Statistics
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CARICOM Statistics
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Everyone has different perspectives on the
meaning of employment, how work should be done,
and what workplaces should be like all of which
add to the potential for conflict.
REALITY
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Knowledge is the best eraser in the world for
disharmony, distrust, despair, and the endless
deficiencies of man.- Orlando Battista
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Generations Who, What, WhyLABEL BORN
BETWEENTraditionalists 1925-1945Baby
Boomers 1946-1964Generation
X 1965-1981Generation Y 1982-2002
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GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES IN KEY WORKPLACE
DIMENSIONS
Source Generations Working Together
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Narrowing the Generation Gaps

• Accepting your mutual rightness.
• Acknowledging your interdependence.
• Appreciating what you have in common.
• Assuming responsibility for making your
  relationship better.
• Adopting the platinum rule.

Source Generations Working Together
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Traditionalists

• Born between 1925-1945
• Motto Duty first.
• History Grew up during a time of political and
  economic uncertainty. Emphasize structure,
  protocols, hierarchy, and chain of command.
• Characteristics Generally seen as dedicated,
  loyal, long-term employees. Primary loyalty is to
  their organization (I work for).

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Baby Boomers

• Born between 1946-1964
• Motto Anything is possible.
• History Grew up during a time of economic
  prosperity and positive change.
• Characteristics Generally seen as optimistic and
  competitive. Willing to work long and hard to
  ensure personal and organizational success.
  Primary loyalty is to their profession / function
  (Im a ).

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Generation X

• Born between 1965-1981
• Motto Achieve a work/life balance.
• History Grew up during a time of change that
  negatively impacted family, jobs, economy, public
  trust, and the environment.
• Characteristics Generally seen as skeptical of
  authority and institutions with loyalty and
  work ethic defined by personal needs rather than
  organizational needs.

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Generation Y

• Born between 1982-2002
• Motto Technology rules.
• History Soon to be the largest group in the
  workforce. They have grown up with multitasking,
  multimedia, and unprecedented exposure to
  diversity, technology, violence, and sexual
  themes.
• Characteristics Generally seen as self-assured
  with a global view. They tend to respond
  positively to opportunities involving technology.

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Calculating the Cost of Conflict
Necessary Knowledge
Cost factors
The nature of conflict
1 Wasted time 2 Opportunity cost of wasted
time 3 Lowered job motivation and
productivity 4 Lost performance due to
conflict-related absenteeism 5 Loss of
investment in skilled employees 6
Conflict-incited theft, sabotage, vandalism, and
damage 7 Restructuring around the problem 8
Health costs 9 Degraded decision quality
Conflict Management Toolbox
Estimate the cost of conflict in your
organization with the Dana Measure of Financial
Cost of Organizational Conflict Use our on-line
cost calculator at www.mediationworks.com
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Calculating the Cost of Conflict
Necessary Knowledge
Estimating the cost of losing one good employee .
. .
Illustration
The nature of conflict
80,000
Your annual salary __________ Multiply times
1.4 (140) __________ Investment in you by
your employer Multiply times 1.5 (150)
__________ Cost of replacing you Multiply times
.6 (60) __________ Average role of conflict
in voluntary terminations Multiply times number
of voluntary terminations in your organization
annually __________ Annual cost of conflict to
your organization for only Factor 5.
112,000
168,000
100,800
1,008,000
10 of 100 employees
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The PULSE Frame
P P
Explain the plan
What Next?
Search the possibilities
What If?
P P
Learn the significance
Why or What About?
P P
What?
Uncover the circumstances
P P
Prepare for the conversation
How?
P P
- The PULSE Institute
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Tips for Working Together with Traditionalists

• Acknowledge their experience, expertise,
  dedication and length of service (if applicable).
• Pay attention to the chain of command.
• Appreciate and take advantage of the insights
  they have gained from years of experience.
• Be patient with their approaches to technology.

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Tips for Working Together with Baby Boomers

• Acknowledge their experience, expertise,
  dedication, and length of service (if
  applicable).
• Seek their help and counsel with issues involving
  workplace politics.
• Use them as sounding boards to test new ideas
  before plunging in.

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Tips for Working Together with Generation X

• Acknowledge their talent and expertise.
• Use clear and specific language when
  communicating.
• Remember that members of this group tend to place
  a high premium on efficiency so dont waste
  their time.
• Provide freedom with fences.

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Tips for Working Together with Generation Y

• Acknowledge their talents and fresh perspectives.
• Be open to, and accepting of, new and different
  ways of working as long as the job is getting
  done.
• Encourage and embrace technology.
• Keep your communications short, clear, direct,
  and specific.

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UVI PROPOSED SHARED GOVERNANCE MODEL 05/08/08
Board of Trustees
This proposed model for shared governance at UVI
is a modified version of the previous two
diagrams based on additional input from
University stakeholder groups. Arrows indicate
decision making responsibilities and
communication flow. The Senate shall consist of
four representatives from each of the three
University groups in addition to the president
and cabinet.
President
Cabinet
Student Government (voting)
Faculty Association (voting)
UVI Senate
President (non voting)
Cabinet (non voting)
Staff Council (voting)
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Yerkes-Dotson Human Performance Curve
Performance
Going Over the Top
Peak Performance
Burnout
Stress
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Narrowing Generation Gaps Vocabulary

• We have a lot more in common than I thought.
• How can we help each other to be more successful?
• Id like to share my ideas with you.
• Neither of us can do it alone.
• Please tell me what youre feeling.
• Lets learn from each other.
• What do you think?
• Were both right.
• Thank you.
• We.

Source Generations Working Together
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Quote Morris Massey, Ph.D.

• If you truly want to be effective in todays
  world, if you sincerely want to understand other
  people, it seems absolutely critical that we
  accept the reality that all these people out
  there who are different from the way we are, are
  just as RIGHT, CORRECT, and NORMAL as us.

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Thank yourmusvi_at_hrd200.comorionvis_at_yahoo.comhal
danedavies_at_yahoo.comhdavies_at_uvi.edu